The short links people copy
TikTok’s share sheet often copies a compact address so it fits in a message. Common ones start with vm.tiktok.com, vt.tiktok.com, or www.tiktok.com/t/. They are not the video file. They redirect to the real post.
You do not have to expand them by hand. Paste the short link the same way you would paste a full tiktok.com/@name/video/… address. After the redirect, the usual MP4, audio, or photo options appear if the post is public.
- vm.tiktok.com/… from the mobile share sheet
- vt.tiktok.com/… from some share buttons
- www.tiktok.com/t/… from newer short links
When a short link fails
A short link can expire, point at a deleted post, or land on a profile instead of a video. If the options do not appear, open the short link in the browser and wait until the address bar shows /video/ or /photo/ plus a number. Copy that longer address and paste it.
Messages sometimes break the link across two lines or add words after it. Paste only the URL, from https:// through the end of the code, with no extra sentence around it.
Related: How to copy the full link · Download online
Short links to slideshows
A short link can point at a photo post. After it resolves, use the photo options and save each image. If you expected a video and only see pictures, the share was a slideshow.
The same permission rule applies: save a post you own or have permission to download. A link someone sent you is not automatically a license to reuse it.
Related: Slideshow downloader