Where to look for your Musical.ly username

If you created a Musical.ly account before the app shut down in 2018, your username is most likely gone — but there are a few places worth checking first. Musical.ly was acquired by TikTok and merged into the platform, so your account either migrated to TikTok automatically or was deleted when the app closed.

The fastest way to find out what happened to your old username is to search for it directly on TikTok. Open TikTok, tap the search icon at the bottom, and type your old Musical.ly username into the search box. If the account exists and migrated, you'll see it in the results. If nothing appears, the account was either deleted or never transferred.

Another option is to check your email. If you signed up for Musical.ly with an email address, look for any confirmation emails or password reset emails from Musical.ly or TikTok sent between 2018 and 2020. These emails sometimes include your username or account details. Search your email inbox and spam folder for "musical.ly" or "tiktok".

Key Takeaways

  • Musical.ly accounts that migrated to TikTok kept the same username, so searching TikTok directly is the quickest way to find yours.
  • If your old username doesn't appear on TikTok, the account was likely deleted when Musical.ly shut down in 2018.
  • Check your email for old Musical.ly confirmation or password reset messages, which may contain your username.
  • If you find your migrated account on TikTok but don't remember the password, use TikTok's password reset feature with the email address you originally used.
  • You cannot recover a deleted Musical.ly account, but you can create a new TikTok account with a new username.

Checking your email for account records

Your email inbox is often the best record of old account details. When you signed up for Musical.ly, you received a confirmation email. Even if you deleted it, it may still be in your email's archive or trash folder. Open your email provider (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.) and search for "musical.ly" or "verify your account".

If you ever reset your password on Musical.ly, you received a password reset email with a link. These emails sometimes display your username or a hint about your account. Check both your inbox and spam folder — password reset emails often get filtered incorrectly.

If you used a different email address than you remember, try searching for emails from any account you had active around 2015 to 2018. Look for subject lines like "Welcome to Musical.ly", "Confirm your account", or "Reset your password".

What happened when Musical.ly merged with TikTok

In November 2018, ByteDance (TikTok's parent company) shut down the Musical.ly app and merged all active accounts into TikTok. If you had an active Musical.ly account at that time, it was automatically transferred to TikTok with the same username, email, and followers. Your old videos, however, were not transferred — only your account profile and follower list moved over.

Accounts that had been inactive for a long time before the shutdown may not have been migrated. If your Musical.ly account hadn't been used in several years, it may have been deleted by the app before the merger even happened. Musical.ly periodically removed inactive accounts to clean up the platform.

If your account did migrate, you can log into TikTok using the same email address and password you used for Musical.ly. If you don't remember the password, TikTok's login screen has a "Forgot password?" link that will send a reset email to your registered address.

Searching TikTok for your migrated account

Open the TikTok app or go to tiktok.com in a web browser. Tap or click the search icon (usually a magnifying glass at the bottom of the app or top of the website). Type your old Musical.ly username exactly as you remember it — usernames are case-sensitive in some systems, so try variations if your first search doesn't work.

If your account appears in the results, tap or click on it to view the profile. Check the account creation date and follower count to confirm it's yours. If the account migrated from Musical.ly, the profile will show when it was created (usually sometime before 2018) and may have followers from your Musical.ly days.

If you find your account but can't remember the password, go to tiktok.com/login on a computer or tap "Log in" on the app. Select "Use phone, email, or username" and enter your email address. Tap "Send code" and TikTok will email you a reset link. Follow the link to create a new password.

If your account was deleted and cannot be recovered

Once Musical.ly shut down and accounts were deleted, TikTok did not restore them. If your username doesn't appear on TikTok and you can't find any email records of your account, it was permanently deleted. There is no recovery process — deleted accounts cannot be brought back.

If you want to use your old username again, you can create a new TikTok account and try to claim that username during signup. TikTok allows you to choose any available username when you create an account. If your old Musical.ly username is still available, you can use it for your new TikTok profile.

Keep in mind that if someone else created a TikTok account with your old Musical.ly username after the merger, you won't be able to use it. Usernames on TikTok are unique — only one account can have each username at any time.

Contacting TikTok support if you're stuck

If you believe your account migrated to TikTok but you can't find it, and you have email records proving you owned a Musical.ly account, you can contact TikTok's support team. Open the TikTok app, go to your profile (tap the person icon at the bottom right), tap the three lines in the top right corner, and select "Report a problem". Choose "Account and profile" and describe your situation.

TikTok support can sometimes look up old account information using your email address, but they cannot restore deleted accounts. They can confirm whether your Musical.ly account migrated to TikTok and help you regain access if you have the email address associated with it.

Response times from TikTok support vary widely — you may hear back in a few days or several weeks. Be specific in your message: include the email address you used for Musical.ly, your old username, and approximately when you created the account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover a deleted Musical.ly account?

No. Once Musical.ly shut down in 2018 and accounts were deleted, they cannot be recovered. If your account doesn't appear on TikTok, it was permanently removed and there is no way to restore it.

If my Musical.ly account migrated to TikTok, are my old videos still there?

No. Only your account profile, username, and follower list transferred to TikTok. All videos you posted on Musical.ly were deleted when the app shut down. Your TikTok account starts with zero videos.

What if someone else is using my old Musical.ly username on TikTok?

If another person created a TikTok account with your old Musical.ly username after the merger, you cannot reclaim it. Usernames are unique on TikTok. You would need to choose a different username for a new account. If you believe the account is impersonating you, you can report it to TikTok support.

Do I need my old Musical.ly password to log into TikTok?

If your account migrated, yes — TikTok uses the same login credentials as your old Musical.ly account. If you don't remember the password, use TikTok's password reset feature. Go to the login page, enter your email address, and tap "Send code" to receive a reset link.

How do I know if my Musical.ly account actually migrated to TikTok?

Search for your old username on TikTok. If the account appears and shows a creation date before 2018, it migrated. If nothing appears, the account was deleted. You can also try logging in with your email address on TikTok — if it works, your account migrated.