Tik Ghost

Does TikTok Notify Screenshots?

Updated Sep 28, 2026

Not according to TikTok. As of September 2026, nothing in its Help Center says the app notifies anyone about screenshots, and the article on notifications doesn't mention them at all. The screenshot feature it does describe is visual search, which is for you, not the creator. What a creator can see is who watched their story and, in some cases, who viewed their profile or posts.

What TikTok's Help Center Says About Screenshots

We read TikTok's Help Center articles on notifications, Stories, direct messages, downloads and analytics. None of them mentions a screenshot alert.

The notifications article covers new messages, activity and followers, plus push alerts for likes, comments and video suggestions. Its inbox filters are Likes and Favorites, Comments, Add Yours, and Mentions and tags.

Screenshots don't come up.

The app can notice a screenshot, though. TikTok has a feature called screenshot visual search.

Take a screenshot of a post and a thumbnail pops up. Tap it and TikTok looks for similar posts and products.

It's only for people 18 and older who are logged in, and uploading the screenshot is up to you.

TikTok says the screenshots stay on your device and only you can see them in the app. It doesn't keep copies on its servers.

The article says nothing about telling the creator.

Creators get a related setting. Depending on where they are, they can choose before posting whether a post can appear in visual search results.

It's on unless they turn it off.

Does TikTok Notify Screenshots of Stories or Messages?

TikTok's articles on Stories don't mention screenshots. They do say a creator can see how many views each story got and which accounts watched it.

You'll be on that list even if your account is private or your profile view history is off. So the creator can see that you watched, screenshot or not.

Stories you watch on Tik Ghost's story viewer are the exception. No account of yours is involved, so there's nothing to add to the list.

It's the same with direct messages. TikTok's messaging articles don't describe a screenshot alert in chats.

They do describe two things the other person can see.

Read status shows that you've read their message, but only when you both have it on. It's on by default if you're 18 or older.

Activity Status lets mutual followers see when you're online or were last active. It's off by default, and it only works if you're both 18 or older and both turn it on.

Can You See Who Shared Your TikTok?

You can see how many times, not who. TikTok Studio shows creators stats for each post, including likes, shares and views.

Those are just totals. The Help Center doesn't mention any way to see who's behind them, whether they sent your video in a direct message or shared the link in another app.

Reposts work differently. A repost shows up in other people's For You feeds with the reposter's profile photo and nickname on it.

On a public account, it also stays on the Reposts tab of their profile, where anyone can see it. So reposts aren't anonymous, even though TikTok doesn't mention a list of everyone who reposted a video.

Can You Stop People From Screenshotting Your TikToks?

Not with any setting TikTok describes. Its privacy settings control who sees a post and what people can do with it inside the app:

  • Who can see each post. You can limit one to friends or to only you.
  • A private account, so only followers you approve can watch your videos.
  • Downloads, though TikTok notes people can still share your posts as a link or in direct messages on other apps.
  • Reuse of content, which covers who can Duet or Stitch your posts or add them to their Story. You need a public account to change it.

What Can TikTok Creators See About You?

Screenshots aside, TikTok shows creators a fair amount. Here's what its Help Center describes:

  • Who watched each of their stories, even if your account is private or your profile view history is off.
  • Who viewed their profile in the past 30 days, if you both have profile view history on. It's off by default, and it's only for people 16 and older with fewer than 5,000 followers.
  • Who viewed their recent posts: followers who have post view history on, plus anyone who liked or commented, whatever their setting. It covers posts from the last 7 days and has the same age and follower limits.
  • Likes, favorites, comments and mentions, which show up in their inbox activity.
  • Whether you've read their messages, if you both have read status on. And when you were last active, if you follow each other and both have Activity Status on.

Could TikTok Start Sending Screenshot Alerts?

It could. Everything this page says about TikTok comes from its Help Center as of September 2026, which is TikTok's own description of how the app works.

But features change, and several of these articles say a feature isn't available to everyone yet. If your app ever shows you something different, go by the app.

And a screenshot is still a copy. If it gets posted or passed around, the creator may come across it without any alert.

Questions

Does TikTok notify when you screenshot a story?

TikTok's Help Center describes no such alert. The creator can still see that you watched, though.

Stories list the accounts that viewed them, even if your account is private.

Does TikTok notify when you screen record?

Not that TikTok documents. Its notifications article doesn't mention screen recordings, and we found no Help Center article that describes an alert for them.

Can people see when you screenshot their TikTok?

Nothing in TikTok's Help Center says they're told. Viewing can show up, though.

If you both have profile view history on, they can see you visited their profile. A lookup on Tik Ghost doesn't use your account, so it can't put you on that list.

Does TikTok notify when you screenshot a DM?

TikTok's articles on direct messages don't describe a screenshot alert. The other person can see that you've read their message, but only if you both have read status on.

Sources

Checked against these pages on September 28, 2026.