How to Change Your TikTok Account Region (Steps and Limits)

Your TikTok region quietly decides a lot: which features you see, which terms and policies apply and what shows up for you. If you've moved country, or the app picked the wrong one when you signed up, it's natural to want to fix it. The good news is that TikTok's own help centre describes a way to do it.

The less good news is that TikTok attaches conditions, and it warns that a change may be a one-off. So I'd read this page through before you tap anything.

How TikTok decides your account region in the first place

TikTok says that when you sign up it collects information about your location, such as the region of your SIM card or IP address, and uses that to set the country or region on your account. That's why a holiday SIM or a different network on the day you registered can sometimes leave you with a surprising region.

Changing your TikTok account region in the app

1. Open TikTok and tap Profile at the bottom.
2. Tap the Menu button at the top, then select Settings and privacy.
3. Tap Account.
4. Tap User Information.
5. Tap Account region and select the country or region.

TikTok says that depending on your location you may or may not be offered the option. If you can't see Account region, that's worth knowing before you spend an hour hunting for it.

Changing your TikTok account region in a web browser

1. Go to www.tiktok.com and log in to your account.
2. Click your profile photo at the top.
3. Click Settings.
4. Within Manage account, click Account region and select the country or region.

Fixing the region while you're still signing up

If you haven't finished creating the account, it's much simpler. In the app, tap the country or region shown at the bottom of the sign-up screen, then select a location and follow the instructions. In a browser, tap the same spot, select a location and tap Done. TikTok still says that once changed, you may not have the option again, so choose with care.

What TikTok may ask of you before a region change

TikTok says that to change the country or region on your account, you may need to meet requirements like these:

• You've been in the country or region and active on TikTok.
• You meet the minimum age requirement to use TikTok in the new country or region.
• You've settled all rewards collected in the previous country or region, such as LIVE rewards. TikTok says it will remind you to review them when you request the change.
• You have the latest version of the TikTok app on your device.

The practical lesson: update the app first, and if you're a creator with rewards in your old region, deal with those before you try. That's the one that catches people out.

What changes on your TikTok account after a region change

TikTok says that depending on the country or region you select, some terms and policies may differ from those that applied to your old one. You can review them by choosing your region at the top of the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy pages. It also reminds you that certain features may not be available in all regions, so a feature you use now might look different, or be missing, in the new place.

If you also want the app to speak a different language, that's a separate setting. My guide to changing the language on TikTok walks through it, and it doesn't touch your region.

What you can't do with your TikTok region

I want to be straight about the limits, because plenty of pages online promise more than TikTok's help does:

• TikTok's help only describes the Account region setting and its requirements. It doesn't describe any workaround.
• If the requirements aren't met, the region setting may not be offered, and I'm not going to suggest tricks to get round that. Tricks to dodge a platform's rules can put your account at risk.
• A change may be a one-off. TikTok says you may not have the option to change it again.

Why a business or creator should think before changing TikTok region

If you run an account for a brand, a different region can mean different terms, different available features and different audiences. A creator with LIVE access or rewards in the old region has more to untangle. Before you change anything, write down which features you rely on, then check they're available in the new place.

If you only need to correct a mistake from sign-up, do it now, while the account is new and there's little to move. And if you're curious why TikTok treats regions as a big deal, my short piece on when TikTok came out covers how the app grew from Douyin and musical.ly.

If you can't change your TikTok region

1. Update the TikTok app to the latest version.
2. Look under Settings and privacy, Account, User Information for Account region.
3. Check on a web browser too: Settings, then Manage account.
4. Review whether you have rewards in your current region that need settling.
5. If the option still isn't offered, it may not be available for your location. Use the Need more help option in TikTok's help centre.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change my TikTok account region?

Go to Profile, Menu, Settings and privacy, Account, User Information, then Account region and select the country or region. You can also do it in a browser under Settings and Manage account.

Can I change my TikTok region more than once?

TikTok says that once you change your country or region, you may not have the option to change it again.

How does TikTok decide my region?

TikTok says it collects location information such as your SIM card region or IP address when you sign up and uses it to set the country or region on your account.

Why can't I see Account region?

TikTok says that depending on your location you may or may not have the option, and you may need to meet requirements such as having the latest app version.

Do I need to do anything about my rewards first?

TikTok says you may need to have settled all rewards collected in the previous region, such as LIVE rewards, and it reminds you to review them when you request the change.

Will changing region change my terms and policies?

TikTok says some terms and policies may differ depending on the region you select, and certain features may not be available in all regions.