Using TikTok can be addictive, and the network’s algorithm knows just how to keep you watching.
For these reasons, many people wonder, “can you deactivate tiktok?” Well, yes, you can certainly deactivate your TikTok account. Some people want to take a break from TikTok to get more done away from the phone, but this is different from deactivating your account.
When you deactivate your account, it’s permanent. Make sure that you understand the permanence before you make your choice.
What Does It Mean to Disable or Delete a TikTok Account?
There is a big difference between deleting and disabling your TikTok account.
When you want to disable the account, you go through the steps to delete your account. The network will then give you a 30-day period when your account will be disabled, but it will still be there. During this disabling time, you can choose to reactivate the account if you decide you want to keep it. Once an account is deleted, it cannot be reactivated again.
Can You Temporarily Disable TikTok Without Deactivating It?
You can temporarily disable your TikTok account through a simple process. In your profile:
- tap the three-dot menu from the upper right corner.
- Then, click on “Manage My Account.” Once you do this, there will be a couple of options.
- At the lower center of the screen, there will be a line reading, “Thinking about removing your account?” Tap that option. You will then have to verify the account via a code that is texted to you.
- Once the verification code goes through, you will see a wall of text that tells you about how permanent it is to delete your account and how the 30-day deactivation works.
It tells you that during the 30 days that the account is deactivated, you can still get into it. It simply won’t be seen by others.
If you choose to delete the account, it will have you confirm that choice.
To reactivate your account during this 30 days, sign in as usual and see the pop-up box that says “Reactivate,” and tap on it. This will restore your account immediately.
If you are interested in watching a video to learn how to deactivate or delete your TikTok account, check out the video below:
Deactivating Only Certain Features of TikTok
To cut down on your use of TikTok, you may not need to completely shut down your account.
Simply deactivating certain features can help you manage your TikTok usage. When you can use just the core functionality of TikTok, it may take up less of your time.
Wondering How To Turn Off TikTok Notifications Without Deactivating TikTok?
To deactivate TikTok notifications, go to your profile and click the three menu dots in the upper right corner. Choose Privacy and Settings from the menu.
It will show you a wide range of notification types that each have a switch. You can then toggle the switch to off for every type of notification that you don’t want to get anymore.
You can choose to get rid of some and keep a core type, or you can turn them all off.
If you want to get rid of your notifications all at once, it’s pretty easy to do so without even using the app.
Go to the Settings app on your phone. On an iPhone or iPad, you go to the option “Notifications” and click on that.
Find the TikTok option, and you can shut off the notifications through TikTok by toggling the switch. On an Android, go to Settings and choose Apps.
Find the icon for TikTok and click on it. You can then toggle the switch to turn them all off.
Not having the notifications from the network can easily reduce the time you spend on the app.
Can You Deactivate TikTok Data Tracking Features Without Deactivating TikTok
TikTok generally uses your phone number to verify your account, but it also uses this data to track you as you go to different apps and websites. If you don’t want to be tracked by TikTok, it isn’t actually required for you to have your phone number in their hands, though it can seem that way. If you have an account and you no longer want it associated with your phone number, it can be difficult to make that change, but there are two things that you can do.
You can call TikTok support and talk to someone in customer support to help you get your phone number off your account. There is currently not a way to simply take a number out by yourself yet, though that option is being worked on.
The other thing you can do is to change your number to a new one. Of course, this puts the new number at risk for being used in tracking you.
To change it, go to the app settings and tap on the option for changing the phone number. You will have to have a new number to put in, and you will have to verify your account using your number.
If you want to keep your number as it is, there is a TikTok function to turn off the personalized ads that you get.
To do this, go to Me, and choose your Settings.
Next, go to the Privacy, Safety, Personalize and Data option and turn it off. If you want to know about the data that TikTok has collected about you, you can go into your profile and choose the Privacy, Personalize and Data and then choose Download TikTok Data.
If you want more privacy, you can set your account to private. This way, the only people who can watch your videos and follow you are ones that you approve.
To do this, go to Me and then choose the Privacy option. You can then choose Turn Private Account On.
Stop Watching and Posting to TikTok
How do I pause TikTok? If you really want a break away from TikTok, the easiest thing to do is to just stop adding any new content and posting to the app.
It’s easy to get into the habit of opening it whenever there is a lull in activities, but if you can resist opening it, you can get a clean break away from the network while you think about whether you want to spend time there.
It’s so easy to use the app and they have such a good algorithm, that it can be hard to get out of the habit of using it. But if you can refuse to open it those first few times, it will likely get easier for you.
Uninstalling the TikTok App Without Disabling the Account
Pause TikTok without disabling account with de-installation. If you have a hard time saying no to opening the app, you can uninstall the app without it affecting your account.
When the app isn’t there, you’ll have nothing to tap to bring it up, so you get a clean break from TikTok for however long you want it. Just delete the app altogether, and your account will keep everything the way it is.
How To Deactivate A TikTok Account And Fully Delete Your Information
If you’ve decided that you don’t want to just take a break from TikTok and want to delete your account, there’s an easy way to do so. Go to your profile and find the three-dot menu.
Choose the “Manage My Account” option. Then, click on “Delete Account.” You will then need to confirm that choice.
What About Restoring A Tik Tok Delete Account?
Don’t worry. If you deleted your TikTok account in a moment of passion and want to get it back, you can. But you HAVE to act quickly. Once you have disabled your TikTok account, it won’t be deleted right away. It will spend 30 days deactivated but not yet gone. After that amount of time, your account will automatically become deleted permanently.
So if you want to recover a deleted TikTok account, do it as soon as possible so it happens within that 30 day grace period.
Want to stop using Tiktok altogehter and are askig yourself “How do I stop using TikTok completely”? If you’ve made the final decision to deactivate your TikTok account completely, go through the steps described above to delete the account. The 30-day deactivation period will kick in when you move to delete a TikTok account, and you simply wait it out. If you don’t try to reclaim the account during that period, the account will be deleted.
You can then delete the app and be completely finished with TikTok.
I hope you can use this information to take control of your TikTok usage. What tips do you have for pausing or deactivating a TikTok account? Let us know in the comments.
— Sean