Have you ever tried to add a link to your TikTok bio, only to find that it doesn’t actually show up when you publish your profile?
This frustrating glitch seems to happen to TikTok users fairly often, leaving you unable to share other social media profiles or websites through your bio link.
The good news is that this problem can usually be fixed with a few simple troubleshooting steps.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the top solutions for getting your TikTok bio link working again. Follow along below to get your profile links back up and running!
Why Your TikTok Bio Link May Not Be Showing
Before we dig into the solutions, let’s first cover some of the potential reasons why your TikTok bio link may not be visible:
Forbidden Characters or Keywords
TikTok does not allow certain characters or keywords to be included in your bio or username. For example, email addresses, phone numbers, and inappropriate words are typically blocked. If your link contains something prohibited by TikTok, it will be hidden.
Incorrect Link Format
Your bio link needs to start with “http://” or “https://” to be recognized as a valid URL. If you forget this or mistype the URL, TikTok may not register it as a clickable link.
Minor Glitches
Like any app, TikTok can sometimes have minor technical glitches that affect certain features. A bio link failing to show properly could be the result of a small bug.
Outdated App Version
If you aren’t using the latest version of the TikTok app, an old bug may be causing your link issue. Updates regularly patch problems and optimize performance.
Corrupted App Data
Corrupted cache files or app data could potentially interfere with the bio link feature in TikTok. Clearing this data may help resolve the problem.
Restricted Links
In rare cases, TikTok may block certain website links if they violate community guidelines or terms of service. However, this is pretty uncommon for most standard sites.
Now that you know what might be causing your missing bio link, let’s go over some of the top ways to troubleshoot and fix this issue for good!
How to Fix TikTok Not Showing Links In Bio
Fix 1: Verify Your Bio Text for Forbidden Characters or Keywords
The first thing you’ll want to check is whether your TikTok bio itself contains any forbidden characters or words that could be triggering the link block.
Go to your profile page and carefully examine your bio text. Check for any of the following prohibited elements:
- Email addresses (e.g. [email protected])
- Phone numbers
- Inappropriate or explicit words
- Emoji sequences (e.g. 🍆💦)
- More than 30 hashtags (#)
- External URLs not as your main bio link
- Excessive repetition of letters (e.g. coooolllll)
If you find any disallowed content in your bio, delete it immediately. Restricted keywords or characters in your bio text is one of the most common reasons links won’t show up properly.
TikTok is very strict about blocking certain content in bios as a security and moderation measure. But as long as your text is “clean”, your main bio URL should display normally.
Check over your bio content carefully, remove anything prohibited by TikTok, and then try re-adding your link. Often this simple step will fix the missing link right away. But if it doesn’t, move on to the next troubleshooting method.
Fix 2: Double-check that Your Link URL Is Entered Correctly
Assuming your bio text checks out, the next thing to verify is whether your link URL itself is formatted properly.
Go back to your TikTok profile settings and ensure your link meets the following criteria:
- Starts with “http://” or “https://”
- Does not contain spaces or newlines
- Is an active, working web page URL
- Is entered exactly as intended (no typos)
For TikTok to register your bio link as clickable, it needs to detect the URL correctly. That requires the http/https protocol and a properly typed web address without extra characters.
Carefully check that you’ve entered a valid URL starting with http:// or https://. Delete any spaces or newlines before, after, or within the link. And make sure the URL is typed correctly without typos or spelling errors.
Test clicking your entered link in a browser to confirm it works and takes you to an active web page. An invalid, mistyped, or broken URL may not function as a clickable link in your TikTok bio.
Take your time re-entering your intended URL in the proper web link format. Once it’s showing up correctly in your profile, save your changes. With any luck, this should now display your clickable bio link correctly.
Fix 3: Try Refreshing the TikTok App
If checking your bio text and link format comes back clean, the issue may lie with a minor glitch in the app itself. The TikTok app periodically runs into temporary bugs or hangs that can be fixed with a simple refresh.
To refresh the TikTok app, pull down the screen on the main Feed tab to trigger a refresh. You can also try force quitting the app and relaunching it.
Refreshing essentially reloads all the app data and can clear small glitches. Once you’ve refreshed, open your profile and check if your bio link now shows up properly.
Sometimes all it takes is a little refresh to slap the TikTok app back into shape when things aren’t working quite right. Give it a try after verifying your text and link are formatted properly.
Fix 4: Force Close and Restart the TikTok App
If refreshing doesn’t work, the next step is to completely force close and restart the TikTok app on your device. This essentially gives the app a fresh start, clearing out any corrupted data or issues with your current app session.
Here is how to force close and restart TikTok:
On iOS:
- Double tap the Home button to open the app switcher.
- Locate TikTok in the app switcher and swipe up to close it.
- Open TikTok again from your Home screen.
On Android:
- Open your device Settings > Apps.
- Tap TikTok.
- Choose Force Stop.
- Open TikTok again from your app drawer/home screen.
This will completely quit out of the TikTok app and shut down any processes running in the background. When you relaunch it, your bio link may now show properly on your refreshed profile.
Force closing the app essentially gives you a clean slate, clearing out any corrupted data that may be interfering with your bio link displaying correctly. Give it a shot if a simple refresh doesn’t work.
Fix 5: Check for Any TikTok App Updates
Another easy thing to check is whether your TikTok app is fully up-to-date. The developers often release patches and bug fixes with new app versions.
An outdated app can sometimes experience issues that are already resolved in the latest update.
Open your device’s App Store/Google Play Store to check for any available TikTok updates. If one is available, update and open the app.
With the latest TikTok version installed, your bio link glitch may be fixed. The developers actively work to improve features and squash bugs, so keeping the app updated is key.
Fix 6: Restart Your Mobile Device
If you’ve verified everything in the app looks good, a simple device restart could potentially solve the missing link in your bio. Restarting clears out temporary files, resets all processes, and essentially gives your device a fresh start.
On iPhone/iPad:
Press and hold the Power button > Slide to power off. Once fully shut down, press the Power button again to restart.
On Android:
Press and hold the Power button > Tap Restart or Power off > Tap OK to confirm. Allow your phone to fully power down, then press the Power button again to turn it back on.
Restarting your mobile device resets all temporary processes that could be interfering with the TikTok app. Once your device is back up, launch TikTok and check your profile bio once more.
With any luck, this clean device refresh will have fixed the issue. A restart can work wonders when inexplicable app glitches pop up.
Fix 7: Clear the App Cache and Data
If you’ve tried all the basic troubleshooting steps with no luck, your issue may lie with corrupted app data or caching. Clearing this out gives the app a completely fresh start.
Here’s how to wipe the cache and data on TikTok:
On iOS:
- Open your device Settings > General >iPhone Storage.
- Tap TikTok and choose Offload App to clear cached data.
- Open TikTok and check your bio link again.
On Android:
- Open your device Settings > Apps.
- Tap on “TikTok”.
- Choose Storage > Clear Cache.
- Open TikTok again and test your bio link.
This will delete all temporary cached files along with app data that could be corrupted. Once wiped, open TikTok and try adding your bio link again.
Clearing the TikTok cache gives the app a fresh set of data to work with, which often resolves issues like this. It will simply redownload any current info needed on the first launch.
Fix 8: Uninstall and Reinstall the TikTok App
The nuclear option if all else fails is to completely uninstall and reinstall TikTok. This wipes the app back to a clean factory state, solving any lingering corrupted files causing problems.
On iOS:
- Press and hold the TikTok icon until it starts wiggling.
- Tap the X icon to delete it.
- Open the App Store and reinstall TikTok.
On Android:
- Open your Settings > Apps.
- Tap TikTok and choose Uninstall.
- In the Google Play Store, search for TikTok and reinstall it.
Once you’ve deleted the app entirely and reinstalled a fresh copy, open it up. Try adding your bio link again to see if this finally resolves the issue once and for all.
Reinstalling the app ensures there are absolutely no lingering corrupted files that could be interfering with your bio link showing properly. It’s the most thorough fix.
Fix 9: Use a Link in Bio Service
Third-party services like Linktree or ManyLink allow you to create a personalized landing page with clickable links. You can then share this URL in your TikTok bio.
This provides a workaround to get functioning links on your profile without relying on TikTok’s bio link feature directly.
Fix 10: Mention Your Link in Videos
If your bio link won’t show up properly, tell viewers the URL verbally in your videos. Ask them to manually copy and paste the link into their browser.
Repeating your link frequently across multiple videos makes it easy for users to find and access the page.
11. Pin a Comment with Your Link
You can pin a comment containing your intended URL on all your video posts. This puts the clickable link front and center right under each video.
Pinning the comment makes it readily available for users to tap without having to access your profile bio.
12. Promote Other Platforms in Your Videos
Encourage viewers to find you on other social media platforms where you have clickable links in your profile. For example, promote your Instagram or YouTube channel.
Even without a working TikTok bio link, you can direct traffic to other platforms.
13. Use QR Codes
Generate a scannable QR code that encodes your intended URL. Display this QR code visually in your TikTok videos or bio icon.
Viewers can easily scan your QR code which will direct them to your link.
14. Run Your Link Through a Shortener
Shorten your long URL using a service like bit.ly. A condensed link has a better chance of showing up without issues.
You can also promote the shortened link in videos and comments.
15. Check Your Bio Character Limit
Make sure your bio isn’t exceeding the allotted character count, which could hide your link. Try shortening your text.
Sticking within the limit ensures all of your bio is displayed, including the link.
Conclusion
With these additional troubleshooting tips, you have even more tools to get your TikTok bio link working properly again. Don’t hesitate to try out creative solutions like QR codes, link services, pinned comments, and manual mentions.
Combined with the standard fixes covered earlier, you should now have no problem directing traffic from TikTok, with or without a functioning profile link. Just be persistent and utilize all options at your disposal.
