TikTok symbols
On the right of a TikTok video, the heart likes it, the comments icon opens the comments, the Favorites icon saves it, and the arrow shares it. A blue check mark next to a name means TikTok has verified the account, and an “AI-generated” label marks content made or edited with AI.
How to read it
TikTok’s help centre describes these as buttons by name: the Like button, the Share button and so on. ConnectSafely’s Parent’s Guide to TikTok describes the column of icons on the right of the screen: an icon at the top that opens the creator’s profile, with a + button to follow them, then the heart for liking, the comments icon, and the share icon, a right-pointing arrow. The Favorites icon turns golden when a video is saved, according to How-To Geek. This page gives TikTok’s own meanings as its help centre and newsroom describe them, September 2026.
Also searched as: TikTok icons.
What each icon means
| Icon | What it does |
|---|---|
| Top icon, with a + | Opens the creator’s profile; the + follows them |
| Heart | Likes the video; the help centre says double-tapping the video does the same |
| Comments icon | Opens the comments on the video |
| Favorites icon | Saves the video to the viewer’s Favorites; it turns golden once saved, and Favorites can be sorted into Collections |
| Share arrow | Shares the video in TikTok or to other apps; Repost is one of the options inside it |
| Blue check mark | A verified account |
| “AI-generated” label | Content TikTok detected, or the creator marked, as made or edited with AI |
Verified badge
TikTok says a verified badge means it has confirmed the account belongs to the person, business or brand it represents, and that the badge is not an endorsement. The check mark appears next to the account name in search results and on the profile. TikTok’s newsroom adds that a check mark shown anywhere else on a profile, such as in the bio, does not mean the account is verified.
Share or repost
Reposting is inside the Share button. A reposted video appears in followers’ For You feeds with a repost label, the reposter’s profile photo and nickname, according to TikTok’s help centre.
Labels on AI-generated content
TikTok requires people to label realistic AI-generated content. It began testing its own “AI-generated” label in September 2023, and in May 2024 became, in its words, the first video sharing platform to read Content Credentials, the C2PA metadata that lets it label AI content made on other platforms automatically. It also said it would attach Content Credentials to TikTok content, which stay on a video when it is downloaded. In November 2025 TikTok said its labels now give more context about whether they came from its AI detection, the creator’s own label, or TikTok’s AI tools. Instagram uses its own “AI info” label.
More social media icons and badges
Browse symbols drawn with arrows or curves and waves.
Sources
- Verified accounts on TikTok, TikTok Support (read September 2026), TikTok, whole article
- Repost, TikTok Support (read September 2026), TikTok, What is repost on TikTok?
- Liking, TikTok Support (read September 2026), TikTok, How to like a post on TikTok
- How to tell if an account is verified on TikTok, TikTok Newsroom, TikTok, article
- The Parent's Guide to TikTok, ConnectSafely, 2019 (Internet Archive copy, 20 July 2025), ConnectSafely (Internet Archive copy), icons on the video screen; reporting
- How to Find Favorites on TikTok, Mahesh Makvana, 4 March 2023, How-To Geek, How to Add a Video to Your TikTok Favorites
- New labels for disclosing AI-generated content, TikTok Newsroom, 19 September 2023, TikTok, announcement
- Partnering with our industry to advance AI transparency and literacy, TikTok Newsroom, 9 May 2024, TikTok, announcement
- More ways to spot, shape and understand AI-generated content, TikTok Newsroom, 19 November 2025, TikTok, announcement
Last reviewed September 30, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research