The TikTok data export is organized into a set of folders and JSON sections — Profile, Activity, Comments, Direct Messages, Video, Ads and Data, App Settings, and TikTok Live — and each one stores a different slice of your account history.
When you request your data from TikTok and open the download, the contents can look overwhelming. Whether you receive a single large JSON file or a structured folder of files, the information is grouped into predictable sections. Once you understand how those sections map to your real activity, the export becomes easy to navigate.
This guide walks through each top-level folder and JSON section in the export, explains what it contains in plain language, and shows which parts TikTok Wrapped actually reads to build your summary. If you have not downloaded your data yet, see our step-by-step walkthrough on how to download and analyze your TikTok data.
Profile
The Profile section holds your basic account information: username, profile name, bio, the email or phone associated with the account, and account creation details. It describes who you are on the platform rather than what you did.
This section is small but useful for labeling a report. It does not contain your password — TikTok never includes credentials in an export.
Activity (Your Activity)
The Activity section — sometimes labeled "Your Activity" — is the heart of the export and usually the largest part. It is broken into several sub-sections that record everything you have done while browsing:
- Watch History — a timestamped list of the videos you viewed.
- Like List — the videos you liked, with dates.
- Search History — the terms you searched for.
- Share History — content you shared and where.
- Following / Follower List — accounts you follow and accounts that follow you.
- Favorite videos, sounds, and hashtags — items you bookmarked.
Because it is timestamped, this section is what makes long-term pattern analysis possible. Most of the insights in a TikTok Wrapped summary — your most-watched periods, favorite creators, and viewing volume — come from here.
Comments
The Comments section lists the comments you have posted on other videos, along with their timestamps. It reflects how you have interacted publicly with content over time.
Direct Messages
The Direct Messages section contains your private chat history grouped by conversation. This is the most personal part of the export, which is why it deserves extra care when sharing files. TikTok Wrapped does not need or read your direct messages.
Video (Your Posts)
The Video section — often labeled "Posts" — covers the content you published yourself: your uploaded videos, captions, and related metadata. For creators this section documents their posting history, while for viewers it may be small or empty.
Ads and Data
The Ads and Data section records advertising-related signals, including the Off TikTok Activity data — information that other apps and websites have shared with TikTok about your activity outside the app. It also includes ad interests and ad interaction records used for targeting.
If you want a deeper look at what these signals reveal, our article on what data TikTok collects goes through the categories in detail.
App Settings
The App Settings section stores your preferences: privacy settings, notification choices, language, and similar configuration. It describes how your account is set up rather than how you used it, so it rarely affects analysis.
TikTok Live
The TikTok Live section captures activity related to live streams — streams you hosted or joined, and related interactions. For most viewers this section is small, but for active streamers it can be a meaningful record.
Folder-by-Folder Reference
The table below maps each folder or JSON section to what it contains and to what TikTok Wrapped reads from it. You can also see the kind of output it produces on our example wrapped page.
| Folder / Section | What it contains | What TikTok Wrapped reads |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | Username, bio, account details | Display name for the report |
| Activity — Watch History | Timestamped videos viewed | Viewing volume and trends |
| Activity — Like List | Videos you liked, with dates | Liking habits over time |
| Activity — Search History | Search terms you used | Top searches and interests |
| Activity — Following / Follower | Accounts followed and followers | Favorite creators |
| Comments | Comments you posted | Engagement counts (optional) |
| Direct Messages | Private chat history | Not read |
| Video / Posts | Videos you published | Posting history (creators) |
| Ads and Data | Off TikTok Activity, ad interests | Not read |
| App Settings | Privacy and app preferences | Not read |
| TikTok Live | Live stream activity | Not read |
A Note on Privacy
Your export contains sensitive sections — especially Direct Messages and Ads and Data — that are never required to generate a usage summary. TikTok Wrapped focuses on the timestamped Activity data and ignores private messages and advertising records entirely. You stay in control of the file, and you can delete sensitive folders before uploading anything anywhere. When you are ready, you can analyze your wrapped with just the activity files.
Final Thoughts
The TikTok data export only looks complicated until you know the map. Each folder answers a single question — who you are, what you watched, what you posted, who you talked to, or how your account is configured. Knowing which sections matter lets you analyze the parts you care about while leaving the private ones untouched.