How to Download TikTok Drafts

Published March 19, 2026

TikTok drafts are saved locally on your device and within TikTok's servers, but there's no official "download draft" button. Here's how to save your unpublished TikTok videos.

Understanding TikTok Drafts

When you create a TikTok video and tap "Drafts" instead of "Post," TikTok saves a local copy on your device. These drafts are tied to the device and TikTok account — they don't transfer between phones automatically.

Method 1: Post Privately, Then Download

The most reliable method to download your own drafts:

Open your TikTok draft from your profile page.
Tap Next to go to the posting screen.
Under "Who can watch this video," select Only me.
Tap Post — the video is now published but only visible to you.
Go to your profile, find the video (it'll have a lock icon), and use the Save video option from the share menu.

After saving, you can delete the privately posted video if you don't want it on your profile.

Method 2: Screen Record Your Draft

If you don't want to post the draft at all:

Open the draft in TikTok's editor.
Start a screen recording on your device.
Play the draft from start to finish.
Stop the screen recording and trim the clip.

Downsides: Lower quality, captures UI elements, and records at your screen's frame rate rather than the original video quality.

Method 3: Use GetTikVideo (After Posting)

If you've already posted the video (publicly or to "Only me"), you can use GetTikVideo to download it without the watermark:

Post the draft (set to public or "Only me").
Copy the video's share link.
Paste it into GetTikVideo to download without watermark.

Note: Videos set to "Only me" are private and won't be accessible via link. You'll need to temporarily set the video to public.

How to Prevent Losing Drafts

Don't delete the TikTok app. Drafts are stored locally and may be lost when you uninstall.
Don't switch accounts. Drafts are tied to your current account on that device.
Back up regularly. Post important drafts privately and download them as a backup.

FAQ

Can I transfer TikTok drafts to a new phone?

TikTok doesn't officially support draft transfers between devices. The best approach is to post them (even privately), download the videos, and re-upload on the new device.

I deleted TikTok and lost my drafts. Can I recover them?

Unfortunately, if you uninstalled TikTok without saving your drafts, they're likely gone permanently. TikTok stores drafts locally, not in the cloud.