As of 11:15 a.m. ET on Sunday, the TikTok website was accessible on desktop internet browsers, USA TODAY staff and two sources confirmed. Click here to learn more.
TikTok may be dark in America, but users are still able to download their data.
On Saturday night, TikTok users scrolling through the app were met with a pop-up message that indicated the app was no longer available in the U.S., just a few hours before legislation banning it on Sunday went into effect.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now,” a pop-up message reads on the TikTok mobile app and website.
Under the ban, it is illegal for internet hosting services and app stores to distribute TikTok. The Apple App and Google Play stores won’t remove TikTok from devices on which it’s already been downloaded, but the app is unusable. TikTok is also unavailable on internet browsers.
But with more than 170 million Americans curious about the platform’s future, TikTok is still allowing its users to download their data, as of Sunday morning.
Here’s how to access and download your TikTok data, even though the ban is currently in place.
Live updates:TikTok shut down, but some can access browser version
How to download your TikTok data from the app
Even though the ban is in place, TikTok users can download the data associated with their accounts, including their usernames, followers, accounts they follow, links to their favorite videos, messages and activity.
Here’s how to download TikTok data from the mobile app:
- Open the TikTok app.
- Tap “Learn more” when prompted with the ban pop-up message.
- When taken to the TikTok website, tap “log in” at the end of the ban message.
- Login to your TikTok account.
- Tap “Download your data.”
- Select the data you want to include in your download file and select a file format (either .TXT (plain text) file or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file. Both are readable with standard text editing programs.
- Tap “Request data.”
How to download your TikTok data from the website
Here’s how to download TikTok data from an internet browser:
- Visit TikTok.com.
- Click “download your data” at the end of the ban message.
- Click “download your data.”
- Select the data you want to include in your download file and select a file format (either .TXT (plain text) file or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file. Both are readable with standard text editing programs.
- Click “Request data.”
If you are able to access the full TikTok website, follow these steps:
- Visit TikTok.com.
- Click “More” at the bottom left-hand side of the screen.
- Click “Settings.”
- Click “Privacy.”
- Click “Download your data.”
- Select the data you want to include in your download file and select a file format (either .TXT (plain text) file or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file. Both are readable with standard text editing programs.
- Click “Request data.”
When do you receive your TikTok data?
Depending on how much data an account includes, TikTok will send a file to download in minutes or a few days.
Why has TikTok been banned in the US?
After several years of investigations, lawsuits and controversy, President Joe Biden signed legislation into law last spring, which gave ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, until Jan. 19, 2025 to divest the platform. Some government officials fear ByteDance, which is based in Beijing, is a national security threat, believing the company could be sharing U.S. user data with the Chinese government.
Because ByteDance failed to sell TikTok by the required date, TikTok is now effectively banned in the U.S.
Though he has formerly supported a TikTok ban, President-elect Donald Trump has now promised to “save” TikTok and told NBC News last week that he expects to “most likely” offer a 90-day extension to avoid the ban.
TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.
