How To Unfriend Someone on TikTok

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Carolyn Howell

Last Updated: May 21, 2024

TikTok 101
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TikTok defines “Friends” as “followers you follow back.” Friends on and off TikTok are almost always mutual followers on the platform, but not all mutual friends are actual friends. You may need to know how to unfriend someone on TikTok for many reasons. 

Your reason may be personal. It may relate to privacy concerns or a simple change in content preferences. Keep reading to find out how to unfriend in TikTok. 

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How To Remove Followers on TikTok 

Some followers you follow back may no longer be suitable for your community. Some followers may be nuisances or, worse, spammers or fake accounts. Fortunately, learning how to remove followers on TikTok is very easy. 

Follow these steps to remove someone from your follower list:

  1. Go to your Profile
  2. Tap Followers beneath your profile picture
  3. Find the follower/s you want to remove and tap the 3-dot icon beside them. 
  4. Select Remove this follower

If the person discovers you’re no longer on their Following list, they may decide to Follow you again. Remember that if a follower engages in inappropriate behavior, you can also report and block their account.

How To Delete Followers on TikTok From Their Profile Page

Another option for how to remove friends on TikTok is doing it from their profile page. Here’s how to delete followers on TikTok option number two:

  1. Use the search bar to look for the follower/s you want to remove. 
  2. Alternatively, you can simply tap their username when you see one of their videos on your For You feed. 
  3. On their profile page, tap the Share icon in the upper right. 
  4. Select Remove this follower from the options at the bottom. 

If a follower posts inappropriate comments, spams your comments section, or harasses other commenters, you can delete and report their comments

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How To Stop Following Someone on TikTok 

Are you also curious about how to stop following someone on TikTok? Knowing how to get rid of friends on TikTok often means removing them as followers and unfollowing them. 

Here’s how to unfriend someone on Tik Tok: 

  1. Find the person in your Follower list or Following list, or use the search tool
  2. On their Profile page, tap the person icon beside the Message button.
  3. Tap Unfollow

You can also go to their Profile from one of their videos when it appears on your For You feed. Just tap on their username and follow steps 2 and 3 above. 

How To Unfriend Someone on TikTok Without Them Knowing

Are you eager to know how to unfriend someone on TikTok without them knowing? Fortunately, TikTok doesn’t notify an account when somebody unfollows them or removes them as a follower. 

Eventually, however, the person will notice you no longer engage with their content. They will also realize, sooner or later, that your videos are no longer appearing on their For You feed. They can verify that you’re no longer friends when they look for you on their Follower or Following list. 

Knowing how to delete friends on TikTok and doing it obscurely is always possible. And if you’re 100% sure you no longer want any contact with the person on TikTok, just block them. Remember that even blocked accounts can still find your profile — even if you set it to private. But the blocked accounts won’t be able to follow you again and send you direct messages. 

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How To Make Someone Unfollow You on TikTok

You may want to take the passive-aggressive route. Do you need to know how to make someone unfollow you on TikTok

The best strategy would depend on why you want someone to unfollow you. Is it because they’re trolling you? Are they stalking you or stealing your best ideas? Do you find them annoying, or their presence invasive? 

On Facebook, you can add certain people to your restricted list so they don’t see your posts even if they follow you. The exception is when you make a post public. TikTok doesn’t offer the same feature. You can only select among these three types of audiences: Everyone, Followers you follow back, and Only you.

Again, blocking is the best option to restrict someone’s access to your page. But if you want them to take the hint and remove themselves voluntarily, try these ghosting tricks. 

  • Unfollow them first. Ensure you always choose Followers you follow back as your audience for private posts. 
  • Filter your comments section so you must approve all comments before they appear. Leave the person’s comments unapproved and unacknowledged. 
  • Leave their direct messages unseen. 

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Ways To Manage Your Privacy on TikTok

If you’re a brand or content creator on TikTok, making your account public offers the most advantages. A private account is the better option if you’re using TikTok for personal use. With a private account, you have to approve all follower requests. Only followers you approve can watch your videos. 

But remember that anyone can still search for you and find you, even with a private account. Anybody can also copy your profile URL and share it. 

Here are other ways to manage your privacy on TikTok:

  • Turn off Activity status. Your followers won’t know when you’re online. 
  • Turn off Suggest your account to others. This feature restricts/allows TikTok to suggest your account to people in your phone, email, or Facebook contacts. 
  • Turn off Sync contacts and Facebook friends. Restrict TikTok’s access to your contacts. 
  • Restrict who can tag or mention you in their posts. Select only followers you follow back. 
  • Restrict who can send you direct messages. Select only followers you follow back. 
  • Restrict access to your Stories. Select only followers you follow back. 
  • Select who can use your videos for a Duet or Stitch. Select followers you follow back or only you. 
  • Select who can create stickers with your videos. Choose followers you follow back or only you. 
  • Turn off Video downloads. Don’t allow anyone to download your videos and share downloads to other platforms. However, your selected audience can still share a link to your video. 
  • Keep your Following list private. Make sure only you can see who you’re following on TikTok. 
  • Restrict access to your Liked videos. Make sure only you can watch the videos you liked. 
  • Turn off Post views and Profile views. People won’t know when you watch their videos or view their profiles. 

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How To Not Lose Your Followers’ Interest

When somebody wants to know how to remove friends from TikTok, you wouldn’t want to be among those getting the proverbial axe. There are instances when cleaning up one’s followers and following lists is necessary. But you always want to hold on to people who contribute positively to your page.

Even among those who share your interests, you cannot always please everyone. 

You win some, and you lose some followers along the way. But your goal should be to gain more than you lose and, ideally, to keep the losses at a minimum. 

Listening to your fans’ needs is as important as making your voice heard. Keep abreast of their current interests and passions. Ask them directly what they want to see more of. Get their feedback on things that matter to the community. Encourage them to contribute to maintaining your community’s camaraderie. 

At the very least, always like your top fans’ comments. But they’ll appreciate it more if you always reply to their comments and DMs. Make time to reply to some comments or posts with a video. Share user-generated content to show your followers you value their voice. Give them a shoutout by tagging or mentioning them in your posts. 

Knowing how to unfriend someone on TikTok is helpful when you want to change your TikTok circle. Ensure you’re always attracting the right people for your tribe by signing up for a High Social plan. 

High Social’s advanced proprietary AI solution instantly sharpens your audience-targeting precision. Get your content in front of genuinely interested viewers. Start growing your TikTok today!

TikTok 101