The Answer You're Looking For (Let's Not Waste Your Time)

Here's the straight answer before you read 9,000 more words looking for a magic solution:

TikTok made liked videos private by default back in 2021. Unless someone has intentionally gone into their settings and flipped that switch (which almost nobody does), their liked videos are visible only to them. Period.

But—and this is important—there ARE some exceptions, workarounds, and other things you CAN see that might give you insights into what someone's interested in.

So let's break down exactly what's possible, what's not, what changed over the years, and frankly, whether you should even be trying to do this at all.

Fair?

Understanding TikTok's privacy settings is crucial for protecting your liked videos and respecting others' privacy

Quick Facts: What You Can and Can't See on TikTok

❌Things You CAN'T See:

• Someone else's liked videos (unless they've made them public—rare)
• Someone's watch history
• Someone's search history
• Someone's private messages with creators
• Detailed analytics of someone's activity
• Who viewed someone's profile (TikTok doesn't have this feature)

✅Things You CAN See:

• Videos posted to their profile (if account is public)
• Comments they've left on videos (if you find those videos)
• Videos they've publicly shared to other platforms
• Duets and stitches they've created
• Their following/followers lists (if account is public)
• Videos where they've been tagged (if they allow tags)
• Their public playlists (if they've made any)

TikTok Privacy History: What Changed and Why

If you're confused about whether TikTok likes are public or private, you're not crazy. The answer has actually changed over the years.

📅The Early Days (2018–2020): Public by Default

When TikTok was still relatively new, liked videos were PUBLIC by default. You could go to anyone's profile, tap a little heart icon, and see every single video they'd ever liked. It was a stalker's paradise and a privacy nightmare.

People were getting in trouble left and right:

• Partners were checking each other's liked videos and starting fights
• Employers were reviewing job candidates' TikTok likes for "culture fit"
• Friends were discovering uncomfortable truths about each other's interests
• Context-free likes were being misinterpreted and causing drama

🔒The Big Change (2021): Privacy First

In 2021, TikTok finally listened to users' privacy concerns and flipped the default setting. All new users from that point forward had their liked videos set to PRIVATE by default. Existing users kept their old settings unless they manually changed them.

📱Today (2024–2026): Privacy as the Norm

The vast majority of TikTok users now have private liked videos. You'd have to deliberately go into settings and make them public, which almost nobody does. The people who haven't changed their settings from the pre-2021 public default are increasingly rare as those old accounts fade away.

If you're reading old articles from 2019 that say "just go to their profile and tap the heart!" that information is severely outdated. It doesn't work for most accounts anymore.

The Only Real Way to Check If Someone's Liked Videos Are Public

Alright, so yes—there IS one legitimate way to see if someone's liked videos are public. But spoiler alert: it probably won't work.

👣Step-by-Step Process:

1. Navigate to Their Profile: Open TikTok and search for the person's username. Go to their profile page.
2. Look for the Heart Icon: On their profile, you'll see several tabs: Videos (what they've posted), Reposts (if they repost content), and ❤️ Liked/Favorites (the heart icon).
3. Tap the Heart Icon: If you can see it and tap on it, one of two things will happen.
4. Check the Results: If their likes are PUBLIC, you'll see a grid of videos they've liked. You can scroll through, watch any of them, and see everything they've double-tapped. If their likes are PRIVATE (which is most likely), you'll either see a message saying "This user's liked videos are private" or you won't even see the heart icon as a tappable option.

The stark difference between public and private TikTok likes—95% of users keep their likes private

That's it. That's the only legitimate, non-sketchy way to check. And it almost never works because people value their privacy.

Now let's talk about what you CAN actually see...

What You CAN Actually See (The Digital Breadcrumbs)

Just because you can't see someone's liked videos doesn't mean you're completely in the dark. There are plenty of other digital breadcrumbs that reveal what someone's interested in and how they're using TikTok.

🎬1. The Videos They've Posted

This one's obvious, but it's worth stating: you can see everything they've posted to their profile (assuming their account is public). This tells you:

• What type of content they create
• What trends they're participating in
• What topics matter to them
• Their sense of humor and style
• Their interests and hobbies

If someone's constantly posting about fitness, it's a safe bet they're interested in fitness content. If they're posting cooking videos, they probably like cooking content too.

💬2. Their Comments

This is where things get interesting. While you can't see a comprehensive list of all their comments in one place, if you happen to find a video they've commented on, you can see what they said.

How to leverage this:

• If you know what topics they might be interested in, search for videos on those topics
• Check the comment sections
• You might spot their username occasionally

It's time-consuming and not systematic, but comments reveal a lot about what someone's watching and engaging with. The videos they feel strongly enough to comment on are probably videos they care about.

🎭3. Duets and Stitches

Duets and stitches are meant to be public. When someone creates a duet or stitch, it shows up on their profile for everyone to see. This tells you:

• Which videos resonated strongly enough for them to respond
• What creators they're engaging with
• What content they find compelling enough to add their voice to

Duets and stitches are often more revealing than likes because they require active participation. Someone might like hundreds of videos mindlessly, but they'll only duet or stitch content they genuinely want to engage with.

📤4. Shared Videos

If someone shares a TikTok video to another platform (Instagram, Twitter, iMessage, etc.) and you have access to those platforms, you can see what they're sharing.

This isn't "checking their TikTok likes," but it does give you a window into what content they find share-worthy—which is arguably more meaningful than what they like.

👥5. Their Following List

If their account is public, you can see who they follow. This gives you insight into:

• Which creators they're interested in
• What content categories they enjoy
• What trends they might be following

Someone who follows 50 fitness creators is probably consuming a lot of fitness content. Someone following comedy accounts is probably watching comedy. It's not rocket science, but it works.

🧠6. The For You Page Algorithm

Here's something most people don't think about: TikTok's algorithm might start showing you similar content to what someone else is watching if you spend enough time on their profile.

If you're watching their videos, engaging with their content, and checking their profile regularly, TikTok might think you have similar interests and adjust your For You Page accordingly. You can't see their likes directly, but the algorithm is smart—it might show you content similar to what they're engaging with.

📁7. Public Playlists

Some users create public playlists of videos. These aren't technically "likes," but they're curated collections that show you exactly what content someone thinks is worth organizing.

To check:

• Go to their profile
• Look for a folder or "Playlists" icon
• If they have public playlists, you can view them

Not many users utilize this feature, but for those who do, it's goldmine of insight into their interests.

Third-Party App Scams (Don't Fall For It!)

If you've been Googling how to see TikTok likes, you've probably stumbled across sketchy websites and apps claiming they can show you "anyone's liked videos" or "track TikTok activity."

🎣Common Scam Claims:

• "View anyone's private likes!"
• "Track TikTok activity in real-time!"
• "See hidden profiles!"
• "Find out who's stalking your TikTok!"
• "Get TikTok analytics for any account!"
• "Unlock secret TikTok features!"

🚨Why These Are Scams:

1. They Violate TikTok's Terms of Service

TikTok's API (which allows third-party apps to access TikTok data) does NOT grant access to private user data like liked videos. Any app claiming it can bypass this is lying.

2. They Steal Your Login Credentials

Many of these scams prompt you to "log in with TikTok" to verify your account. When you do, you're handing your username and password directly to scammers who can then:

• Take over your TikTok account
• Post content without your permission
• Access your private messages
• Lock you out of your own account

3. They Install Malware

Some require you to download an app or browser extension. These often contain malware, spyware, or adware that can:

• Monitor your browsing activity
• Steal passwords from other accounts
• Access your photos and files
• Track your location

4. They Harvest Your Data

Even if they don't directly steal your password, they're collecting your information (email, phone number, browsing habits) to sell to data brokers or use in targeted scams.

5. They Simply Don't Work

Most will make you complete multiple tasks (surveys, ad views, app downloads) and then either show you nothing or display fake/random data that isn't actually from the person's account.

🛡️What If You've Already Used One of These Apps?

If you've already fallen for one of these scams, take immediate action:

1. Change Your Password Immediately: Change your TikTok password right now. Also change passwords for any other accounts using the same password.
2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication: Go to Settings > Security and login > Two-factor authentication. Turn it on immediately.
3. Revoke Third-Party Access: Go to Settings > Security and login > Security > Apps and websites > Remove anything suspicious.
4. Scan for Malware: Run a full scan of your device using trusted antivirus software.
5. Monitor Your Accounts: Watch for unusual activity on your TikTok and other accounts for the next few weeks.
6. Check Your Email: Look for password reset emails or login notifications from TikTok that you didn't initiate.

I know the temptation is real when you desperately want to know something, but these apps prey on your curiosity and desperation. Don't give them what they want.

How to View and Manage Your Own Liked Videos

Accessing your own liked videos on TikTok is straightforward—here's exactly where to find them

Now, if you want to see and manage YOUR OWN liked videos, that's a completely different story—and totally legitimate.

👁️How to See Your Liked Videos:

1. Open TikTok: Launch the app on your device.
2. Go to Your Profile: Tap the "Profile" icon in the bottom right corner.
3. Find the Heart Icon: Look for the ❤️ icon. It might say "Favorites" or "Liked videos."
4. Tap It: Tap the heart to see your complete list of liked videos, with the most recent ones at the top.
5. Browse and Manage: Scroll through, rewatch videos, or unlike them as you see fit.

💔How to Unlike a Video:

• While viewing your liked videos, find the one you want to unlike
• Tap the heart icon again—it'll change from pink/red to white/gray
• The video is now removed from your liked videos

🗑️How to Clear All Liked Videos:

🔒How to Make Your Liked Videos Private (Recommended):

This should already be private by default, but let's double-check:

1. Open Your Profile: Tap the profile icon.
2. Access Settings: Tap the three lines (☰) in the top right corner.
3. Go to Privacy: Tap "Settings and privacy" > "Privacy"
4. Find Liked Videos: Scroll down to "Liked videos"
5. Check Your Setting: Make sure it says "Only me"

You'll see these options:

• Everyone:Anyone can see your liked videos (DON'T choose this unless you have a specific reason)
• Friends:Only people you mutually follow can see your liked videos
• Only me:Only you can see your liked videos (RECOMMENDED)

🌍How to Make Your Liked Videos Public (If You Want To):

Some people deliberately make their likes public to showcase their taste or provide content recommendations. If that's you:

Follow the same steps above, but choose "Everyone" instead of "Only me."

Why you might want public likes:

• You're a content creator curating a collection of recommendations
• You want to build a public list of inspiration
• You genuinely don't care who sees what you like

Why you probably shouldn't:

• Everyone—employers, family, partners, friends—can see EVERYTHING you like
• You can't hide specific likes while keeping others public—it's all or nothing
• Likes can be misinterpreted without context
• It's harder to freely like content when you know it's being watched

Personally, I keep mine private. I don't need my public persona tied to every video I find funny or interesting at 2 AM. And that's perfectly fine.

Why People Want to See TikTok Likes (Let's Be Honest)

Before we go any further, let's address the elephant in the room: why do people want to see what someone else likes on TikTok?

Based on research, personal experience, and countless conversations, here are the most common reasons:

People have various reasons for wanting to check TikTok activity—from relationship concerns to parental monitoring

💔1. Relationship Paranoia

This is the big one. Someone suspects their partner might be:

• Liking videos of attractive people
• Engaging with content that suggests dissatisfaction with the relationship
• Hiding something
• Being unfaithful

The thought process: "If I can see what they're liking, I can see what they're really thinking."

👻2. Ex-Stalking

You broke up, but you can't let go. You want to know:

• Are they moving on?
• Are they happy without you?
• What are they interested in now?
• Are there any signs they're thinking about you?

The reasoning: "If I can see what they're engaging with, I can stay connected somehow."

📊3. Competitive Research

You're a creator or business and you want to know:

• What content is your competitor engaging with?
• What trends are they following?
• Who are they watching when they curate content?
• What's their content strategy?

The logic: "If I can see what they're liking, I can figure out their strategy."

🤔4. General Curiosity

Sometimes it's just innocent curiosity:

• What kind of content does this person consume?
• What makes them laugh?
• What are their interests?

The thinking: "I want to know them better / find common ground."

👨‍👩‍👧5. Parental Concern

Parents want to know what their kids are consuming:

• Is the content age-appropriate?
• Are they seeing harmful material?
• What trends are they following?

The motivation: "I need to keep my child safe online."

💼6. Hiring and Background Checks

Some employers or organizations check candidates' social media:

• What do they engage with?
• Do they align with company values?
• Are there any red flags in their online behavior?

The justification: "Social media is a window into character."

The Real Talk: Ethics and Privacy in Digital Snooping

Even if you could see someone's TikTok likes, let's have an honest conversation about whether you should.

🚫Why Digital Snooping Is Problematic:

1. Privacy Is a Fundamental Right

Everyone deserves some private digital space—even in relationships, even in families. What someone likes at 2 AM in their own private scrolling time is their business.

2. Likes Are Often Mindless

You don't "endorse" everything you like. Sometimes you like a video because one joke landed, even if you disagree with the rest. Sometimes it's accidental. Sometimes it's ironic. Judging someone by their likes means judging them on incomplete, context-free information.

3. It Breeds Distrust

If you're monitoring someone's activity, you're essentially saying "I don't trust you." That erodes relationships—romantic, friendship, professional.

4. It's Invasive

How would you feel if someone was examining every video YOU liked? Every comment YOU made? Every creator YOU followed? It feels wrong because it IS wrong.

5. It Rarely Leads to Good Outcomes

Even if you find "evidence" of something through snooping, you've now got information obtained through betrayal of trust. That's not a foundation for healthy conversation.

✅The Case for Monitoring (In Specific Situations):

1. Parental Responsibility

If you have a young child (under 13), monitoring their online activity isn't snooping—it's parenting. TikTok has age restrictions for a reason, and kids need guidance navigating the internet safely.

2. Safety Concerns

If someone is exhibiting signs of serious mental health crisis (suicidal ideation, self-harm) and you're genuinely concerned for their safety, checking their online activity might provide important clues.

3. Legitimate Professional Research

If you're analyzing publicly available information about competitors for business purposes, that's market research, not stalking.

🤔My Take:

If you feel like you NEED to check someone's TikTok activity, ask yourself:

• Why do I need to know this?
• What will I do with this information?
• Am I violating someone's privacy?
• Is there a healthier way to address my concerns?
• Would I be okay with them doing this to me?

If you can't see someone's liked videos, it's usually because TikTok is protecting their privacy. You should too.

Healthier Alternatives to Checking TikTok Activity

If you're tempted to check someone's TikTok likes, here are better, healthier approaches depending on your situation:

💑If It's About a Relationship:

Talk instead of snooping:

Snooping tells you what happened. Talking tells you why. You want to understand the motivations, not just collect evidence.

If you're constantly tempted to check:

• This is a trust issue that surveillance won't fix
• Consider whether the relationship is healthy
• Talk to a therapist or counselor about underlying insecurity

👻If It's About an Ex:

The hard truth: you need to let go.

• Monitoring their activity keeps you emotionally attached
• It prevents you from moving forward
• It's a form of self-harm

Steps to take:

1. Unfollow on All Platforms: Remove the temptation.
2. Mute or Block If Needed: Out of sight, out of mind.
3. Delete TikTok Temporarily: If you can't stop yourself, remove access for a while.
4. Redirect Emotional Energy: Channel that energy into hobbies, friends, therapy.

📊If It's Competitive Research:

Focus on what's publicly available:

• Analyze their posted content instead of their likes
• Study their engagement (what gets comments, shares, views)
• Track their follower growth over time
• Examine their posting frequency and content types

Even better—focus on YOUR OWN growth:

• What unique value do YOU bring?
• How can you better serve YOUR audience?
• What content can you create that stands on its own?

👨‍👩‍👧If It's Parental Concern:

Communication beats surveillance:

For teens:

• Have open conversations about online safety
• Follow them (with their knowledge) to see public activity
• Set clear boundaries about screen time and content
• Build trust so they come to you with problems

For younger kids:

• Use TikTok's Family Pairing feature for parental controls
• Monitor their account together as a learning opportunity
• Keep devices in shared spaces
• Teach digital literacy from the start

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦TikTok Family Pairing:

This is TikTok's official parental control feature that lets you:

• Link your account to your child's account
• Set screen time limits
• Restrict inappropriate content
• Control who can send messages
• Manage search settings

To set up: Go to Settings > Family Pairing > Choose Parent or Teen mode

This is a much healthier approach than trying to spy on their likes.

What TikTok's Algorithm Reveals (Without Showing Likes)

Here's something fascinating: even though you can't see what someone likes, TikTok's algorithm actually tells you a lot about their interests through what it shows them.

🧠How the For You Page Works:

TikTok's algorithm is exceptionally good at figuring out what you like based on:

• Videos you like (obviously)
• Videos you watch all the way through
• Videos you rewatch
• Videos you share
• Videos you comment on
• Creators you follow
• Hashtags you engage with
• Sounds you search for or use
• How long you watch different content types

🔍What This Means:

If you spend enough time on TikTok, your For You Page will start showing you videos similar to what people in your demographic or interest group are watching. If you follow the same creators as someone else, you'll likely see overlapping content.

The algorithm creates overlapping content ecosystems that reflect trends and interests—but they don't show you exactly what someone likes.

How TikTok Privacy Compares to Other Platforms

For context, here's how TikTok's privacy around likes stacks up against other major platforms:

How to Protect Your Own Privacy on TikTok

Worried someone might be monitoring YOUR TikTok activity? Here are the signs and how to protect yourself:

🚨Signs Someone Might Be Watching:

Direct signs:

• They mention specific videos you've posted or engaged with that they shouldn't normally see
• They know about creators you follow despite having different interests
• They reference trends you've been participating in
• They make comments suspiciously aligned with your recent TikTok activity

Indirect signs:

• They've asked for your TikTok username or "coincidentally" found your account
• They follow you but don't engage publicly (silent watchers)
• They've been unusually interested in your phone or TikTok usage
• They seem to know more about your interests than you've shared

🔒How to Lock Down Your Privacy:

1. Set Your Account to Private: Settings > Privacy > Private account (ON). This means only approved followers can see your content.
2. Hide Your Liked Videos: Settings > Privacy > Liked videos > Only me
3. Control Comments: Settings > Privacy > Comments > Friends or Off
4. Hide Following/Followers Lists: Settings > Privacy > Following and followers visibility > OFF
5. Restrict Duets/Stitches: Settings > Privacy > Duet > Off or Friends only. Settings > Privacy > Stitch > Off or Friends only
6. Turn Off Activity Status: Settings > Privacy > Activity status > OFF (hides when you're online)
7. Review and Remove Followers: Go through your followers list and remove anyone suspicious
8. Don't Link to Other Social Media: If you want true privacy, don't connect TikTok to Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter
9. Create a Separate Account: If you want to browse content without anyone knowing, create a secondary account with a pseudonym

For Content Creators: Public vs. Private Likes

If you're building a creator brand or business presence on TikTok, making your likes public might actually be strategic:

✅Reasons to Consider Public Likes:

1. Content Curation

Your liked videos become a curated recommendation list for your audience. "Here's what I find valuable, funny, or inspiring."

2. Community Building

Engaging with other creators publicly shows you're part of the community, not just broadcasting into the void.

3. Trend Awareness

Brands and potential sponsors can see you're staying current with trends in your niche.

4. Authenticity

Showing what you genuinely care about (beyond just what you post) adds depth to your personal brand.

5. Discovery

People might discover you through videos you've liked and commented on.

❌Why You Might Keep Them Private (Even as a Creator):

1. Separation

You might want to keep personal interests separate from your brand.

2. Strategy

You don't want competitors seeing exactly what you're researching.

3. Context Issues

Likes can be misinterpreted without context.

The Future of TikTok Privacy Settings

TikTok's privacy features are constantly evolving. Here's what we might see in the future:

🔮Potential Future Changes:

• More Granular Privacy Controls:Ability to make some liked videos public while keeping others private
• Close Friends Lists for Likes:Similar to Instagram's close friends for stories
• Temporary Visibility:Likes visible for 24 hours then disappear (like Snapchat)
• Verification Requirements:Need more verification to view certain activity types
• AI-Powered Content Warnings:Automatic hiding of potentially problematic liked content

⚖️Platform Pressures:

TikTok faces competing pressures:

• Government pressure for more transparency
• User demands for more privacy
• Advertiser desires for more data

How these competing interests play out will shape future feature additions.

Focus on YOUR Growth, Not Stalking Others

If you're spending mental energy trying to figure out what someone else is doing on TikTok, you're wasting time that could be spent building your own presence.

Here's the truth:

✅What Successful TikTok Accounts Do:

• Create consistent, valuable content
• Understand their own audience instead of obsessing over competitors
• Engage authentically with their community
• Analyze their own analytics (views, watch time, engagement rate)
• Experiment with different content styles and formats
• Collaborate with other creators
• Find their unique voice and perspective

❌What Unsuccessful Accounts Do:

• Obsess over what competitors are doing
• Copy trends without adding unique value
• Stalk other accounts instead of creating
• Get caught up in drama and comparison
• Spend more time consuming than creating

🎯The Truth About TikTok Growth:

You don't need to know what videos your competitors liked. You need to know what YOUR audience wants to see.

You don't need to stalk other accounts. You need to analyze your own performance metrics.

You don't need to copy what works for others. You need to discover what works for YOU.

At GTR Socials, we focus on:

• Building real followersgenuinely interested in your content
• Creating content strategies aligned with your unique strengths
• Optimizing for TikTok's algorithm to maximize organic reach
• Generating sustainable growthwithout gimmicks
• Building communities, not just follower counts

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts: Build, Don't Stalk

Here's what I want you to remember:

The limited workarounds: You might get some insight if someone has made their likes public (rare), or by piecing together clues from their comments, duets, following list, and posted content. But it's incomplete and doesn't give you the full picture.

The scams: Third-party apps claiming they can show you private likes are scams designed to steal your credentials, data, or install malware. Don't fall for them.

The ethics: Even if you could see someone's likes, ask yourself whether you should. Privacy matters. Trust matters. Surveillance isn't a foundation for healthy relationships—personal or professional.

Final thought: The most successful people on TikTok aren't the ones who figured out how to see other people's likes. They're the ones who created content so compelling that people HAD to engage.

Be that creator. Build that presence. Focus on your own growth.

Stop searching for how to see what someone likes on TikTok. Start creating content people will want to like.

TikTok Privacy & Safety Resources

Want to learn more about staying safe and private on TikTok? Here are trusted resources:

• TikTok Privacy and Safety Center:Official TikTok guideson privacy protection, safety, and account security
• TikTok Community Guidelines:Official rulesfor acceptable content and behavior
  
• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF):Digital privacy rights advocacyand education