How to Get Unbanned on TikTok: Steps, Tips, FAQs [2024]

Learn how to get unbanned on TikTok using this easy-to-follow guide.

For the most part, you’ll only need a phone and the Tiktok app.

If things go well, temporarily banned and shadowbanned TikTok accounts can be reinstated within 24-72 hours. 

Let’s begin. 

What you’ll learn:

• Different types of TikTok bans
• Potential impact of getting banned on TikTok
• How to get your TikTok account unbanned
• How long does an appeal take to unban your TikTok account
• How to avoid getting banned on TikTok
• How to get unbanned from TikTok: Frequently Asked Questions
• Build and secure your TikTok presence with Vista Social

Different types of TikTok bans

Before you attempt to get your client’s TikTok account unbanned, it’s crucial to understand the different types of TikTok bans. 

1. Shadowban

A “shadowban” occurs when TikTok restricts the visibility of your content on the platform. It is an unofficial term used by the TikTok community since you won’t receive a banner notification if you’re hit. 

Under a shadowban, your TikTok videos won’t appear on other users’ “For You” page—one of the most important content discovery channels on the TikTok app. 

This makes shadowbans particularly detrimental for brands, influencers, and individual users who use TikTok for income. 

Some of the reasons for getting shadowbanned on TikTok are: 

• Spammy user behavior: Posting too much within a short amount of time, bulk-following other users, writing too many comments, etc. 
• Minor violations: Committing a minor violation to TikTok’s long list of community guidelines (e.g. sharing misinformation, promoting gambling-related apps, sharing personally identifiable information). 
• Algorithm flaw: TikTok’s algorithm sometimes flags certain topics—and related hashtags and keywords—as potentially harmful, which results in shadowbans.

2. Temporary ban

Unlike shadowbans, TikTok is completely transparent about temporary bans and how they happen. 

Your clients will know if they’re hit with a temporary ban via a banner notification.

A TikTok account typically gets temporarily banned for a violation of the community guidelines. And, as the name suggests, temporary bans eventually get lifted after some time (depending on the violation’s severity and the number of occurrences). 

Temporary bans may involve restrictions on specific activities, like video uploads, comments, and direct messaging. These bans normally last for anywhere between 24 and 48 hours only. 

Some temporary bans completely restrict a user’s account to a “view-only experience,” which limits their access to viewing other posts only. A view-only ban can last from 72 hours to an entire week.

3. Underage ban

An underage ban is a potentially permanent ban that can lead to account deletion after 113 days. 

Underage accounts are owned by users under 13 years of age (14 in South Korea and Indonesia). 

Agencies typically don’t need to worry about underage bans, especially if they’re handling professional TikTok accounts owned by businesses, industry experts, and influencers. But if you think the underage ban happened by mistake, you can reinstate your client’s account by sending an appeal. 

4. Permanent ban

Multiple, repeated violations—especially including severe violations—can get your client’s account permanently banned on TikTok. 

Permanently banned users won’t be able to access the platform or any of its features beyond seeing the notification. In severe cases, TikTok also blocks the banned user’s device to prevent them from creating new accounts. 

TikTok takes permanent bans very seriously. In fact, no rightful permanent ban was ever reported to be reversed. 

Your only hope is if TikTok permanently banned your client’s account by mistake. 

If you believe this is the case, you can file an appeal using the TikTok mobile app.

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Potential impact of getting banned on TikTok

Business that get banned on TikTok can be a huge bummer, and here are several reasons why:

• Loss of audience. TikTok is mega-popular with over a billion active users worldwide. A permanently banned account on TikTok can mean losing their existing audience, and potential new customers who could have discovered their brand through the platform.
• Reduced brand visibility. TikTok has a MASSIVE reach, and getting banned can seriously reduce your client’s visibility online. It can be a real hit to their online presence, and result in decreased brand recognition.
• Damage to brand reputation. Being banned from TikTok or other social media platforms can damage your client’s brand reputation. People might think your client’s business is untrustworthy, unethical, or out of touch. It could result in negative perceptions and decreased loyalty.
• Loss of revenue. TikTok can be a cash cow for your clients, with opportunities for brand collaborations and sponsored content. In most cases, getting banned from TikTok can result in lost revenue, missed business opportunities, and decreased profits.
• Difficulty in reaching younger audiences. TikTok is super-popular among younger audiences. Getting banned from the platform can make it tough for your clients to reach this demographic through other social media channels. Sure, your clients can create a new account if possible but this can mean building a following from scratch and creating new engaging content, which takes a lot of hard work.
• Missed viral trends. TikTok is famous for its viral trends and challenges. If your clients get banned, they can’t participate in these trends, leading to missed opportunities to engage with their audience and show off their personality.
• Difficulty in standing out. TikTok is a crowded platform, and getting banned or even banned incorrectly can make it tough for your clients to stand out from the competition. Without the platform’s built-in algorithms and discoverability, your clients can struggle to get noticed.

How to get your TikTok account unbanned

A shadowbanned or temporarily banned TikTok account isn’t a big deal for the majority of users. 

Temporary bans are time-limited. As soon as your client gets a banner notification, the ban can expire at anytime from 24 hours to one week—depending on your individual case.

But for businesses, a few days of downtime can result in significant profits lost. 

You need to act fast to get your client’s temporary ban lifted as soon as possible. 

How to lift a shadowban

Lifting a shadowban is tricky since TikTok doesn’t clarify how they’re evaluated and handed out. 

If you or your client suspects that a shadowban is at play, consider the following:

• Noticeable and sudden drop in user engagement: A telltale sign of a shadowban is a drastic decline in user engagement numbers. Check your client’s content performance over the past few weeks to diagnose a shadowban.
• Loyal followers no longer find you: Shadowbans affect everyone on TikTok, including your client’s most active followers. Reach out to another user who normally sees your client’s latest posts on their “For You” page and verify if your client is still visible.
• Uploads “under review” or “processing.” If new posts are labeled as “under review” or “processing” for an extended period of time, TikTok is paying close attention to what you’re uploading. This may be due to a recent violation, a shadowban, or internet connection problems. 

To lift a shadowban, start with a cleanup of your client’s TikTok profile feed. 

Get rid of everything that could potentially be in violation of the TikTok community guidelines, but not before backing it up first. 

Be on the lookout for TikTok quotes, clips, or captions that can be considered offensive, sexually suggestive, or related to alcohol, gambling, tobacco, or illegal substances. Also, check your client’s notifications for removed videos they might have missed. 

Violation notifications should include the date of the offending video along with the specific policy violated.

Checking for existing violations gives you an idea of why your client’s TikTok account was shadowbanned. 

Moving forward, look for similar videos that tackle the same topic, use the same format, or contain the same keywords. Delete those videos and proceed to use TikTok while abiding by the community guidelines. 

If that doesn’t work, here are a few things you should try: 

• Reinstall the TikTok app. Check to see if uninstalling, reinstalling, and launching the app with a clear cache will remove the shadowban. 
• Slow down user interactions. Reduce the frequency of your comments, posts, and TikTok questions to avoid being flagged for spammy behavior. 
• Contact TikTok’s customer support team. Use the in-app “Report a problem” link and explain the situation.

How to lift a temporary ban

Temporary bans sometimes occur due to multiple violations, but they’re no cause for concern for regular users. 

TikTok should tell you when the banned account or limited features will be reinstated in the violation notification. 

However, waiting for a temporary ban to expire is unacceptable for agencies and brands, especially if your client is on their way to mastering how to become a TikTok influencer. 

Submit an appeal through the app to cut the ban period short. 

Appeals can be sent as soon as you receive the ban notification. You can also submit appeals to individually removed TikTok videos to avoid getting your client’s TikTok account banned in the first place. 

Just like with a shadowban, it’s best to observe TikTok’s guidelines to avoid accruing more violations. Otherwise, you risk getting your client’s TikTok account permanently banned.

How to appeal an underage TikTok ban

When it comes to underage bans, issue your appeal within 113 days (23 days if you live in the US). 

Appeals for underage bans can be submitted through the app. However, take note that underage bans will only be lifted if the account owner is indeed old enough to use TikTok. 

If your client is hit with an underage ban by mistake, you’ll need to submit a photo of their ID to enable TikTok to verify their correct date of birth. 

Can you lift a permanent ban on TikTok?

How do I get my permanently banned TikTok account back?

When it comes to permanent bans, the best solution is NOT to get your TikTok account permanently banned in the first place.

If your client is permanently banned from TikTok, the only thing you can do is file an appeal and explain your case as thoroughly as possible. You can also contact the TikTok customer support here if you prefer submitting your request using a desktop device.

How long does an appeal take to unban your TikTok account?

Several factors affect the time required for TikTok to respond to your appeal. 

In general, appeals are reviewed and concluded anywhere between 24 and 72 hours. It can also take up to a week or month before TikTok can make a final decision. 

How to avoid getting banned on TikTok

If your client is temporarily banned or shadowbanned for minor violations, remind them to review TikTok’s community guidelines, which can be accessed here. 

This long document outlines the grounds for TikTok violations and why they’re enforced. 

Here’s a quick rundown of the things to remember from TikTok’s guidelines: 

• Be careful when posting videos with minors. Avoid posting videos that contain any hint of abuse, harm, exploitation, or endangerment of individuals below the age of 18. This includes animations and digitally manipulated content. 
• Don’t post about dangerous acts. Avoid posting, sharing, or streaming dangerous acts, like amateur stunts that can cause injury or even death. Ignore “challenges” of the same nature. 
• Stay away from other harmful topics. Avoid posting about suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, and illegal activities. Stay on-brand and post about topics relevant to your client’s audience. 
• Mind other users’ experiences. Don’t post or comment anything that can be seen as bullying or harassing other users. Violent extremism and hateful behavior must also be avoided. 
• Post with reasonable frequencies. Avoid posting too much, promoting services that “sell” followers, or using multiple TikTok accounts to generate fake engagement. There are other, safer ways of how to get 1,000 followers on TikTok that deserve your attention more. 
• Respect other parties’ intellectual property. Don’t post content that infringes the intellectual property rights (copyright, trademark, etc.) of other parties. Be careful when publishing parodies, product reviews, or reaction videos to intellectual property. 

Must-read: How to Get More Views on TikTok After Posting

How to get unbanned from TikTok: Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take for a TikTok to get unbanned?

Ban appeals on TikTok usually get resolved within five working days. The length of time needed to address an appeal depends on several factors, such as the volume of appeals sent by other users. 

Why did TikTok ban my account for no reason?

Your TikTok account may be banned due to a flaw or glitch in the app’s algorithm. If you’re 100% sure that you didn’t violate TikTok’s community guidelines, send an appeal immediately to lift your ban.

Can TikTok ban your IP?

Yes, TikTok can ban your device’s IP if you repeatedly commit serious violations of the platform’s community guidelines. You can appeal IP bans by contacting their customer support team directly. 

Build and secure your TikTok presence with Vista Social

When it comes to TikTok bans, prevention is infinitely better than cure. 

Maintain healthy and thriving TikTok profiles using Vista Social’s scheduling, conversation management, and user engagement tracking features. It will help you create a productive-yet-safe posting schedule while ensuring positive user experiences and responses to your TikTok content. 

Start today by creating a free Vista Social account.