How to Unblock TikTok: Access TikTok From Anywhere in 2025
Countries and schools worldwide are trying to ban TikTok due to privacy concerns. If you still want to use it despite such bans, here’s how to unblock TikTok with a VPN.
Written by Andrej Hadji-Vasilev (Writer)
Reviewed by Samuel Chapman (Writer, Editor)
Facts checked by Vildana Bratic (Video Editor, Fact-Checking Editor)
Last Updated: 2024-11-23T23:12:47+00:00
All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.
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, NordVPN. Before we do that, though, we’ll briefly discuss why TikTok is banned in the first place.
-
05/23/2023 Facts checked
We updated the article to include information about Montana passing a law to ban TikTok, and the social media platform filing a first-amendment lawsuit against the state.
-
11/14/2023
Updated the article to reflect ExpressVPN’s expansion of server presence from 94 to 105 countries.
-
03/19/2024 Facts checked
Updated the article to reflect the latest U.S. TikTok ban proposal.
-
04/24/2024 Facts checked
Updated the article to include information on the passed U.S. law that gives TikTok nine months to sell, or be banned.
-
10/01/2024 Facts checked
We updated our VPN recommendations to reflect our latest performance testing.
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.
Protect Your Privacy. Get Our Free VPN Guide Now!
- Comprehend the essential role a VPN plays in safeguarding your digital life
- Gain a deep understanding of how VPNs function under the hood
- Develop the ability to distinguish fact from fiction in VPN promotions
Install the TikTok App on iOS
- Open the Apple App Store
From your home screen, open the app store.
- Open the Settings
Hit the profile icon in the top-right corner.
- Go to your Account Settings
Tap your name and email address to open the account settings.
- Go to the Country and Region Settings
Tap “country/region” to open the list of locations.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Open the Settings
On your Android device, open the settings.
- Go to the Apps List
From the settings, open the list of installed apps.
- Open the Play Store
In the list, find and open the Google Play Store.
- Clear the App Data
Click on “storage,” and then at the bottom tap “clear data.”
- Connect to a VPN
Use your VPN of choice to connect to a location where TikTok isn’t banned.
- 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?
Some countries banned TikTok due to 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?
Both Afghanistan and India have banned TikTok, but there are several countries that 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.
TikTok Ban Status
Completely banned, including on private devices
Countries:
- 🇦🇫 Afghanistan
- 🇮🇳 India
Banned on government-issued devices only
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- 🇧🇪 Belgium
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇪🇺 EU
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇳🇴 Norway
- 🇹🇼 Taiwan
- 🇬🇧 U.K.
- 🇺🇸 U.S.*
Advisory against using on government devices
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
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:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
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 NordVPN, ExpressVPN 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 NordVPN on an Android smartphone as an example of how to unblock TikTok.
- Sign Up for NordVPN
Go to NordVPN’s website and sign up for a discounted plan. NordVPN’s two-year plan offers 74% (plus 3 months free) off on the first two years with three months free. It’s risk-free with a 30-day refund window.
- Download NordVPN
Go to your device’s app store and download NordVPN. Open the app, then follow the instructions to log in.
- Choose a VPN Server and Connect
Once you’ve downloaded and signed in to the VPN app, click on your desired location on the world map, or find it using the search bar.
- Enjoy Unblocked TikTok
Once you’ve chosen a server, you’ll be able to use TikTok even if it’s banned in your country.
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. NordVPN — The Best VPN to Unblock TikTok
Very Fast
Very Fast
Very Fast
If you’re familiar with VPNs, you probably won’t be surprised that NordVPN takes the top spot on this list, as well as on our list of the 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 other premium VPNs like ExpressVPN, making NordVPN an excellent choice VPN for TikTok.
- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
- Unlimited GB
- 10
- Yes
- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
- Unlimited GB
- 10
- Yes
- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
- Unlimited GB
- 10
- Yes
2. Surfshark — Best Budget TIkTok VPN With Unlimited Connections
Very Fast
Very Fast
Very Fast
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.
- Unlimited GB bandwidth, Unlimited devices, Secure VPN, Ad blocker, Cookie pop-up blocker. Pricing for the annual and biennial plans only apply for the first payment. Renewal fees vary.
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
- Yes
- Everything in Starter, plus Antivirus protection, Identity protection, Email Breach and Credit Card Alerts, Online Alias Pricing for the annual and biennial plans only apply for the first payment. Renewal fees vary.
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
- Everything in One, plus Data removal Pricing for the annual and biennial plans only apply for the first payment. Renewal fees vary.
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
3. ExpressVPN — Easy-to-Use Premium TikTok VPN
Very Fast
Very Fast
Very Fast
ExpressVPN rounds out our list of recommendations. 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 codebase and minimal impact on performance, while still offering both AES-256 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.
- Pricing for the annual and biennial plans applies only on the first year.
- Unlimited GB
- 8
- Yes
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.
NordVPN is the best way to unblock TikTok in locations where restrictions are in place. With NordVPN’s risk-free 30-day refund period, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by giving the service a try. If you want to watch TikTok videos at school and share an account with friends, Surfshark is an excellent alternative.
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
You can bypass TikTok country restrictions and unblock access to the app by using a VPN, which stands for “virtual private network.”
TikTok is completely unavailable in Afghanistan and India.
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.
Yes, India banned the app in 2020, so if you want to use TikTok in India, you’ll need to use a VPN.