Blocking stops someone from seeing your videos and messaging you

When you block someone on TikTok, they can no longer view your profile, watch your videos, send you direct messages, or see your comments on other videos. The blocked person will not receive a notification that you blocked them, but if they search for your profile or try to visit it directly, they will see a message saying the account is unavailable to them.

Blocking is different from unfollowing or muting. Unfollowing removes them from your follower list but they can still see your public videos. Muting hides their videos from your feed without them knowing. Blocking is the strongest privacy boundary you can set with a single person on TikTok.

Key Takeaways

  • Open the profile of the person you want to block, tap the three dots in the top right corner, and select "Block" from the menu.
  • A blocked person cannot see your videos, message you, or find your profile through search, but they can create a new account to contact you again.
  • You can unblock someone at any time by going to your privacy settings, finding them in your blocked list, and tapping "Unblock".
  • If someone is harassing you repeatedly or creating new accounts to contact you, report them to TikTok in addition to blocking.

Steps to block someone on TikTok

Start by finding the profile you want to block. You can search for their username, find them through your followers or following list, or locate them in your direct messages. Once you are on their profile page, look for the three vertical dots (called a menu icon) in the top right corner of the screen.

Tap the three dots. A menu will appear with several options. Select "Block" from this menu. TikTok will ask you to confirm that you want to block this person. Tap "Block" again to confirm. The block is now active.

If you are blocking someone from a direct message conversation instead of their profile, open the conversation, tap the person's name at the top, and then tap the three dots. Select "Block" from that menu.

What happens after you block someone

Once the block is in place, the person cannot search for your username and find your profile. If they try to visit your profile directly through a link or by typing your username, they will see a message saying "User Unavailable" or similar language indicating they cannot access your account.

Any direct messages you had with them will remain in your inbox, but they cannot send you new messages. If they try to message you, their message will not go through. They also cannot see your comments on videos, your likes, or your follower and following lists.

The blocked person will not see a notification telling them they were blocked. However, if they try to visit your profile or search for you, they will realize something has changed.

Unblocking someone if you change your mind

You can unblock someone at any time. Go to your profile by tapping the person icon at the bottom right of the screen. Tap the three horizontal lines (menu icon) in the top right corner, then select "Settings and privacy".

Scroll down and tap "Privacy". Then tap "Blocked accounts". You will see a list of everyone you have blocked. Find the person you want to unblock and tap the "Unblock" button next to their name. Confirm that you want to unblock them.

Once you unblock someone, they can see your profile and message you again. They will not be notified that you unblocked them.

When blocking is not enough

Blocking works well if someone is bothering you once or twice. However, if someone is sending you repeated unwanted messages, posting mean comments, or creating new accounts to contact you after you block them, blocking alone may not solve the problem.

In these cases, you should also report the person to TikTok. When you see a comment, message, or video that violates TikTok's community guidelines, tap the three dots next to it and select "Report". Describe what is happening and why it bothers you. TikTok reviews reports and can remove content, suspend accounts, or take other action if the behavior breaks their rules.

If someone is threatening you, harassing you based on your identity, or engaging in other serious misconduct, take screenshots of the behavior and consider reporting it to local law enforcement in addition to TikTok.

Blocking does not hide your past interactions

If you had a public conversation with someone before blocking them, that conversation remains visible on the platform. Your comments on their videos will still appear, and their comments on your videos will still be there. Blocking stops future interactions but does not erase past ones.

If you want to remove a comment someone left on your video, you can delete it yourself. Tap the three dots on the comment and select "Delete". This works whether the person is blocked or not.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone tell if I blocked them?

They will not receive a notification, but they may figure it out if they try to visit your profile or search for you and cannot find you. If they ask you directly, you do not have to tell them.

What if someone keeps creating new accounts to message me?

Block each new account as it appears. Also report the accounts to TikTok for harassment. If the behavior continues and you feel unsafe, document it and contact local law enforcement.

Can I block someone without them seeing that I viewed their profile?

TikTok does not show profile view notifications, so they will not know you looked at their profile before blocking them.

Does blocking someone remove them from my followers?

If they were following you, blocking removes them from your follower list. If you were following them, blocking removes them from your following list.

Can I block someone and then unblock them later without them knowing?

Yes. They will not be notified when you block them or when you unblock them. However, if they try to visit your profile while you have them blocked, they will notice they cannot access it.