TikTok is banned in India and Afghanistan, and the app is also banned on government devices for many countries. Plus, the U.S. passed in April 2024 a sell-or-ban law that could mean the app could be banned as of January 2025. This article will explain how to unblock TikTok from anywhere.

Whether you want to unblock TikTok on your mobile device or on your desktop browser, you can do so with a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN will not only give you a new IP address in a different location where TikTok isn’t restricted, but also add some always-welcome security to your internet connection. 

Several providers have a VPN server in locations where the social network isn’t blocked, but when stacked against each other, three VPNs stand out. We’ll go over the best VPNs for unblocking TikTok, starting with our top pick, ExpressVPN. Before we do that, though, we’ll briefly discuss why TikTok is banned in the first place. 

How to Install the TikTok App in Countries Where It’s Banned

If you live in a country where TikTok is completely blocked, you may find it’s not available on your local app store. You can unblock and access TikTok even despite such limitations — here’s how to do so on both an iOS device and Android device.

Install the TikTok App on iOS 

1. Open the Apple App Store

   From your home screen, open the app store. 

   

2. Open the Settings

   Hit the profile icon in the top-right corner.

   

3. Go to your Account Settings

   Tap your name and email address to open the account settings.

   

4. Go to the Country and Region Settings

   Tap “country/region” to open the list of locations.

   

5. Choose a New Location

   From the list, choose a new location where there aren’t any TikTok bans. Agree to the terms and conditions, and select “none” as the payment method.

   

6. Enter a Billing Address

   In the billing settings, enter a billing address from the country you chose. You can use an address generator to get a random address in any country.

   

7. Download TikTok

   Now that you have changed your location, you should be able to go to the app store and download TikTok. 

   

Install the TikTok App on Android

1. Open the Settings

   On your Android device, open the settings. 

   

2. Go to the Apps List

   From the settings, open the list of installed apps.

   

3. Open the Play Store

   In the list, find and open the Google Play Store. 

   

4. Clear the App Data

   Click on “storage,” and then at the bottom tap “clear data.” 

   

5. Connect to a VPN

   Use your VPN of choice to connect to a location where TikTok isn’t banned.

   

6. Download TikTok

   With the VPN open, you should be able to see and download TikTok from the Play store.

   

How to Unblock TikTok: Why Is TikTok Banned in Some Countries?

TikTok as a social media network doesn’t seem to pose any threat. What has raised some red flags, however, is ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company. The company is listed as privately owned, but it’s headquartered in China, leading to international concerns that the company may share customers’ personal data with the Chinese government. 

Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over the platform’s data, including data it has on foreign users, which could potentially expose sensitive information. China’s National Intelligence Law requires any organization to cooperate with the country’s intelligence agencies, so ByteDance would have to abide by a data request. 

For this reason, many countries have restricted citizens or government employees from installing the app on their devices. 

What Countries Have Banned TikTok?

Several countries have imposed some kind of restriction. Most have banned it only on government-issued devices, citing national security concerns, but also some have bans in place for private users. Here are all the countries where you can’t freely use and access TikTok. 

^{Note: * Full ban not in effect yet}

US TikTok Ban Ultimatum

Back in 2020, the Trump administration attempted to ban the social network in the United States. The attempt was blocked by a federal judge. In June 2021, the Biden administration revoked three of Trump’s executive orders regarding TikTok, but continued investigating how the company uses data. 

In December 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden signed the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, which bans the app from any device owned by the federal government. The FBI and the Department of Justice have an ongoing investigation into ByteDance and its use of TikTok to spy on journalists. 

However, momentum to ban TikTok grew again in April 2024. Both the House and Senate passed bipartisan laws that would ban TikTok from the U.S. unless the parent company, ByteDance, sells its shares of TikTok. President Biden signed the law on April 24, 2024.

The law gives the company nine months to start the sale, with an extension of three months if the sale is underway. If ByteDance refuses, there could be a nationwide TikTok ban as of January 2025.

ByteDance vows to challenge the law in court, so stay tuned for updates. The law would also go into effect after the next U.S. presidential election, so depending on who wins the presidency, the law could be overturned, as well

Do U.S. States Have TikTok Bans?

At the time of writing, the only U.S. state that has taken legal action to ban users from accessing the platform is Montana. The bill became law on May 18, 2023. However, the law faces legal challenges, including a first-amendment lawsuit from TikTok.

In addition to this, the social media platform has been completely banned from any U.S. government-issued devices and systems as of February 27, as part of the No TikTok on Government Devices Act. 

Here is a list of states that have blocked it from government-issued devices at the time of writing: 

Why Is TikTok Blocked in Schools?

Also citing security, plenty of schools and companies have restricted access or completely blocked TikTok for those connected to their network. This restriction also includes access to the social network on devices that have been issued by the school or company. 

There is a way around such a restriction — you can use a VPN to unblock access to the app while you’re at school. To add to this, you’re also securing your connection, and making sure the school network administrator can’t snoop on your browsing session. 

Is Using a VPN to Unblock TikTok Legal?

At the moment, using a VPN to unblock TikTok is legal — you can use VPN providers such as ExpressVPN, NordVPN or Surfshark to access the app and all its content. This may change in the future if a TikTok ban is implemented by more countries, or if your school network administrator decides to restrict VPNs.

How to Access TikTok With a VPN

Accessing the platform via a VPN app is fairly easy — here’s how to do so. We’ll use ExpressVPN on an iOS smartphone as an example of how to unblock TikTok. 

1. Sign Up For and Download ExpressVPN (on Desktop)

   Go to ExpressVPN’s website and click “get ExpressVPN.” Follow the instructions to sign up for ExpressVPN and download the app for your device.

   

2. Sign Up for and Download ExpressVPN (on Mobile)

   Go to your device’s app store and download ExpressVPN. Open the app, then follow the instructions to sign up and log in.

   

3. Choose a VPN server

   Once you’ve downloaded and signed in to the VPN app, click the location to open the server list. From the server list, choose a server in a country that hasn’t blocked TikTok. We used Switzerland — you can search for it using the bar at the top and choose it as your location.

   

4. Connect to the Server

   When you’ve chosen a server, hit the “connect” button. After a few seconds, you’ll be connected, and you should be able to access TikTok.

   

Can I Use a Free VPN to Access TikTok?

There are very few free VPN apps that we’d recommend as safe to use. Our usual suggestions are Windscribe, Proton VPN and TunnelBear, with TunnelBear being the best option to unblock TikTok. Windscribe comes with a fairly small server list, and Proton VPN has only three free server locations.

TunnelBear gives you access to all of its servers on the free plan, though it does have a 2GB data limit. If you only need it for casual use, and don’t intend on watching too many videos, you can certainly use it to unblock TikTok. 

When you’re looking into how to unblock TikTok, you will undoubtedly come across proxies. While proxies can deal with countries or a school blocking the app, they offer no security or privacy and may collect your user data. We always suggest using a VPN instead of a proxy to get a new IP address.

The 3 Best VPNs for Unblocking TikTok

Plenty of VPNs can unblock TikTok, but the three below can do so while providing the best possible performance and security. They also topped our best VPN for TikTok list. All of them have easy-to-use apps for all devices that you can use TikTok on, both mobile and desktop. 

1. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is our top pick if you want to unblock TikTok. It has a large server network with servers in 105 locations, many of which don’t block the TikTok platform. The apps on both desktop and mobile are very easy to use, which is why we put it at the top of our list of best VPNs for beginners. You can find out more about it in our ExpressVPN review. 

ExpressVPN doesn’t compromise on performance and security. Its proprietary Lightway protocol has a lightweight database and minimal impact on performance, while still offering both AES and ChaCha20 encryption. The only downside is ExpressVPN’s pricing, though if you want a new IP address in a secure way, it’s very much worth it. 

ExpressVPN Plans

• Unlimited GB
• 8
• Yes

30-days money-back guarantee

1-month plan, 6-months plan

1-month plan

$12.95/month

6-months plan

$9.99/month

$59.94 billed every 6 month

Save 22%

15-months plan

$6.66/month

$99.95 billed first 15 months and 12 months thereafter

Save 48%

2. NordVPN

If you’ve read our comparison on NordVPN vs ExpressVPN, you probably won’t be surprised that NordVPN takes the second spot on this list, as well as on our list of best VPNs. NordVPN boasts a large server network, with over 5,000 servers in 60 countries, many of which don’t have TikTok blocked. We talk more about the server list in our full NordVPN review.

NordVPN has apps for all platforms where TikTok is available, making it easy to bypass the block. This includes even smart TVs and gaming consoles, though we found the mobile apps — especially the settings menu — to be a bit complicated to use. The prices are affordable in comparison to ExpressVPN, making NordVPN an excellent alternative VPN for TikTok. 

30-days money-back guarantee

Basic

• *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
• Unlimited GB
• 6
• Yes

1-month plan, 1-year plan

1-month plan

$12.99/month

1-year plan

$5.74/month

$68.85 billed every year

Save 55%

2-year plan

$3.48/month

$83.43 billed every 2 years

Save 73%

Plus

• *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
• Unlimited GB
• 6
• Yes

1-month plan, 1-year plan

1-month plan

$13.99/month

1-year plan

$6.86/month

$82.35 billed every year

Save 50%

2-year plan + 3 months

$3.99/month

$107.73 billed every 2 years

Save 71%

Complete

• *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
• Unlimited GB
• 6
• Yes

1-month plan, 1-year plan

1-month plan

$15.99/month

1-year plan

$9.36/month

$112.35 billed every year

Save 41%

2-year plan + 3 months

$5.99/month

$161.73 billed every 2 years

Save 62%

3. Surfshark

Surfshark is a very solid VPN all around, with consistently high speeds as seen in our VPN speed comparison, and a strong focus on security. It comes with unlimited simultaneous connections, making it easy to share a subscription with others and enjoy videos on multiple devices with a single subscription. 

The Surfshark app’s menu also shows MultiHop servers, which tunnel your connection through multiple VPN servers, adding security and concealing your real IP address even better. It’s also a great budget VPN. Surfshark’s only downside is the sometimes inconsistent latency, which you can find out more about in our Surfshark review. 

30-days money-back guarantee

Surfshark Starter

• Unlimited GB bandwidth, Unlimited devices, Secure VPN, Ad blocker, Cookie pop-up blocker. Plans renew: $185.40 for one year, $370.80 for two years
• Unlimited GB
• Unlimited
• Yes

1-month plan, 1-year plan + 2 months

1-month plan

$15.45/month

1-year plan + 2 months

$3.22/month

$41.86 billed every year

Save 79%

2-year plan + 2 months

$2.29/month

$59.54 billed every 2 years

Save 85%

Surfshark One

• Everything in Starter, plus Antivirus protection, Identity protection, Email Breach and Credit Card Alerts, Online Alias Plans renew: $191.40 for one year, $380.80 for two years.
• Unlimited GB
• Unlimited

1-month plan, 1-year plan

1-month plan

$15.95/month

1-year plan

$4.09/month

$49.08 billed every year

Save 74%

2-year plan

$3.19/month

$76.56 billed every 2 years

Save 80%

Surfshark One+

• Everything in One, plus Data removal Plans renew: $215.40 for one year, $430.80 for two years
• Unlimited GB
• Unlimited

1-month plan, 1-year plan

1-month plan

$17.95/month

1-year plan

$6.49/month

$77.88 billed every year

Save 63%

2-year plan

$4.97/month

$119.28 billed every 2 years

Save 72%

How to Stay Safe on TikTok

If you’re using TikTok and want to make sure you’re staying safe, there are a few things you should consider. The first thing to do is head to your TikTok app settings and make sure your profile is set to private. This ensures that other users can’t follow you or interact with your TikTok account without your explicit approval. 

Once you’ve made your profile private, disabling mentions and tags is a great way to make sure you don’t get tagged in unsafe videos. You can even choose who you want (or don’t want) to message you on the app. 

Practice common sense when using TikTok. Avoid engaging with users you don’t know, don’t click on links that seem suspicious, and don’t use TikTok when connected to a network you aren’t sure is private and secure. The same applies for other social media networks. 

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to unblock TikTok can get you access to all its content even when your location has banned TikTok. Using a virtual private network lets you enjoy videos despite a block, and you’re also adding security to your internet connection. 

ExpressVPN is the best way to unblock TikTok in locations where restrictions are in place. If you want to watch videos at school without paying ExpressVPN’s high prices, NordVPN and Surfshark are excellent alternatives. 

Do you live in a country where TikTok is blocked? Or are you having issues accessing the app while you’re at school? Which VPN is your choice to unblock TikTok? Let us know in the comments and, as always, thank you for reading. 

FAQ

• How Do I Bypass TikTok Country Restrictions?

  You can bypass TikTok country restrictions and unblock access to the app by using a VPN, which stands for “virtual private network.”

• Which Country Is TikTok Not Available?

  TikTok is completely unavailable in Afghanistan and India.

• Which Country Banned TikTok First?

  The first permanent ban of TikTok occurred in India, when the government banned the app in 2020 after a military clash between Indian and Chinese troops. The Indian government claimed that the ban was to protect the data and privacy of its citizens from being transmitted to unauthorized servers.

• Is TikTok Banned in India?

  Yes, India banned the app in 2020, so if you want to use TikTok in India, you’ll need to use a VPN.