Is It Legal to Download TikTok Videos? A Plain-English Guide for Europe
SaveThisTik Team·7 min read·Updated
Quick answer
Saving a public TikTok for your own private viewing is low-risk in most of Europe, but it is not a blanket right. Copyright stays with the creator, TikTok’s terms limit downloading to its own features, and re-uploading, selling or publishing someone else’s video without permission is copyright infringement. Downloading your own videos is always fine.
Copyright belongs to the creator
Every original TikTok is protected by copyright the moment it is made. Many videos also contain other people’s work, most often licensed music. Downloading a file does not give you any rights to that content.
The EU private-copy exception
EU law (the 2001 InfoSoc Directive, article 5(2)(b)) lets member states allow private copies made by an individual for non-commercial use. Most EU countries have this exception, including Spain (article 31.2 of the Intellectual Property Law), France and Germany, but the details differ by country.
- It only covers copies for yourself, not for sharing or business use.
- The EU Court of Justice ruled in 2014 (ACI Adam, C-435/12) that copies from unlawful sources are not covered.
- The UK has no general private-copy exception, so the rules there are stricter.
TikTok’s own terms are stricter
TikTok’s Terms of Service do not allow you to download content except through features TikTok provides, such as the built-in Save video button when the creator allows it. Breaking platform terms is a contract issue with TikTok rather than a crime, but it is worth knowing.
What is usually fine
- Downloading and backing up your own TikToks.
- Saving a public video to watch offline, just for yourself.
- Keeping a sound as your personal ringtone.
- Downloading with the creator’s permission, for example for a collaboration.
What you should not do
- Re-uploading someone else’s video to TikTok, Instagram, YouTube or any other site, even with credit.
- Using downloaded videos or music in ads, products or monetised channels without a licence.
- Removing a watermark to pass off someone else’s work as your own.
- Sharing videos of identifiable people in ways that could harm them: in the EU, images of people are personal data under the GDPR.
Need to use a clip publicly? Ask the creator. A short message with a request to use their video, and a link back, is usually all it takes.
Save a TikTok now
Paste any public TikTok link and download it without watermark in HD, or as MP3.
Tools for this guide
Frequently asked questions
- Is it illegal to use a TikTok downloader?
- Using a downloader is not illegal in itself. What matters is what you download and what you do with it. Saving public videos for private viewing is generally tolerated; republishing them without permission is not.
- Can I repost a TikTok if I credit the creator?
- Credit is not permission. To repost someone else’s video legally you need their consent, or a legal exception such as quotation or review that genuinely applies.
- Can I download my own TikTok videos?
- Yes. You own the copyright in your own videos (except third-party music), so you can download and back them up freely.