How to Hide Your TikTok Account From Friends (What Works)

Maybe you want a TikTok account for your side project without every cousin and old colleague popping up as a suggestion. Or you're simply private by nature. Either way, it's a fair thing to want, and TikTok does give you some controls.

What it doesn't give you is a magic button that makes your account invisible to friends. I'll show you the settings TikTok's help centre describes, and I'll be straight about what they can and can't do.

How TikTok suggests your account to friends and contacts

TikTok says it may suggest your account to others so they can follow you. Depending on what you allow, that can mean:

• Contacts: people who have synced their phone contacts and have your phone number or email address saved, if you've added that detail to your account.
• Facebook friends: people who are your Facebook friends, where both of you have chosen to sync your Facebook friends list.
• People who open or send links to you: someone who sent you a link to a TikTok video, or opened one you sent, including links shared by text message or another app.

It's useful to know that last one, because people forget about it. A link you sent to a friend can be enough.

Turning off Suggest your account to others on TikTok

1. Open TikTok and tap Profile at the bottom.
2. Tap the Menu button at the top, then select Settings and privacy.
3. Tap Privacy, then tap Suggest your account to others.
4. Choose who you'd like your account to be suggested to. Turn off Contacts, Facebook friends and People who open or send links to you.

TikTok says these settings are turned on by default if you're aged 18 or older, so unless you've already changed them, they're probably on right now.

Stopping TikTok syncing your contacts and Facebook friends

This is a separate switch, and it matters. TikTok's help says that if you sync phone contacts and you've turned on Contacts in Suggest your account to others, your account may also be suggested to someone whose number or email is in your phone contacts. It also says that if you turn on the Contacts setting, you don't need to sync your own contacts for your account to be suggested to others.

1. Go to Profile, then the Menu button, then Settings and privacy.
2. Tap Privacy, then tap Sync contacts and Facebook friends.
3. Turn off Sync contacts and Sync Facebook friends.
4. Use the option to remove previously synced data if you want it cleared.

TikTok adds that if you only remove its access to your contacts in your phone's settings, or turn off the sync, it stops syncing but keeps suggesting accounts from contacts you previously synced. To clear those, use the Remove previously synced contacts option.

Using a private TikTok account to limit who sees you

A private account is the strongest tool TikTok describes. With a private account, you approve the people who can follow you and watch your videos, LIVE videos, bios and likes, and who can see your followers and following lists.

1. Tap Profile, then the Menu button.
2. Tap Settings and privacy, then Privacy.
3. Turn on Private account.

There are limits. TikTok says your name, username and profile photo are always visible to anyone, and that other people will be able to search for your account. So a friend can still find you by name, but they can't follow you or watch your videos unless you approve them. TikTok also says that if your account is private and the suggestion settings are on, it will still suggest others follow your account, though only people you approve can follow.

What TikTok says it can still do after you turn everything off

This is the part to read twice. TikTok says that even if all the suggestion settings are turned off, your account may still be suggested to people you follow, interact with or share mutual connections with on TikTok. So if you follow a friend, or you both like the same creators, you may still show up for them.

It also says that if you're aged 13 to 17, your account won't be suggested to mutual connections. I don't think any setting gets you to complete invisibility, and I'd be wary of any page that tells you otherwise.

Other things worth tidying on your TikTok account

• Be careful what you put in your username, name and profile photo, since those stay visible.
• Think about whether to add your phone number or email to the account, because the Contacts suggestions depend on it.
• Restrict single posts: TikTok says you can limit each post to the audience you choose in the video settings.
• Choose who can comment on your videos and who can send you direct messages.

While you're in Settings, my guide to deleting TikTok messages is handy if you want to tidy old chats, and changing the language on TikTok covers another preference in the same area.

If you can't find the TikTok privacy settings

1. Update the TikTok app.
2. Go to Profile, then the Menu button, then Settings and privacy, then Privacy.
3. Look for Suggest your account to others and Sync contacts and Facebook friends in that list.
4. Remember that some options, such as mutual connections on Facebook, are only in select regions.
5. Use Need more help in TikTok's help centre if a setting is missing.

If someone is bothering you and you feel unsafe, block and report them, and if you're in danger, contact the police.

Frequently asked questions

Can I hide my TikTok account from friends?

Not completely. TikTok lets you turn off suggestions to Contacts and Facebook friends, and use a private account, but it says your account may still be suggested to people you follow, interact with or share mutual connections with.

Where is Suggest your account to others?

Go to Profile, tap the Menu button, choose Settings and privacy, tap Privacy, then tap Suggest your account to others.

Does a private account hide me from search?

No. TikTok says other people will be able to search for your account, and your name, username and profile photo are always visible.

Are TikTok suggestions on by default?

TikTok says the Suggest your account to others settings are turned on by default if you're aged 18 or older.

Will turning off contact sync remove contacts already synced?

TikTok says it stops syncing but keeps suggesting accounts from previously synced contacts. Use Remove previously synced contacts to clear them.

Do teenagers get suggested to mutual connections?

TikTok says that if you're aged 13 to 17, your account won't be suggested to mutual connections.