TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms, allowing users to create and share short videos. One of the key features of TikTok is the ability to use sounds and music clips in your videos.
Users can save sounds they like to their “Favorite Sounds” so they can easily find and reuse them later. However, sometimes your favorite sounds may not show up in TikTok for various reasons.
In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the main reasons why your favorite sounds are not showing on TikTok and provide troubleshooting steps to fix the issue.
Why Your Favorite Sounds May Not Be Showing in TikTok
There are a few common reasons why your favorite sounds may not be appearing in TikTok:
The Sound Was Deleted by the Creator
If the original creator of a sound deletes it from TikTok, it will be automatically removed from all users’ favorite sounds.
This happens frequently with trending sounds that creator’s delete once a trend dies down. So if you had favorited a viral sound that is no longer available, it will disappear from your favorites tab.
Copyright or Legal Issues With the Sound
TikTok regularly reviews sounds and music clips for copyright infringement or other legal issues. If they determine a sound violates copyright or their policies, TikTok will remove it from their platform. This results in the sound being deleted from all user’s favorites libraries automatically.
You Have Reached the Favorites Limit
There is a limit to how many sounds you can favorite on TikTok. If you’ve hit the max number of favorited sounds, when you try to favorite new ones, the oldest ones will be removed from your favorites to make room. So you may notice missing sounds simply because you’ve reached the limit.
App Update or Bug Causing Issues
Like any app, TikTok has occasional bugs or issues that arise after an update. Certain bugs could cause sounds to not display properly or disappear from favorites tabs.
It’s also possible you are still running an older version of the app that is experiencing problems. Updating the app or reporting the bugs can typically resolve such issues.
Account Ban or Restriction
In some cases, if your TikTok account gets banned or limited for violating community guidelines, your favorites and other account information can be reset or deleted. So sounds disappearing could indicate your account is facing restrictions.
Reviewing TikTok’s moderation policies and ensuring you follow the rules can help avoid this issue.
Server Outages or Connectivity Problems
Temporary outages with TikTok’s servers or problems with your own internet connectivity can also prevent your favorites from displaying properly.
Server issues are usually resolved within a few hours, while connectivity problems require troubleshooting on your end. Waiting and retrying later or addressing Wifi problems will normally bring your favorites back.
As you can see, there are a variety of reasons your favorite sounds may not show up when you want to use them in TikTok.
The most common fixes involve reviewing copyright policies, updating the app, and checking your account status. But first, understanding exactly why it happens will help you pinpoint the best solution.
Troubleshooting Steps to Fix TikTok Favorite Sounds Not Showing
If you notice your favorite sounds are not showing on TikTok, don’t panic. Here are the top troubleshooting tips to get them showing correctly again:
1. Double Check If the Sound Wasn’t Deleted
The first step is verifying the original sound still exists on TikTok. Search for the missing sound in the app’s music library. If it no longer shows up in search, then the creator likely deleted it from their profile.
Unfortunately, no troubleshooting can restore a sound deleted by its owner. You’ll simply have to find a new favorite sound to use going forward.
2. Update to the Latest Version of TikTok
An outdated version of the TikTok app can also cause glitches with favorites. Open your device’s app store and check for any available updates to the TikTok app.
Install the most up-to-date version. This will install bug fixes and optimizations that may resolve your favorites not showing up.
3. Force Close and Re-Open the App
Sometimes simply restarting the TikTok app can reset any temporary glitches. Completely force close out of the TikTok app by swiping it away from your recent apps list.
Then re-launch TikTok and check if your favorites have returned. A quick restart clears out cache and resets issues in the background.
4. Log Out and Back Into Your TikTok Account
If force closing the app didn’t work, try fully logging out of your TikTok account and then logging back in. Open your profile, go to settings, select “Log out” to fully sign out of the account.
Then input your username and password to sign back in. This syncs everything from TikTok’s servers and can restore missing favorites.
5. Check Your Account Status and Guidelines Adherence
In your profile’s settings, go to the “Manage account” section. Check if your account has any restrictions, violations, or bans indicated that may be causing issues with favorites visibility.
Resolve any flagged violations by removing offending content and appealing bans if possible. Fully compliant accounts have uninterrupted favorites access.
6. Contact TikTok Customer Support
If you’ve tried all other troubleshooting tips with no luck, reach out directly to TikTok’s customer support for additional help.
In the TikTok app, go to your profile, select the 3 line menu, choose “Report a Problem” and select “Something Else”. This will open up options to contact support who can further investigate and restore your favorites.
7. Try Restoring Favorites on Another Device
As a last resort, attempt accessing your favorites on another device where you’re also logged into your TikTok account. Favorites save to your account, so check if they show properly on an alternate device.
If so, something may be corrupted with the app install on your original device that requires reinstalling TikTok.
Following these tips should successfully help you restore access to favorites that have gone missing in TikTok. Pinpointing the root cause and methodically trying different fixes will generally get your favorite sounds showing correctly again.
Be sure to also favorite any new sounds you want to save so they aren’t lost if they are removed from TikTok in the future.
Conclusion – How to fix TikTok sounds not showing up in Favorites
If you’ve favorited a sound on TikTok but it’s not showing up in your Favorites list, there are a few things you can try. First, make sure you have actually favorited the sound by tapping the bookmark icon on the sound page. Double-check that the bookmark icon is filled in – this indicates it has been favorited.
If you’ve definitely favorited the sound but it’s still not appearing, try closing and reopening the TikTok app. The Favorites list doesn’t always refresh properly, so a quick app reset can help.
Another option is to go to your profile page, tap the three-line menu icon in the top right corner, choose “Settings and privacy” then “Manage my account” and tap “Clear cache.” This will clear stored data from the app and often resolves issues like missing Favorites.
Finally, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling the TikTok app if nothing else has worked. When you reinstall, make sure to allow TikTok access to your phone’s storage again so it can save your Favorites properly.
In most cases, a quick app reset, cache clear or reinstall will resolve the issue and allow your favorited sounds to display correctly in your Favorites list again. It’s an annoying glitch but fortunately there are a few easy fixes to try.
But should they disappear again, this guide outlines the best troubleshooting approach to get your TikTok favorites back quickly.
