Quick answer: Download the video in Safari, open the Files app and go to Downloads, tap the video, tap Share and choose Save Video. The video then appears in Photos. To save many at once, use Select in Files and Save Videos.
iPhones treat downloads from Safari like a computer does: they go into a Downloads folder in the Files app, not straight into Photos. That confuses a lot of people the first time. The fix takes four taps.
Step by step
- In Safari, paste the TikTok link into SLMtik and tap Download. Confirm with Download when Safari asks.
- Tap the blue circle with an arrow next to the address bar, then tap the file. Or open the Files app → Browse → Downloads.
- With the video open, tap the Share icon in the bottom-left corner.
- Scroll down and tap Save Video. Done — it is in your camera roll.
Saving several at once
In Files → Downloads, tap ⋯ → Select, tick every video, then Share → Save Videos. This is the fastest way after a long session of saving recipes or tutorials.
Change where Safari saves
Go to Settings → Apps → Safari → Downloads. You can pick iCloud Drive (the files also appear on your Mac and iPad) or On My iPhone (saves space in iCloud). On older iOS versions the setting is under Settings → Safari.
If you use Chrome, Firefox or Edge on iPhone
Other browsers save inside their own folder in Files, for example On My iPhone → Chrome. Open it in Files and use Share → Save Video the same way.
Saving photos and MP3s
- Slideshow photos: long-press each image in the SLMtik results and choose Save to Photos. More in how to download slideshow photos.
- MP3 sounds: these cannot go into Photos. They stay in Files, where you can play them, or you can open them in GarageBand to make a ringtone — see our ringtone guide.
Free up space afterwards
Once a video is in Photos, the copy in Files is a duplicate. Delete it from Files → Downloads so the video does not use space twice. If you use iCloud Photos, the camera-roll copy is also backed up automatically.
Tip: add SLMtik to your Home Screen (Share → Add to Home Screen in Safari). It opens full screen like an app, without installing anything.
Tools used in this guide
- TikTok downloader for iPhone — No app, no Shortcut. Save TikTok videos on iPhone and iPad straight from Safari, then move them to Photos.