Have you ever tried to sign up for TikTok only to get the message that your email isn’t registered?
It can be confusing and frustrating when you know you’ve used that email successfully elsewhere.
Don’t worry, there are a few reasons why TikTok might think your email isn’t registered and things you can try to get your account set up.
Why TikTok Says Your Email Isn’t Registered Yet
Here are a few reasons why TikTok says your email is not registered and how to resolve it.
1. You Already Have an Account with That Email
The most common reason TikTok will say an email isn’t registered is if there is already an account using that email. TikTok only allows one account per email address as a spam and security measure.
So if you try to create a new TikTok account with [email protected] but you have an old TikTok account tied to [email protected], it will look like your email isn’t registered. TikTok has no way to know you own both accounts!
The fix is simple – just log into your existing TikTok account that is already using that email. You can update the username or password if you’ve forgotten them.
If you can’t access that account anymore, you’ll need to contact TikTok support to see if they can remove the email from the old account.
2. You Entered Your Email Wrong
It seems obvious, but double-check that you entered your full email correctly! It’s easy to fumble a character while typing on mobile, put an extra dot somewhere, or have autocorrect sneak in an odd replacement. I’ve done it myself plenty of times.
Carefully double-check that your email is typed properly in both the first email field and the confirm email field. Make sure your fingers didn’t slip on any keys or that autocorrect didn’t adjust something without you noticing. Most email validation checks will instantly fail if there is any discrepancy between the two email fields.
If you’re copying and pasting your email from elsewhere, look out for any odd spaces before, after, or in the middle of the email address. Confirm your email actually says “[email protected]” not “your [email protected]” with a space in there.
3. You Use Multiple Email Aliases
If you use Gmail or another email provider that allows multiple email aliases, you may not realize which alias you used to sign up originally back when you created your account.
For example, maybe you first created your yourname@gmail account years ago. But over time, you’ve created and used lots of other aliases that also send emails to your Gmail inbox, like yourname.personal@gmail, [email protected], your.name@gmail, etc.
When trying to sign up for TikTok again, you might try using your most commonly used alias these days. But TikTok still has that original yourname@gmail on file. As far as TikTok is concerned, this new email address doesn’t exist!
To avoid confusion, try signing in with the oldest or original email alias associated with your primary personal email inbox. It’s probably the one you used to sign up for many accounts back in the day before adding aliases.
4. You’re Entering a Secondary Email
Similarly, many email providers allow you to add secondary custom email addresses that also send mail to your primary inbox. For example, maybe your primary Gmail inbox is yourname@gmail, but you’ve added a secondary my.name@personaldomain address that you prefer giving out.
When trying to access a TikTok account registered under yourname@gmail, entering my.name@personaldomain will look like an unrecognized email to TikTok. Even if you read both in the same Gmail inbox, as far as TikTok knows they are two distinct email addresses.
Be sure you are signing in with the primary email address your TikTok is registered and created under. It’s easy to forget and confuse it with custom secondary email addresses over time!
5. You Deleted Your Account Recently
If you previously signed up for TikTok but then deleted your account, TikTok will continue blocking that email address from being registered again for security purposes.
They likely flag emails associated with closed accounts to prevent spammy behavior where accounts are constantly being created and deleted.
Typically you’ll have to wait a while (around a month reportedly) after deleting your prior TikTok account before that email can be registered anew. The exact time isn’t publicized by TikTok to avoid abuse by spammers trying to work around safeguards.
If it hasn’t been long since your previous account was removed, you’ll either have to be patient and wait out the security hold period or use a new email if you want to create a new TikTok. And reconsider whether you really want to delete accounts going forward!
6. The Email Domain is Banned by TikTok
In extreme cases, TikTok may completely ban certain email domains from being able to create new accounts.
These are typically free or throwaway email providers infamous for abuse by spammers and trolls. Names like Mailinator, Tempmail, Spamex, and Yopmail are frequently blocked across many websites and services trying to maintain quality communities.
If you’re stuck trying to use one of these sketchy domains, then no valid account can be created regardless of the name in the address. TikTok assumes any address from that domain is high risk based on past patterns of misconduct under those domains.
You’ll have to use a better-quality mainstream email provider under your own real name if you’d like to join TikTok without issue. Luckily free Gmail and Outlook/Hotmail accounts work just fine and are infinitely better alternatives than shady throwaway ones anyway!
7. TikTok is Having Login Issues
It’s not incredibly common, but once in a blue moon, TikTok does experience site bugs or login technical difficulties on their backend that could prevent your email from registering properly right away.
Sometimes error messages related to login accessibility crop up due to updates being rolled out. Other times increased traffic and users can overload servers and throw off registration flows temporarily. Global services have hiccups now and then!
Trying your email registration again an hour or day later often resolves any intermittent technical blocks if TikTok is having login or sign-up issues site-wide. Just like how a website might go down and then come back up, logins relying on their systems can hit snags too. Have patience and test trying your email again later.
Usually, TikTok will post service notifications on their social media accounts or website if more prolonged technical problems are occurring on their end. So you can check their statuses for any updates if it seems problems have persisted over a full day or longer. Nine times out of ten, things are back working within hours!
8. You Previously Signed Up Through Facebook Login
Increasingly fewer sites and apps offer this now due to privacy changes, but TikTok did previously allow new users to sign up instantly with Facebook account login integration.
Rather than creating a whole separate username and password, your TikTok account relied on Facebook’s login to handle it behind the scenes.
The catch is that no actual email registration occurred in that case. TikTok connects to and relies on your Facebook credentials under the hood when logging in. So if you come back later and try entering an email address instead, as far as TikTok knows that email was never registered.
If you did originally sign up through Facebook, you’ll have to continue using Facebook Login each time rather than switching to email registration now. The benefit is instant access with just a few clicks granting permission. The downside is less control and options if you ever stop using Facebook someday.
9. You Signed Up with Apple iOS Login
Similarly, users registering for TikTok through their iPhone or iPad previously had the option to use Apple’s iOS login. Rather than an email and password, your Apple ID handles identity verification and account access behind the scenes.
And as with Facebook Login, no actual email registration occurs then. Attempting to log in later through email sign-in causes confusion when TikTok sees that email was never originally registered under Apple’s streamlined iOS registration setup.
For those who signed up on iOS via Apple ID login, continue using that Apple login flow option to access your account on any device. Or you can try removing Apple ID delegation in your account settings and switching over to traditional email registration.
But Apple’s shortcut can’t be undone without their integrated access being fully removed first.
10. Multiple People Have Access to Your Email Account
Do you share an email inbox with your spouse or family members? Does an old roommate still have the password and check messages from time to time? Is your email login info saved on a shared device for household convenience?
If multiple people have ongoing access to an email account, it’s possible someone else registered for TikTok under that shared address first. This is yet another case where TikTok considers that email is already registered under an existing account.
Before creating new accounts, it’s wise not to share login access widely across informal households or groups for security purposes. Either use unique personal emails, establish formal parental controls for young family members, or have housemates remove stored passwords from common devices and accounts.
If access can’t be limited, your option then is to try to login to the TikTok account already registered under the shared email and manage the content or experience going forward. Communication between those in shared access is key!
11. You Have an Unverified Account Created Already
TikTok also employs an email verification step once an account is created, whether handled then or saved for later. This confirms you actually own and have ongoing access to that registered email address – one more spam and security safeguard.
Until that confirmation is complete by clicking the verification link sent to your email inbox, your new TikTok account access can remain limited. Features like posting videos are restricted since TikTok doesn’t consider your account identity fully validated yet.
If you previously began registration but ignored emails from TikTok to complete the verification process, that initial account will still block you from creating another new one. TikTok considers that the first unverified account the same as already registered – even if the verification step wasn’t finished by confirming the ownership of the email itself.
Search your inbox for any recent messages from TikTok – especially promotion or notification category emails that are easily overlooked or marked as spam accidentally. Complete the email confirmation steps so TikTok can finally consider your intended account properly verified and ready for full use.
12. You Have Multiple Accounts Already
TikTok allows users to have multiple accounts under the same general email registration as needed. For example, maybe you have your personal TikTok but also manage a small business, artist, performer, or influencer account separately.
Multiple accounts are fine under one email as long as you add your additional accounts as subordinate to your original profile rather than creating entirely new email registrations each time.
If you’ve been creating whole new accounts with distinct emails, however, TikTok security sees each one as a totally separate identity. Now when you attempt to create yet another account under one of those existing emails, but not linked as an additional account to any profile, you run into issues!
Try using the Switch Accounts option already logged into one account profile to add any other email-registered accounts you own. This connects all accounts back to one email logistically in TikTok’s system for easier access switching between them. Then you can create additional accounts trouble-free off that same base email registration going forward.
13. You Previously Signed Up with a Special Campaign Registration Link
TikTok marketing campaigns and influencer initiatives sometimes distribute special one-time registration links rather than having people enter their emails manually. These custom links allow tracking traffic quality and analytics specific to that promotion.
Campaign links bypass standard email registration, instead creating accounts upon clicking while logging source data behind the scenes. If you signed up initially through one of these unique links, trying to log in later by entering what seems like a “new” email causes confusing login errors stating that the email isn’t registered.
You’ll have to use whatever password you may have added after account creation with that campaign link instead. Contact the marketer or agency distributing the campaign link if you’re entirely unsure what information or post-registration flows were involved on their side.
14. You’re Using a Proxy, VPN, or Restricted Internet Network
Modern internet privacy and security tools like VPNs and Proxies reroute and mask your network requests for improved anonymity and access to region-restricted content abroad. But the tradeoff is these very protections can also trigger firewall safeguards assuming you are intentionally hiding fake account identities.
Likewise connecting through heavily filtered corporate or academic networks with tight regulations can also block registration attempts incorrectly assuming malicious email use as well. The same often goes for cellular networks in countries imposing strict internet controls and censorship nationwide.
TikTok security may automatically flag email accounts coming through proxies, VPNs, country-banned networks, or high-security settings as extra risky since real identities are obscured. Usually switching to a more average consumer connection restores the ability to register new accounts normally without assumed credibility issues interfering.
Check that there are no odd configurations on your network setup or device causing TikTok to doubt the legitimacy of email registrations going through those systems full of layered defenses. Registration may work fine when routed through standard residential ISP connections instead.
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