How to Remove a TikTok Video About You

To remove a TikTok video about you, report it under the Community Guidelines rule it actually breaks: harassment and bullying, sharing your personal information, or impersonation. If you own the footage, file a copyright report instead. TikTok also has web forms for privacy concerns, impersonation and intellectual property, so you have options beyond the in-app report button. A video that is simply critical or unflattering usually stays up.

Speed matters on TikTok more than on most platforms. If you’re wondering how to get a TikTok video taken down, act early: it’s far easier to remove TikTok videos before they’re stitched, duetted, downloaded and reposted, which can happen within hours. The sooner you report the original, the fewer copies you have to chase.

Before you try to remove TikTok videos, work out the problem

TikTok reviews reports against specific rules. A report that names the right rule and points to the exact part of the video that breaks it has a much better chance than a general complaint. Before you do anything, watch the video and write down:

• What identifies you. Your face, voice, full name, username, workplace, school or car.
• What private information it shows. A home address, phone number, license plate, workplace details, or documents visible on screen.
• Whether it targets you. Insults, mocking your appearance, calls for people to find you or flood your accounts, or threats.
• Who made the footage. Did the uploader film it, or is it your own video, photo or livestream that they took and reposted?
• What the caption, on-screen text and comments add. Sometimes the video is harmless and the caption names you or tells viewers where you work.

Save the video link, the uploader’s username and screenshots of the video, caption and worst comments before you report. If the video comes down, you may still need that record for other copies, for Google, or for a lawyer.

Option 1: Report harassment and bullying

TikTok’s Community Guidelines don’t allow content that harasses or bullies people, including degrading remarks about someone’s appearance, doxxing and coordinated abuse. This is the right route when the video exists to mock, shame or pile on you. You can report TikTok videos from the app in a few taps:

1. Open the video, tap the Share arrow and choose Report.
2. Pick the harassment or bullying category, and choose that the video is about you if the flow asks.
3. Report the worst comments separately. Comments are reviewed on their own, and abusive comments can come down even when the video stays.

If the harassment is part of a wider campaign across several platforms, our guide on what to do about online harassment covers documentation, safety steps and when to involve the police.

Option 2: Report a privacy violation

TikTok doesn’t allow content that shares personal information that could lead to harm, such as identity theft, stalking or fraud. If a video shows your home address, phone number, license plate, ID documents or similar details, report it for sharing personal information. Point to the timestamp where the information appears.

TikTok also runs a privacy portal on its website (under its legal pages) with a web form for privacy concerns. Use it when the in-app categories don’t fit, or when you want to set out the problem in more detail than an in-app report allows.

Being filmed in public is a harder case. Many videos of people in public places don’t break any TikTok rule by themselves. They become reportable when they add targeting (naming you, telling viewers where to find you), private information, or abuse.

Option 3: Report impersonation

If an account is pretending to be you or your business, report the account, not only the videos. In the app, open the profile, tap the three dots, then Report, and choose the option for pretending to be someone.

TikTok’s Help Center also describes an online impersonation form. It asks for your email address, who is being impersonated and a copy of valid identification, and TikTok replies by email. That form is useful if you don’t use TikTok or the impersonator has blocked you. For fake accounts on several platforms at once, see our guide on what to do if someone is impersonating you online.

Option 4: Copyright, if you own the footage

If the video uses footage, photos or audio that you created, you may be able to file a copyright report. TikTok’s Intellectual Property Policy says reports can be made through its online Copyright Infringement Report form or in-app, and encourages rights holders to contact the user first.

Three things to know before you file:

• You must own the work. Appearing in a video doesn’t make you the copyright owner. Whoever pressed record usually owns the footage.
• TikTok may share details with the uploader. Its policy says it may give the user information about your report, such as the name of the copyright owner. Expect the uploader to see your name.
• False reports have consequences. TikTok warns that misleading or fraudulent reports can lead to liability for damages under section 512(f) of the DMCA. Only file when the footage is genuinely yours, and consider whether fair use (commentary, criticism) might apply.

Copyright is often the fastest route for reposts of your own content, because the question is narrow: whose footage is it?

Option 5: Ask the creator

A short, calm message sometimes works faster than any report, especially when the creator is an acquaintance, a customer or someone who didn’t think about the consequences. It works less well with accounts that post for attention.

Hi, I’m the person in your video posted on [date]. It shows my face and the name of my workplace, and I’ve been getting messages from strangers since it went up. I’m not asking you to change your opinion. Would you be willing to take it down or edit out my face and workplace? Thank you.

Keep it factual, make one specific request, and don’t threaten. If you get no reply within a few days, report through TikTok and don’t message again.

Videos showing children

TikTok requires users to be at least 13 and applies stricter rules to content involving minors. If a video shows your child in a way that exposes their identity, location or school, or targets them, report it and say clearly that the person shown is a minor and that you are the parent. Any sexualized content involving a minor should be reported immediately. TikTok’s guidelines say it removes such content and reports it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and you can also report it to the NCMEC CyberTipline yourself. Don’t screenshot, download or forward sexualized images of a minor, even as evidence: report the link instead. NCMEC’s Take It Down service can also help remove explicit images taken of someone under 18, and our help resources page lists other support.

Stitches, duets and reposts

A single video can spawn dozens of versions. Stitches and duets are new posts that include part of the original. Reposts and re-uploads, including copies downloaded and posted to other platforms, are separate posts too. Don’t assume that removing the original takes the others with it. Check each one.

1. Look for stitches and duets of the original, which usually credit the original creator’s handle.
2. Search TikTok for your name, the creator’s handle, and key phrases from the caption or on-screen text.
3. Report each copy under the same rule, referencing the original if it was removed.

If the video has already spread well beyond TikTok, treat it as a viral incident rather than a single takedown. Our guide on responding to a viral negative post covers whether to comment publicly and how to avoid feeding it.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real case.

A dental hygienist has a tense exchange with a patient in a clinic parking lot. The patient films part of it, posts it to TikTok with a caption naming the clinic and calling her “the rudest hygienist in town,” and adds the clinic’s street name as on-screen text. Within two days it has been stitched several times, and she is getting direct messages from strangers.

1. She saves the video URL, screenshots of the caption and on-screen text, and the stitch URLs.
2. She doesn’t message the creator, who has replied to comments saying “let her find this.”
3. She reports the original for harassment, noting the call to find her, and separately reports the comments that include her first name and ask when she works.
4. She reports the stitches under the same category, and those that add her full name for sharing personal information.

The outcome depends on TikTok’s review. The version that invites viewers to track her down has a strong harassment case. A version that simply shows the argument with no identifying caption may stay up. Meanwhile, she sets her own accounts to private and keeps a log.

If it’s your own TikTok video

If you posted the video, you can delete it yourself. Open it from your profile, tap the three dots or the share arrow, and choose Delete. If you’d rather keep it but limit who sees it, change its privacy setting so only you can watch it. Deleting your video doesn’t remove stitches, duets or copies other people made, so report those separately under the routes above.

What TikTok won’t remove

• Honest reviews of your business or opinions about your work, even harsh ones.
• Videos of public events, or of you in public, that don’t target you or share private information.
• Commentary about public figures on matters of public interest.
• Videos you find embarrassing but that break no rule.

If a video makes specific false statements of fact that damage your reputation, that is a legal question rather than a policy one. Harsh opinion generally isn’t defamation; specific false claims can be. Talk to a lawyer before sending any legal demand, because a poorly judged threat can become the next video.

When the TikTok video shows up in Google

TikTok videos can rank in Google for a person’s or business’s name. Once the video is removed from TikTok, Google usually drops it over time. If it lingers, use Google’s Refresh Outdated Content tool with the video URL. If it stays live but includes information like your phone number or home address, Google’s removal options for personal information may help.

When a video can’t be removed at all, the remaining option is to make sure better, accurate results appear for your name. The content removal service page explains how we assess removal routes and when suppression makes more sense.

Common mistakes

• Replying in the comments. Engagement pushes the video to more people. Report first, and decide later whether a public response is needed.
• Reporting under the wrong category. “I don’t like this” or “false information” rarely fits a video about an individual. Use harassment, privacy or impersonation.
• Filing copyright for footage you didn’t create. It will likely be rejected, and it can expose you to liability.
• Not saving evidence. Once a video is removed, you can’t screenshot it for the copies that remain.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a TikTok video removed just because I'm in it?

Not usually. Appearing in a video isn’t a violation by itself. It becomes removable when the video harasses you, shares your personal information, impersonates you, uses footage you own, or breaks another Community Guidelines rule. Videos of minors are treated with more caution.

Will the creator know I reported their video?

TikTok says it doesn’t tell the creator who reported a Community Guidelines violation. Copyright reports are different: TikTok’s policy says it may share information about the report, such as the copyright owner’s name, with the user.

How long does TikTok take to review a report?

It varies with the type of report and how clear the violation is. Some in-app reports are handled quickly, while form-based reports such as impersonation claims can take longer because TikTok may ask for identification. There’s no fixed timeline.

What if TikTok decides the video doesn't break the rules?

Check whether you used the right route. A video rejected as harassment may still qualify under a privacy report, an impersonation form or a copyright report if you own the footage. Resubmitting the same complaint in the same words rarely changes the result.

What if the video has been reposted on other platforms?

Each platform has its own rules and reporting tools, so report each copy where it appears. If it’s on YouTube, our guide on how to remove a YouTube video about you walks through that platform’s routes, and our guide to removing an Instagram post covers Reels.