How to Find the Song From a TikTok Video
By the TikDop team ·
It happens to everyone. A video plays, the song in the background is perfect, and you have absolutely no idea what it is. Sometimes it's easy to find. Other times it's labelled "original sound" by someone called @user84629 and you're left humming it to yourself for a week.
Here are the methods that work, starting with the quickest.
1. Tap the sound
At the bottom of every TikTok video there's a scrolling line of text with a little music note, and a spinning disc on the right side. Tap either one. That takes you to the sound page, which shows:
- the song title and artist, if TikTok knows them,
- other videos using the same sound,
- often an option to add it to your favourites or open it in a music streaming app.
If the sound is a licensed track, this is usually all you need.
2. If it says "original sound"
"Original sound" means the person who uploaded the video created the audio — or at least, uploaded it themselves. That could be:
- their own voice or music,
- a song they recorded from a speaker or another app,
- a sped-up, slowed or remixed version of a real song.
The sound page might still help. Scroll through the other videos using that sound. Sometimes a later video credits the real track in the caption. Also check if the sound page lists a "song" link underneath the original sound — TikTok sometimes matches it automatically.
3. Read the comments
Someone else has almost certainly asked "what's the song?" already. Open the comments and look for replies. Creators often pin a comment with the track name, and other viewers are generally quick to help. If the comment section is huge, look at the most-liked replies first.
You can also check comments on other videos using the same sound. Our comment viewer can make long threads easier to read on a computer.
4. Use a music recognition app
Apps like Shazam, SoundHound or the song search built into Google and many phones can identify songs from a few seconds of audio. Play the TikTok on one device and let the app listen on another — or, on many phones, use the built-in "what's playing" feature while the video plays.
This works well for real tracks, even when they're used quietly in the background. It works less well when:
- someone is talking over the music,
- the song is heavily sped up or slowed down,
- it's a cover or an unreleased track.
5. Hum it
If you can't play the video again, most recognition tools also let you hum or sing a tune. Google's hum-to-search is surprisingly good. It won't catch everything, but it's worth a try.
6. Search the lyrics
If you caught a line of lyrics, type it into a search engine in quotes. Even a few distinctive words often find the song. Remember that people often mishear lyrics, so try a couple of variations.
7. Save the audio for later
If you want to come back to it, you can save the audio as an MP3 using our MP3 downloader. That gives you a clean copy of exactly what plays under the video, which you can then run through a recognition app without the video's other noise. We explain more in how to save TikTok sounds as MP3.
When it's a remix or sped-up version
A lot of viral TikTok sounds are edits: sped-up ("nightcore"-style), slowed with reverb, mashups, or a song blended with a dialogue clip from a film. Recognition apps sometimes struggle with these.
Tips:
- Try slowing it down (or speeding it up) in a simple audio app, then run it through a recognition tool again.
- Search the sound name plus "sped up" or "slowed" on streaming services and video sites — many popular edits are uploaded there as their own tracks.
- Look for the sound creator's profile. If the original sound was made by a DJ or producer, their profile often links to the full version.
When it's not out yet
Artists sometimes tease unreleased songs on TikTok weeks before they come out. If the sound page links to the artist but the song isn't on streaming services, that's probably why. Follow the artist or save the sound so you notice when it's released.
A note on using the song yourself
Finding a song is one thing; using it is another. Music on TikTok is licensed for use inside TikTok. If you want to use it in a YouTube video, an ad or a public event, you'll usually need separate permission. For your own creative projects outside TikTok, royalty-free music libraries are the safe option.
Quick summary
Tap the sound first. If that fails, check the comments. Still stuck? A music recognition app will catch most real tracks, and humming or lyric search can fill in the gaps. For remixes, search the sound's name with "sped up" or "slowed" — chances are someone has uploaded the full version somewhere.