Where TikTok notifications live and how to find them

TikTok sends notifications from three places: the app itself, your phone's notification center, and your email inbox. To stop them, you need to turn them off in all three. Most people only disable one and wonder why notifications keep arriving.

Start in the TikTok app itself. Open TikTok and tap the profile icon in the bottom right corner. Then tap the three horizontal lines (the menu) in the top right. Scroll down and tap Settings and privacy. From there, tap Notifications. This is where you control what TikTok is allowed to send you at all.

If you turn off notifications here, TikTok will not send them. But if you leave them on in the app and only turn them off on your phone, you may still see badges (the red circles with numbers) on the TikTok icon, and your phone may still buzz for other apps that use TikTok's data. Doing both gives you full control.

Key Takeaways

  • TikTok's notification settings are in Settings and privacy > Notifications, where you can turn off each type individually or disable all notifications at once.
  • Turning off notifications in the TikTok app does not stop your phone from showing notification badges; you must also disable TikTok in your phone's notification settings.
  • Email notifications from TikTok come from your account settings, not from the app, and must be turned off separately in the same Settings and privacy menu.
  • You can keep some notifications (like messages from friends) and turn off others (like recommendations and activity), so you do not have to choose all or nothing.

Turning off notifications inside the TikTok app

Once you are in Settings and privacy > Notifications, you will see a list of notification types. Each one has a toggle switch next to it. The main categories are Likes and comments, New followers, Messages, Recommendations, Sounds and trends, and Account and security.

You do not have to turn them all off. If you want to know when a friend messages you but do not care about likes, turn off Likes and comments and Recommendations, but leave Messages on. The toggles work independently, so you can customize exactly what bothers you.

At the very top of the Notifications page, there is a toggle for Allow notifications. If you turn this off, everything stops — TikTok will not send you any notifications at all, even if individual toggles below it are still on. This is the nuclear option. Most people prefer to turn off specific types instead.

Stopping notifications on your phone itself

Your phone has its own notification settings that work separately from the app. Even if you turn off notifications in TikTok, your phone can still show badges on the app icon or send alerts if you have not disabled TikTok there too.

On iPhone: Go to Settings > Notifications. Scroll down and tap TikTok. You will see options like Allow Notifications, Sounds, Badges, and Show in Notification Center. Turn off whichever ones you want to stop. If you turn off Allow Notifications, your phone will not show any TikTok alerts. If you only turn off Badges, the red number circles disappear but you can still get alerts if you open the app.

On Android: Go to Settings > Apps > TikTok > Notifications. You will see a toggle for Show notifications. Turn it off. Some Android phones also let you control notification channels — for example, you might see separate toggles for Messages, Recommendations, and Activity. You can turn off the ones you do not want and leave the others on.

The exact names and locations vary by phone model and operating system version, but the principle is the same: find TikTok in your phone's notification settings and turn off the ones you do not want to see.

Disabling email notifications from TikTok

TikTok can also email you about activity on your account, new followers, and recommendations. These come from a different setting than the in-app notifications and your phone's notification center.

Go back to Settings and privacy in the TikTok app and tap Notifications again. Scroll all the way down past the toggle switches. You will see a section called Email notifications or Email settings (the exact name depends on your app version). Here you can turn off emails about recommendations, activity, and account updates individually.

If you do not see this section, you can also manage email notifications from the TikTok website. Log in at tiktok.com, go to Settings and privacy > Notifications, and scroll to the email section. The toggles work the same way.

What happens when you turn notifications off

When you disable notifications, TikTok stops sending them, but the app still works normally. You can still use TikTok, watch videos, and send messages. You just will not get alerts about likes, comments, new followers, or recommendations unless you go back into the app and check manually.

If someone sends you a direct message and you have messages turned off, they will not know you have disabled notifications. The message will sit in your inbox until you open the app and see it. This is different from blocking or muting someone — the message still arrives, you just do not get notified.

You can turn notifications back on at any time by going to the same settings and flipping the toggles back. There is no penalty for turning them off and on repeatedly.

Notifications from third-party apps connected to TikTok

If you have linked TikTok to other apps — like Instagram, Snapchat, or a fitness app — those apps might send their own notifications about TikTok activity. Turning off TikTok's notifications will not stop these.

To stop them, go into each app's notification settings separately and turn off TikTok-related alerts there. For example, if you linked TikTok to Instagram and Instagram is sending you notifications about TikTok videos you can share, go to Instagram Settings > Notifications and turn off the TikTok option.

Check which apps you have connected to TikTok by going to Settings and privacy > Apps and websites in the TikTok app. This shows you every app that can access your TikTok account. If you do not recognize one or do not use it anymore, you can disconnect it there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off notifications affect my account or get me in trouble?

No. Disabling notifications is a personal preference setting. It does not change your account, affect your videos, or violate any TikTok rules. You can turn them on and off as many times as you want.

Can I turn off notifications for one person but keep them for others?

Not directly through TikTok's settings. You can turn off all notifications from likes and comments, or turn them all on. If you want to mute one person's activity, you can mute their account instead — go to their profile, tap the three dots, and select Mute. This stops their videos from showing up in your feed, but does not affect notifications.

Why am I still getting notifications after I turned them off?

You probably turned them off in one place but not another. Check all three: the TikTok app settings, your phone's notification settings, and your email settings. If you turned off notifications in the app but not on your phone, you will still see badges and alerts. Make sure all three are off.

Do I need to turn off notifications on both my phone and the app?

If you want to stop all notifications completely, yes. Turning them off in the TikTok app stops TikTok from sending them, but your phone can still show badges. Turning them off on your phone stops the alerts and badges. For full control, disable them in both places.

What is the difference between muting and turning off notifications?

Muting an account stops that person's videos from appearing in your feed and prevents notifications from their activity. Turning off notifications stops all alerts but does not change what videos you see. If you want to keep watching TikTok but just do not want the alerts, turn off notifications. If you want to avoid a specific person's content, mute their account.