TikTok has become a frontrunner in the social media market in recent years. People use the platform for both personal and business purposes, so it might be useful to find someone on TikTok for the OSINT investigation. Learn how to expose someone’s TikTok account if you have a target’s username, phone number or neither one of them in this article.
Why You May Need to Find a Person’s TikTok Account
In contrast to other social media platforms such as Facebook, Tinder, Instagram or Twitter, TikTok might not seem like an obvious place to conduct research on a person. However, in practice, it can bring in such valuable insights as:
- Content. You can study how people choose to self-express via their TikTok videos in order to know their background, hobbies, passions, and areas of expertise. Find someone on TikTok to have a glimpse into their daily routines, activities, and lifestyle.
- Comments. It is a valuable source of insights into the digital footprint in terms of online interactions. Observing how they network with others through comments can reveal their communication style and how they handle both positive and negative feedback, what opinions they have, what values they cherish, etc.
- Likes. The accounts they follow and the followers they attract on TikTok indicate their social circle and community. Moreover, be aware that the number and demographics of their followers can reflect their influence and reach on the platform.
- Network. Find out which views, people and interests they enjoy and support based on their TikTok like history.
The Fastest Ways to Find Someone on TikTok
The efficiency and success of your TikTok OSINT investigation depends on what type of entry info you have on hand to kick off the search.
The Best Way to Find Someone on TikTok
In the best case scenario, you have either one of the most important clues which are a username or a phone number. However, the search requires different approaches based on what exact channel you pursue.
Employ Username Check With X-Ray Contact
If you know the username of the target, this method will likely yield the quickest and most accurate results. You can take an educated guess about someone’s online identity based on the variation of their real-life name, nicknames, interests, usernames in other social media, etc.
Use the Reverse Username Search tool called Username Check in order to investigate the trace of a person left with this data. The algorithm is simple even if you have never tried to do an OSINT search before:
- Go to the main page and select the “Username Check” tab.
- Insert the username of the user in a search bar so the system will compare it to usernames in the available provider databases.
- You will receive a few Possible People profiles, which present valuable info like social media links (including TikTok) and clues about the real identity of the user.
Find Someone on TikTok With Phone Number
Alternatively, you might have access to the phone number that the person utilized in order to register on TikTok. Here’s how you can try to locate the account with in-built TikTok instruments:
- Tap on a “Profile” tab in the TikTok app. Select three dots at the top right corner to access the settings menu.
- Choose the option “Find Friends” and sync the phone number contacts. Don’t forget to give TikTok permission to access your phone’s contact list when prompted. In case the target actually used this phone number for their TikTok account, you might be able to discover them in the list.
- If the method failed, use X-Ray Contact’s Phone Search. Click on the “Platform” tab, choose Phone as the channel and then put the phone number in a search bar. You might receive a Person Profile report with TikTok as one of the listed social media links.
Harder Ways to Find Someone on TikTok
The search process is much more complicated if you have no clue about their username or phone number. Let’s discuss such unfavourable scenarios in detail.
How to Find Someone on TikTok Without Username
You can use proxy strategies to find someone’s TikTok username if you are not aware of it:
- Check the followers and following lists of your mutual friends.
- Search for hashtags, challenges, or trends that the person might be interested in based on what you know about it.
- Look for any TikTok videos they might have shared on other social media accounts.
How to Find Someone on TikTok Without Their Username and Phone Number
Other strategies you might find useful if you don’t have the phone number of the person and links to their other social media are:
- Use search engines to search for the person’s name along with the keyword “TikTok.”
- Employ TikTok’s search filters to narrow down results by location if you know the area where the person might be active.
- Spend time on the “For You” page and explore recommended accounts. Possibly, TikTok’s algorithm might eventually suggest the person’s content based on mutual connections or shared interests.
The Ways to Find Old TikTok Accounts
This task is even more challenging since the platform pushes forward newer content and active TikTok accounts. Some useful tips are:
- Research to find saved or downloaded videos from the profile of interest.
- Engage online forums like Reddit to research based on the old username or any other info.
- Try using the Wayback Machine to see if the old TikTok account or its content has been uploaded.
Conclusion
Even though embarking on a TikTok investigation might seem intimidating, simplify the task by using the full capacity of the app and helpful third-party platforms like X-Ray Contact. As a result, you can add a lot of depth and nuance to the user’s portfolio based on TikTok findings.