How to Access Your TikTok Watch History
Have you ever watched a video on TikTok but can’t quite remember which one? If it was within the past six months, there’s a good chance you can still find it. TikTok retains your watch history for up to 180 days, so it’s possible to retrieve videos you’ve watched even if you’ve forgotten the details.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to access your TikTok watch history. There are two main ways to do this: through the app or by downloading your data from TikTok. Let’s dive into each option.
1. Accessing Your Watch History Through the App
The first and simplest way to view your watch history is directly through the TikTok app itself. Follow these easy steps:
Open TikTok and go to your profile by tapping on the “Profile” icon.
Tap the three horizontal lines (the “hamburger” menu) in the top-right corner to open the menu.
Select Settings and Privacy.
Under this menu, tap Activity Center.
Once you’re in the Activity Center, you’ll see a couple of different features. Notably, this is also where you can view how much time you’ve spent on TikTok, but for now, let’s focus on your watch history.
Tap on Watch History.
Here, you’ll see a complete list of videos you’ve watched in the last 180 days.
While this feature is certainly useful, it has a significant drawback: scrolling through the list can be sluggish and unresponsive, especially if you’ve watched a lot of videos. So, while it is technically possible to find the video you’re looking for, it may take a bit of patience.
The good news is that TikTok offers filtering options that can help you narrow down the search, which may speed up the process. If you want to clear your history, you can tap Select, choose all the videos, and then delete them.
2. Requesting Your Data from TikTok
If you’re looking for a more detailed record of your activity, you can download a file with all of TikTok’s data on you, including your watch history. Here’s how to do it:
Open the hamburger menu on your profile again and go to Settings and Privacy.
This time, go to Account Settings.
Tap on Download Your Data, then select Request Data.
TikTok will start preparing the data file, and it typically takes only a few minutes for the request to be completed. Once the file is ready, you’ll receive a notification, and you can go back to the same menu to tap Download Data.
To download the file, you’ll be asked to enter your password, then you’ll be redirected to a browser for the download to begin.
The file will be available for download for up to 4 days before it expires, so be sure to grab it within that time frame. Also, keep in mind that if you’ve recently deleted your watch history, you won’t be able to request the data file until the history is restored.
The downloaded file will be a ZIP archive. Once you’ve downloaded it, it’s best to move the file to your computer and unzip it using an archive tool (such as WinZip or WinRAR). Inside the archive, you’ll find various subfolders, but the file you’re looking for is in the Activity subfolder, named browsing_history.txt.
What’s Inside Your Browsing History File?
The file itself is a simple text document, and it contains some important details:
The date and time you watched each video.
A link to each video.
However, don’t expect to find the name, description, or author of the video. It’s just a plain list of links. Also, keep in mind that the history only covers the last 180 days.
Conclusion
Accessing your TikTok watch history is a fairly straightforward process, whether you do it through the app itself or by requesting your data. While using the app is more convenient, downloading your data file gives you a more comprehensive look at your activity, especially if you’re looking for a specific video but can’t remember its details.
So, next time you find yourself wondering about a TikTok video you watched months ago, you’ll know exactly where to look!