Why TikTok's built-in save doesn't work well
TikTok's built-in "Save video" feature only works on mobile and adds a large watermark with your username. On Mac, there's no native way to save TikTok videos directly from the website. Most online tools are covered in ads and limited to low quality.
Star Video Downloader solves this: it downloads TikTok videos directly from the URL in full resolution, without the watermark, and saves them as clean MP4 files on your Mac.
How to Download TikTok Videos on Mac — Step by Step
Download Star Video Downloader
Get the free app from starvideoapp.com. Unzip and move to Applications. On first launch, right-click → Open to bypass Gatekeeper.
Open the TikTok video in your browser
Go to tiktok.com in Safari or Chrome and find the video you want to save. You can also open TikTok on your phone and use the Share → Copy Link option to get the URL.
Copy the video URL
Click the address bar in your browser and copy the full URL. It will look like https://www.tiktok.com/@username/video/...
Paste into Star Video Downloader
Open Star Video Downloader, click the URL field, and paste with ⌘V. The app detects the TikTok video automatically.
Click Download
The video downloads directly to your Mac as a clean MP4 file — no watermark, full quality. Click the folder icon to reveal it in Finder.
Tip: On your iPhone, tap Share on any TikTok video → Copy Link, then paste it into Star Video Downloader on your Mac. Works perfectly for videos you see in the app.
No Watermark — How Does It Work?
Star Video Downloader uses yt-dlp to access TikTok's original video stream before TikTok's watermark is applied server-side. This means the downloaded file is the clean original — the same quality you see when watching it on TikTok, without any overlaid text or branding.
Other Supported Platforms
The same method works for downloading videos from Instagram Reels, Twitter/X, Reddit, YouTube, and 1000+ other sites. See the full list on our homepage →
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it work with private TikTok videos?
No. Star Video Downloader can only access publicly available TikTok videos, the same ones visible without logging in.
Is downloading TikTok videos legal?
Downloading for personal use is generally acceptable. Reposting or redistributing content without permission from the creator may violate TikTok's terms and copyright law.
What quality does TikTok download in?
Star Video Downloader downloads TikTok videos in the highest available quality — typically 1080p for most content.
Can I download TikTok videos in bulk?
Yes, with a Pro license you can paste multiple URLs at once to batch download TikTok videos.
Download TikTok Videos on Your Mac — Free
No account needed. No watermark. Works on macOS 14+ on all Macs.
macOS 14+ • Apple Silicon & Intel • No subscription