Posting a video from the TikTok app
- Tap the Add post + button at the bottom.
- Select a maximum length, then tap Record. Or tap Upload to choose a video already on your phone, and skip to step 4.
- When you finish recording, tap Continue.
- Add a filter, sound, text, stickers or effects, or use the advanced editing tools.
- Tap Next for the final settings, or Your Story to post it as a story instead.
- Tap Post, or Drafts to save it for later.
The length you pick in step 2 is a ceiling. Recording stops on its own when you reach it, and if you choose a sound first, the sound sets the length. The full set of limits, 10 minutes recorded and 60 uploaded in the app, is in how long a TikTok can be.
The last screen: description, hashtags and privacy
After Next, TikTok gives you everything that travels with the post:
- Description, the text under the video.
- Hashtags, which help the post show up in search for those terms.
- Tag people and add a location.
- Add link, where it is offered.
- Privacy settings, which decide who can view the post.
Check the last one every time. TikTok keeps the privacy setting of your previous post: if your last post was set to Only you, the next one will be too, unless you change it. It is the first thing to check when a new post does not show on your profile. Only public posts appear under the posts tab; private ones sit behind the lock icon.
The words you put in the description and on screen are also what TikTok search reads, which is covered in SEO for TikTok.
Posting photos on TikTok
- Tap the Add post + button.
- Tap Photo, then Upload, and choose up to 35 photos.
- Tap Next. Swipe between the photos to add a filter, sound, text or stickers, or to crop them.
- Tap Next again to edit the cover, write the description and set privacy, then tap Post.
A post of several photos plays as a slideshow. How to make one people swipe through to the end is in how to make a slideshow on TikTok, and the full editor, templates included, is in how to edit a photo on TikTok.
Posting text only
- Tap the Add post + button, then Text.
- Type, then set the size, style, alignment, font and color, and tap Done.
- Add stickers, emojis or GIFs, and choose a background color.
- Tap Post to feed, or Your Story.
Posting on TikTok from a computer
On TikTok's website, click Upload at the top, then Select video to upload, and choose the file. The web upload takes MP4 or WebM, at 720 by 1280 or higher, up to 30 minutes long and under 10 GB.
Two differences from the app matter. The whole video is uploaded as it is, so trim it before you upload, or post from the app if you want to cut it there. And the web is where TikTok's own scheduling lives.
Drafts and scheduling
Tapping Drafts instead of Post saves the post where only you can see it, on your profile, ready to finish later. Drafts are the safe way to prepare several posts at once.
Scheduling a post for later is done on a computer, through Upload, by switching on the schedule toggle and picking a date and time between 15 minutes and 10 days ahead. TikTok's pages disagree on who gets it, which how to schedule TikTok posts sets out.
When a TikTok will not post
| Problem | What TikTok suggests |
|---|---|
| The upload fails in the app | Switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data, clear the app's video cache, restart the app and the phone, and update TikTok. |
| The upload fails on a computer | Refresh the page and restart the browser. Uploading is not available on TikTok's mobile website. |
| The post is not on your profile | Check its privacy setting. Private posts sit behind the lock icon. |
| The camera screen is black | Turn on Camera and Mic for TikTok in your phone's settings, close other camera apps, and restart TikTok. |
| You are blocked from posting | Accounts that break the Community Guidelines can be suspended. If you think it is a mistake, appeal with your username. |
When to post on TikTok
Questions like the best day to post, or the best hour on a Saturday or a Wednesday, have published answers from scheduling tools, all based on their own users rather than on TikTok. They are compared, day by day, in the best time to post on TikTok.
TikTok's own description of its feed does not mention a best time. It ranks posts by how people interact with them, by information about the post and by information about the viewer, and it mixes in creators people have not seen before on purpose. Use the published times as a starting point, then check when your own followers are active in your analytics.
For a business account
The steps are the same on a business account, with one difference that catches brands: business accounts use the Commercial Music Library, so some popular sounds are not available to them. Beyond that, three habits help:
- Write the description for search, with the words a customer would type, not a slogan.
- Batch in drafts, so a week of posts is ready before the week starts.
- Check privacy before you tap Post, every time, because the setting carries over.
For what TikTok can do for a business in the first place, read what TikTok marketing is, or have the TikTok marketing service take the posting off your hands.
How we will test this
Not run yetEverything above comes from the published sources listed below, and nothing here is presented as something we measured. Our own test on live accounts has not been run yet.
This is the test we will run: we post a video, a 35 photo post and a text post from a test account on iPhone and Android, and a video from a desktop browser, and record each screen, where the privacy setting carries over, and how long each post takes to appear on the profile.
Platforms change behavior without announcing it, so once the first test is run we repeat it every quarter, and this section will say when it was run and on which devices and app versions.
Sources
Read on October 1, 2026.
- TikTok Help Center, Making a post
- TikTok Help Center, Unable to post videos
- TikTok Help Center, Blocked from posting
- TikTok Help Center, Camera tools
- TikTok Help Center, read September 23, 2026, Schedule video
- TikTok Help Center, read September 23, 2026, Tools for creators: TikTok Studio
- TikTok Help Center, read September 23, 2026, How TikTok recommends content
- TikTok Help Center, Commercial use of music on TikTok
Questions people ask next
How do I post on TikTok?+
Tap the Add post + button, record or upload a video, add sound and effects, tap Next to write the description and set privacy, then tap Post.
How do I post a video from my camera roll?+
Tap the Add post + button, then Upload, and choose the video from your phone.
Can I post photos on TikTok?+
Yes. Tap Add post +, then Photo and Upload, and choose up to 35 photos.
Can I post on TikTok from a computer?+
Yes. On TikTok's website, click Upload at the top and select the video. The file can be MP4 or WebM, up to 30 minutes and under 10 GB.
Why is my new TikTok not on my profile?+
It is probably private. TikTok keeps the privacy setting of your last post, and private posts sit behind the lock icon on your profile.
How do I save a TikTok without posting it?+
Tap Drafts instead of Post. Drafts are visible only to you on your profile.
Can I schedule a TikTok?+
Yes, from a desktop browser, between 15 minutes and 10 days ahead, for accounts that have the feature.
Why won't my TikTok upload?+
Switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data, clear the app's video cache, restart the app and phone, and update TikTok. On a computer, refresh and restart the browser.
Why is my TikTok camera black?+
The camera and mic are probably not allowed. Turn both on for TikTok in your phone's settings.
What is the best time to post on TikTok?+
Scheduling tools publish their own answers, based on their own users, and they differ. TikTok's description of its feed names interactions, information about the post and information about the viewer, not a best time.
Why are some sounds missing on my business account?+
Business accounts use the Commercial Music Library, so sounds not cleared for commercial use are not offered.