Locked out of TikTok? Use TikTok's own steps to reset your password, recover with friends, remove unknown devices and turn on 2-step verification.

Quick answer: If you can still open the app, change your password and remove any device you do not recognise (Profile, then Menu, then Settings and privacy). If you are locked out, use TikTok's own routes: on the login screen tap Forgot password? and then Recover account, or tap Help and then Recover your account to ask friends to verify you.

At least 2Friends TikTok requires for its "Ask friends to verify" recovery route

All other devicesChanging your password logs you out of all other devices, locking out anyone else signed in

Up to 30 daysHow long TikTok says it can take to reset a lost authenticator app method without a recovery code

Use only TikTok's own routes below. Anyone who offers to recover the account for you is a scam risk.

How to tell it may be hacked

TikTok lists these signs: your password, phone number, username or nickname was changed; videos were deleted or posted without your permission; or messages you did not write were sent from your account. TikTok also says it may log you out if someone else is trying to remove an active device; if you did not do this, your account may have been hacked, so change your password immediately.

What to do in 3 steps

Change your password. In the TikTok app tap Profile, then the Menu button at the top, then Settings and privacy, then Account, then Password. Choose a password you use nowhere else.
Remove devices you do not recognise. Go to Settings and privacy, then Security & permissions, then Manage devices. For any device you do not know, tap Delete.
Turn on 2-step verification. Go to Settings and privacy, then Security & permissions, then 2-step verification, and choose at least two verification methods. Tap Turn on to confirm.

If you can still log in: lock it down

Changing your password signs everyone else out. TikTok also suggests:

A strong password: 12 to 15 characters, mixed letters, numbers and symbols, nothing built from your birthday or phone number, and different from your other accounts.
Both a phone number and an email linked, so that if one is compromised you have another way in (Settings and privacy, Account, Account Information).
A passkey, which lets you log in without a password (Settings and privacy, Account, Passkey).
Security checkup under Security & permissions, which walks you through these settings in one place.

If you joined TikTok using another social media account, TikTok says you need to reset the password from that platform.

You are locked out but still have your email or phone

If you are logged out:

On the login screen, choose to log in with phone, email or username, then pick Email/Username.
Tap Forgot password?
Choose to reset with your Phone number or Email and follow the prompts.

TikTok notes that if you have 2-step verification on and try this from a new or untrusted device, you may see an "unrecognized device" error. TikTok says to try again from a device you have used to log in before, or to use the account recovery route below.

The attacker changed your password, email or phone

TikTok has two recovery routes for when you can no longer log in or reset your password.

Route 1: Recover account. If you no longer have access to any device you used before, TikTok says to open the app, tap Forgot password? on the login screen, then tap Recover account and follow the steps to verify your identity. You may be asked for account details such as your registered email, phone number or previous passwords. TikTok says its Support team will review your request and get back to you soon. It publishes no exact time.

Route 2: Ask friends to verify. You can ask friends you are connected with on TikTok to verify you:

Open the TikTok app and tap Help at the top.
Tap Recover your account.
Enter your account username or email, then tap Search. You can also tap Search by phone number if you linked a number.
On your account page, tap Can't access these? at the bottom, then Ask friends to verify.
Tap Start, then Share to send the instructions to your friends through another method, such as a text message.

Your friends see the request as a notification on the Security & permissions page of their own settings (they may need to update the app to see it). TikTok says at least 2 friends are needed, your friends have only a set period of time to verify you, and you can only ask a limited number of times each day. If you pass, you are logged in automatically. If you fail, you can try again or use another recovery method.

If your email account was also hijacked, secure that first, because the attacker can use it to reset other accounts. See our guide to recovering a hacked Gmail account.

Lost your authenticator app?

If you lost a third-party authenticator app, tap Can't access the app and enter the recovery code from when you set it up. If you lost that too, tap Need more help? and complete the identity information TikTok asks for. TikTok warns this may take up to 30 days.

If the account is banned or stuck

TikTok says that if your account is banned, you get a banner notification when you next open the app. If you believe the ban was a mistake, open the notification, tap Appeal and follow the instructions. You can also check your account status in the app: tap Profile, then the Menu button, then TikTok Studio, then in More tools tap Account check.

After you are back in

Check security alerts. Go to Settings and privacy, then Security & permissions, then Security alerts, to see recent unusual events you do not recognise.
Warn people you chat with to ignore odd messages from your account, especially requests for money, codes or links.
Check any payment details. If you bought TikTok Coins or linked a payment method, check your statements for charges you did not make. If money was taken, see what to do right after a scam.
Be careful where you type your login. TikTok warns never to trust third-party websites that promise free likes, fans, Coins or other rewards, as they may be able to access your login information.

Warning: fake recovery help and fake TikTok messages

TikTok says it will never contact you to ask for your password, verification codes or other sensitive personal information. If a message claiming to be from TikTok asks for these, TikTok says it is likely phishing. Do not open it, and report it to TikTok.

TikTok says it may contact you directly in some cases: an in-app inbox notification from its Support team about a problem with a feature such as recharging Coins (a pop-up at the bottom of the message asks you to accept the request); an email from an @tiktok.com address about verifying government, politician and political party accounts; and, if it finds your password has been exposed, an email and an in-app notification asking you to change it. If in doubt, change your password from inside the app yourself.

Do not pay anyone who offers to "recover" the account. To report a suspicious message or a compromised account to TikTok: in the app tap Profile, then Menu, then Settings and privacy, then Help Center (you may need to scroll down), then Chat with us. TikTok also has an online reporting form with an "Account access / security" topic.

If you are being threatened or blackmailed

If someone is threatening to share private images or messages from your account, do not pay and do not reply. Read our sextortion and blackmail guide and report it to the police. TikTok's "Report another issue" page says reports about nonconsensual intimate images go through a separate TikTok web form.

If it is a child's account

If the account belongs to a child or teenager, ask a parent or another trusted adult to help with these steps.

What TikTok does not promise

The TikTok pages used here give no phone number for account recovery, do not promise every account will be recovered, and give no set time for the "Recover account" review beyond "soon".

We checked the steps against TikTok's own help pages on 26 October 2026; menus change, so follow the on-screen prompts if they differ.

Sources

If you have been targeted, you are not alone. See our country-by-country cybercrime help hub for step-by-step reporting and recovery guides.

Hacked TikTok Account: How to Recover It (2026)