How to Make Your TikTok Account Public or Private

 

One of the best things about social media platforms nowadays is that they let you choose more granular privacy settings at your will.

In the case of TikTok, users can create private accounts where they can choose who can see their private videos and who cannot.

Likewise, other users prefer to have a public TikTok profile, which is perfectly fine as well.

So, whether you want a public profile or a private profile, you are the master of your own destiny.

Keep on reading today’s post to learn more about:

• How to make your TikTok account public or private;
• Private or public profile on TikTok: which one should you choose?;
• Different features, pros, and cons between private accounts and public accounts on TikTok.

TikTok Private Account vs. Public Account

Any TikTok user can change between public and private profiles, as long as they are older than 16 years old on the platform.

The changes will be automatically approved, which means that you can choose between private or public profiles just by making some changes to your profile settings.

Nevertheless, there are punctual differences between these two types of accounts on this social media app, so which one suits you the most? Note that the features offered by the TikTok service are different from one type of account to another.

Private TikTok Account: Pros and Cons

Among the pros of making accounts private on TikTok, we have the following:

1. You can decide whether to accept pending follow requests or not;
2. Only your friends and people you add will be able to watch and access each video you post;
3. Your profile information will be hidden by default, except from the people you accept as your followers.

Nonetheless, there are some cons as well, and you must take note of them:

1. If you make your TikTok account private, your private videos cannot be shared. For instance, Duets and Stitch depends on public account, not private TikTok profiles;
2. You will have less reach on the platform. Users will find it harder to access your content;
3. Connecting with other users will become increasingly difficult on the TikTok platform.

Public TikTok Account: Pros and Cons

If you don’t want to make your TikTok account private, you can keep it as “Public,” which is the default settings on the app.

Among the pros of public accounts, we have:

1. Public videos can participate in Duets, Stitches, and reposts from other users;
2. You can still mark certain people as your friends, so hiding some content is possible;
3. Other features, such as making your videos viral easier on the platform, are only available to public profiles.

But not everything is good regarding public accounts. Among the cons of public profiles on TikTok, we have these:

1. More people can find you, which means that things can get out of control pretty easily;
2. You have no control over pending follow requests; everyone can add you on the TikTok app!;
3. Everyone can use your videos. Dueting and Stitching are big parts of the TikTok app, but if you have a public profile, and you don’t like a Duet or a Stitch that someone made, then there’s nothing you can do about it.

How to Make Your TikTok Account Private

Making your TikTok account private is quite simple. The process of setting a private account on the TikTok app is the same whether you have an iOS device or Android device, so let’s get to it:

1. Open TikTok on your mobile device, and on the home screen, look for your profile icon - tap on it;
2. Then, at the top right corner of the screen, select Settings and Privacy;
3. Here, tap on the Privacy setting option. Under “Discoverability,” you will see a toggle that says Private Account;
4. Tap the toggle icon - it will turn green, meaning that you have just set a private TikTok account on the platform.

How to Make Your TikTok Account Public

By default, users on the TikTok app will have their account set as public. Nonetheless, if you recently changed to a private TikTok profile, and now want to go back to public, this is what you must do:

1. Open TikTok, and on the bottom right corner of the screen, tap on your PFP;
2. Then, tap on the three dots icon at the top right corner to go to Settings;
3. Go to Privacy, and toggle the Privacy Account switch off.

You can change your TikTok profile from public to private whenever you want by accessing your settings if you need to.

Why Does TikTok Keep Making My Account Private?

TikTok makes your account private by default because you marked that you are under 16 years old.

Underage users will not be able to use most of the features that the app has.

Only people that are also underage will be able to become your friends, and no one can send messages to you.

Thus, if you are under 16 years old, TikTok will keep making your account private until you turn 17. That’s how things work!

Summary: Private and Public TikTok Accounts

Whether you decide to show your public profile on this video platform, or prefer to use the app anonymously, it is all up to you.

Fortunately, people who are not underage can always decide whether they will use a public or a private profile, so you are the master of your own TikTok fate. For more TikTok info, keep on checking GrowFollowing!

FAQ

Why Can’t I Make My Account Private on Tiktok?

You cannot make your account private on TikTok because perhaps your profile is marked as a business account. Business accounts on the TikTok app cannot switch to public profiles. Therefore, you would need to go from a Pro Account to a Personal Profile in order to complete the process.

About the author

Karen

Karen is a senior technical writer and copywriter here at GrowFollowing. Her area of expertize are social media apps and new media.