Key takeaways
- TikTok shows no storage figure: count the videos posted to the profile and report that number as files.
- Each account requests its own data in the app under Settings and privacy > Account > Download your data, and the file stays available for up to 4 days.
- TikTok's help page does not list video files in the download, and data that affects other people's privacy and the last 24 to 48 hours of some categories are left out.
- You don't need to export anything to apply: have your video count, years of history and number of accounts ready, and the data vendor anonymizes the records before any AI lab sees them.
01
What is TikTok data, and why do AI labs and data vendors buy it?
The short answer
TikTok data is the history of a company's TikTok account: the short videos it posted, the dates they went up, and the comments and activity around them. AI labs (companies that build and train AI models) and data vendors (companies that anonymize business records and package them for those labs) buy a copy because a business's short videos show how it explains its products and answers customer questions on camera.
What a company account holds
TikTok is a social network for short videos. A company account posts videos that demonstrate a product, answer a common question or show a job being done, and each video carries a caption and a posting date. The account also has comments from viewers and private messages.
Why short videos teach an AI model something
An AI model learns by studying a very large number of examples and finding the patterns in them, and those examples are called training data. Short videos from a business show a person explaining a product or a task in plain language, and the posting dates place each one in time. Over years, they show how the company's message changed and which topics it kept returning to.
AI labs now want to train AI agents, software that carries out a job step by step, and an agent learns a job from records of that job being done. The full mechanism is in AI training data: why AI companies want your company's data.
How TikTok fits into a dataset
TikTok is usually one of several sources in a company's dataset, which may also include other video and social accounts such as Instagram and YouTube. Companies are paid $100K to $2M or more per dataset, according to micro1, the data vendor we typically refer companies to. The price covers the whole dataset, not each source on its own, and what your data is worth explains what moves it.
02
Where does TikTok show how much data you have?
The short answer
An account on TikTok has no storage figure anywhere in the app. The measure is a count of the videos on the profile, reported as files, along with the date of the earliest one. You need to sign in to the account itself, because each account requests its own data from inside the app.
How to count your videos
- Sign in to the company's TikTok account in the TikTok app and tap Profile.
- Count the videos posted to the profile.
- Scroll to the oldest video and note its date. That date is the start of your history.
Why the unit is files
TikTok reports no bytes for an account, and the data file it produces describes the account instead of copying the footage. A count of posted videos is therefore the honest measure, and it is reported as files.
Who can see the account
Only someone signed in to the account can request its data, and each account requests its own. A company with several TikTok accounts counts the videos on each one.
03
What should you know about your TikTok data before you apply?
The short answer
Have three facts ready: the number of videos you have posted, how many years the account has been posting and how many TikTok accounts the company runs. They go into the data manifest, the written summary of which apps hold your records, how many years each covers and roughly how much. You don't need to run an export to find them.
The number of files
Give the count of posted videos, since each video is one file. This is the number to use because TikTok shows no total storage and the data download is not a copy of the footage.
The years of history
Years of history run from the date of the first posted video to today.
The number of seats
Seats are the TikTok accounts the company runs. Count the main brand account and every other account that posts for the business.
What you don't need to do first
You don't need to export anything to apply, and you don't need to clean or scrub an export. The data vendor anonymizes the records before anyone else sees them, and nothing moves until a lawyer-reviewed license is signed. The application, the intro call and each later step are laid out in how to sell your company's data.
04
How do you export your full TikTok history?
The short answer
In the TikTok app, go to Profile > Menu > Settings and privacy > Account > Download your data, choose the information and a file format, and submit the request. When the file is ready, tap Download in the Download data tab within 4 days. It is a data file, and TikTok's help page does not say original video files are included.
Download your data: the steps
- Sign in to the company's account in the TikTok app, tap Profile, then tap the Menu button.
- Open Settings and privacy, then Account, then Download your data.
- Tick the categories of information you want, select a file format and submit the request. TikTok has offered JSON and TXT.
- TikTok sends a notification in the app when the file is ready. Open the Download data tab to see the status, and tap Download when it is ready.
TikTok's own help page, Requesting your data, says preparing the file may take a few days and that a request can be cancelled from the Download data tab with Cancel and then Delete request.
JSON or TXT?
JSON is structured, so software can process it, while TXT is plain text that a person can read directly. If the data will be shared, JSON is the better pick. The current help page tells you to select a file format without naming the options, so pick whichever the screen offers and prefer JSON when it is there.
How long the file stays available
Once TikTok has prepared the file, it stays available to download for up to 4 days. If it expires, submit a new request.
What a TikTok data file leaves out
TikTok holds back data that would affect other people's privacy. In some categories, activity from the final one to two days before the request may also be absent. The file may include the username, watch history, comment history and privacy settings.
The help page does not list video files as part of the download, so keep your own copies of the footage. The same page describes, for people in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom, a way to authorize a third party to transfer posts, profile and direct messages.
How long an export takes
TikTok says it may take a few days to prepare the file. Request it early, and check the Download data tab, because the 4-day window starts when the file is ready.
Source: TikTok Support, Requesting your data. Steps checked against this page in November 2026.
05
What stays private when TikTok data is licensed?
The short answer
The company decides which categories go into the data file, and direct messages and other categories can be left out by choosing only the information you want. The data vendor anonymizes the records before an AI lab sees them. The company keeps ownership of its videos, and the license covers defined material for a defined use.
You choose what is in scope
Direct messages hold private conversations, and most companies keep them out. Choosing only the categories you want when you request your data keeps the rest in the account, as the diagram shows.
What anonymization covers
Anonymization means replacing every detail that identifies a person, such as a name or a username, with a stand-in that is the same every time it appears. Comments can mention customers by name, so the data vendor applies this to text before an AI lab sees it. The method, including what is deleted outright and how you review samples, is in how company data is anonymized for AI training.
Ownership and payment
Licensing gives the buyer limited rights to a copy, while the company keeps ownership of the originals. The terms that matter, such as exclusivity, permitted use and deletion, are covered in data licensing. micro1 pays in full within 30 days of accepting the data, usually as a single payment.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Does TikTok's Download your data include our video files?
No. The help page describes a data file about the account and never lists video files among its contents. If you need the footage, rely on the copies your team saved.
Should we pick JSON or TXT?
JSON, if the data will be shared. JSON is structured and software can process it, and TXT is easier to read by eye.
How long is the TikTok data file available?
Up to 4 days after TikTok has prepared it. If it expires, submit a new request.
Can we cancel a data request?
Yes. Open the Download data tab, tap Cancel, then Delete request.
Why is the last day of activity missing from our data file?
TikTok says activity from the final 24 to 48 hours can be missing in some categories. Request the file again a few days later if the newest activity matters.
Do we need to export TikTok before we apply?
No. The application takes about two minutes and shares no data. You only need your video count, your years of history and the number of accounts the company runs for the intro call, and you can read the first two from the profile. The data file is needed later, after you sign the license.
What is TikTok data worth to AI labs and data vendors?
An account history is priced as part of a whole dataset rather than on its own. Companies are paid $100K to $2M or more per dataset, according to micro1, and the price depends on the years of history and how completely the records show real work. What your data is worth explains the factors.
Bottom line
Know what is in TikTok, then see what it is worth
You don't need to export anything to apply. Apply in two minutes, describe your records on the intro call, and micro1, the data vendor we typically refer companies to, prices the whole dataset and sends an offer 1–2 days later.
Not legal, tax or financial advice. Figures come from micro1's published pages and public reporting as of November 2026.