TikTok Data Export Files Explained
Read each TikTok category as its own source list. Followers, following, watches, likes, favorites, searches and messages have different meanings; a missing category is not a confirmed zero and a timestamp is not time spent watching.
Map files to the working tools
Follower and Following files supply connection lists. Watch History or Video Browsing History supplies recorded video links. Like List and Favorite Videos are separate lists that can overlap. Searches, Share History and Comments remain distinct activity categories.
Direct Messages and Group Chat supply separate conversation sections. The reader preserves section boundaries even when two titles match. Supported posts, reposts and LIVE watch records are available in Activity history. Contact, payment, login, device and location records are excluded.
These invented records use the normal TikTok parser and analysis. They are independent of your active export and do not save data or change the workspace.
View fictional source text
Date: 2025-02-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.daniel.bennett Date: 2025-03-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.emma.wilson Date: 2025-04-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.oliver.turner Date: 2025-05-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.maya.collins Date: 2025-06-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.james.hughes Date: 2025-07-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.sophie.shaw Date: 2025-08-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.adam.reed Date: 2025-01-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.leah.parker Date: 2025-02-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.ben.foster Date: 2025-03-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.grace.brooks Date: 2025-04-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.ethan.hayes Date: Username: demo.zoe.clarke Date: 2025-06-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.james.hughes Date: 2025-07-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.sophie.shaw Date: 2025-08-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.adam.reed Date: 2025-01-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.leah.parker Date: 2025-02-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.ben.foster Date: 2025-03-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.grace.brooks Date: 2025-04-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.ethan.hayes Date: Username: demo.zoe.clarke Date: 2025-06-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.alex.evans Date: 2025-07-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.lucy.patel Date: 2025-08-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.noah.lewis Date: 2025-01-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.sarah.reed Date: 2025-02-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.daniel.parker Date: 2025-03-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.emma.foster Date: 2025-04-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.oliver.brooks Date: 2025-05-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.maya.hayes Date: 2025-06-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.james.clarke Date: 2025-07-12 10:20:00 UTC Username: demo.sophie.evans
Read dates according to their source
A date with UTC stays UTC. An unzoned message clock stays an unzoned export clock; InstaScope does not infer your account timezone from an IP address, location or device setting. Date-only values retain calendar precision.
Invalid and missing dates remain unavailable. All recorded years includes undated records; choosing one year includes only usable dates in that year. The Timeline orders supplied date labels and displays their basis rather than reconstructing an absolute history.
Inspect accepted, skipped and repeated records
Coverage reports source records, accepted records, skipped records, relationship duplicates and unknown dates. Repeated watches, searches and messages are retained. Recognized relationship usernames are normalized for matching and deduplicated within their own list.
Rows with an unusable username stay outside identity matching. A recognized video ID can join watch, like and favorite records; an unknown link cannot establish a unique video. Use diagnostics and the original files together when interpreting partial coverage.
Sources and responsibility
These instructions describe InstaScope's supported reader and current controls. TikTok determines the categories and history available in your download. Use its official help for the current request process; send corrections through About without attaching private exports.
TikTok's Data Portability documentation is a category reference. InstaScope does not use that API, and its supported download layouts are checked separately with synthetic fixtures.