November 5, 2024
Last update
11.5.2024
06 MIN.
You're using TikTok on your phone, nothing new, but wouldn't it be more comfortable to use it from a laptop or a desktop computer? Find how to here, on both PC and Mac!
Marvellous
Are you wondering whether you can watch, download or upload TikTok videos for desktop, on your PC or on your Mac? The answer is a resounding yes!
While the mobile app is a popular choice, it's not the only way you can enjoy short videos on the platform! You can also enjoy TikTok directly from your desktop.
The only disadvantage to using TikTok’s website is that you won’t be able to use the built-in editing tools to edit your videos. You won’t have access to TikTok’s filters or effects.
So, in this article, we’ll see how to use TikTok on PC or Mac without any of the restrictions. Let’s dive in!
You can easily browse through TikTok videos directly from the desktop browser on your PC or on your Mac.
Go to any browser on your computer and type the URL ‘https://www.tiktok.com/’ in the search bar. When the URL loads, you will see the site’s landing page.
You can immediately start scrolling through the videos on the landing page. You can even watch videos without logging in. Videos that are popular in your region will automatically show up.
If you want to sign in to your TikTok account, click on Login in the top right corner of the web page. If you don’t have an account, you can sign up using the link at the bottom of the login page.
After you have logged in, you will be redirected to the homepage.
On the left-hand side, you will see:
At the top right of the page, you will find the Upload video, Notifications, and Profile icons. In the notifications bar, you will see all your new likes, comments, mentions, and followers.
You can upload videos directly to the platform using the TikTok website on your desktop. Before you can post your videos, you will have to sign in to your account. After signing in, click on the "+ Upload" button in the top-right corner of the screen to upload your video.
After clicking on the Upload button, you will be redirected to the upload page.
If you use the TikTok website, you can only upload videos! You can't upload TikTok Carousels and TikTok Photos. Also, you can't use TikTok’s built-in editing tools. You can first edit the videos CapCut online or CapCut App, the ByteDance video-editing app, and then upload them to TikTok.
💡 Later in the article, I will show you how you can edit your videos using TikTok’s built-in editing tools on PC or Mac.
To get started with uploading your video, click Select videos to upload. You can only upload MP4 or WebM videos, 10 GB maximum. The video must have a resolution of 720×1280 or higher, and must not be more than 60 minutes long.
After uploading the video, you can add a caption, choose your cover image, and determine who can view your video. You can also allow users to comment, duet, or stitch your videos. After setting up your video, hit the Post button.
To upload a TikTok video and schedule it on Iconosquare:
Bonus: you can also schedule your TikTok photos and carousels on our platform.
On TikTok’s mobile app, you can use the video editing feature to edit videos before uploading. Unfortunately, this feature isn’t available on the desktop version. If you prefer to use the built-in editing tools on TikTok rather than video editing apps, you will have to download an Android emulator on your PC or Mac.
One of the best Android emulators is BlueStacks. BlueStacks will allow you to access the mobile version of TikTok from your computer.
Here is how to get started with BlueStacks.
There are several android emulators you can download, but my favorite is BlueStacks. It has a clean and easy to use interface. The emulator is also available for both PC and Mac. It is also free to use.
Download BlueStacks for PC and Mac.
After downloading the .exe file to your computer, install the application on your system.
After installing and opening BlueStacks, you will be redirected to the homepage. The interface is similar to that of a mobile device.
On the homepage, go to the Game center tab. Under the Recommended for you section of the page, click on Google Play Store.
Before you can install TikTok on BlueStacks, you will have to sign in to Google Play. If you don’t have an account, create one.
After signing in to Google Play, search for TikTok, and click install.
When you go back to your BlueStacks library, you will find TikTok.
After you have installed TikTok on BlueStacks, you can start using the platform immediately. It will look exactly like the way it does on your mobile device.
You will need to sign in before using the app. Similar to the mobile app, you will find the Discover and Inbox tabs at the bottom of the screen. When you click on the Discover tab, you will see the trending hashtags, sounds, and users on the platform. To see your recent messages, click on the Inbox tab.
You can easily scroll through the feed using your trackpad or mouse.
You will have to upload the video to BlueStacks before uploading the video to TikTok.
First, open Bluestacks and go to Home > Library > System Apps > Media Manager.
To upload the video to BlueStacks, click on Import From Windows/Mac in the bottom-left corner of the emulator.
Now, choose the video file that you want to upload to TikTok.
After you have imported the video to BlueStacks, you can now upload it to TikTok. Go back to the TikTok app and tap on the plus symbol at the bottom of the page. Click on Upload in the bottom-right corner of the recording screen. You can then select the video you just imported to BlueStacks and continue the uploading process.
After uploading the video, you can edit the video using TikTok’s built-in editing tool. On the first editing screen, you can crop, rotate, and adjust the speed of your video.
On the next editing screen, you can add stickers, effects, filters, texts, sounds, and voiceovers. After you are done editing, describe your video, and adjust the privacy settings. You can toggle on duets, stitch, and reactions.
Installing the TikTok app on Mac is not as straightforward as installing it on a PC. If you do not install the BlueStacks emulator properly on your Mac, it can crash your computer. To avoid any issues, you need to shut down other apps before installing the software.
Here are the steps to install BlueStacks on Mac:
Tip: Before the installation starts, a System Extension blocked message might appear on the screen. To clear this, tap on Open Security Preferences and click on the Allow button. The BlueStacks emulator will then be installed on your Mac.
After you have installed the BlueStacks emulator, the process of downloading the TikTok app is the same as on the PC. If you do not have a Google Play account, you will need to create one.
You can check your TikTok analytics on a desktop, without using an emulator, to see if you get more and more views on TikTok!
You will be redirected to the analytics page.
An advantage of checking TikTok analytics on a desktop is that you can download the data to your device.
It couldn't be easier to check your TikTok performance and analytics on Iconosquare! In the left-hand sidebar, click on the “Analytics” tab. Select the view containing the KPIs you wish to measure: Overview, Engagement, Community or Content.
You can record and post videos directly on TikTok using your PC or Mac. If you want access to TikTok’s built-in editing feature, you will have to download BlueStacks emulator. For Mac users, remember to meet all the technical requirements before installing it on your computer.
Hi! I'm Marvellous, huge fan of Iconosquare as a product, and determined to help experienced social media marketers thrive in the various aspects of their career.
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