# What is a duet on TikTok? Canonical: https://postmesh.app/glossary/duet By PostMesh team. Published 2026-10-31; updated 2026-10-31. A duet on TikTok is a video you record alongside someone else's, so the two play at the same time in a split screen. You start one from the Share button on the original video, and each creator decides whether their videos can be dueted. ## What a duet is Duet is a [TikTok](/platform/tiktok) feature that puts your video next to another creator's. TikTok's help center describes it as two videos in a split screen that play at the same time. You watch the original while you record, so you can sing the harmony, answer a question, react to a twist or copy a dance move in sync. A duet is its own post. It appears on the profile of the person who recorded it, not on the original creator's, and the original stays only on its creator's profile. TikTok says the person who made the duet controls, through their own privacy settings, who can watch it, comment on it, download it or interact with it. People use the word as a noun and a verb. You can make a duet, or you can duet a video. "Duet this" in a caption is an invitation: the creator is asking you to record your part next to theirs. **Duet** - Your video plays beside the original - Both play at the same time - Good for reactions, harmonies, side-by-side tries **Stitch** - A clip of the original plays first - Then your own video takes over - Good for answering or continuing a video **Add Yours** - A prompt sticker on a post - People respond with their own posts - Good for open themes, like a photo prompt *From TikTok's Duets, Stitch and Add Yours help pages.* ## Where Duet comes from Duet started on another app. [Know Your Meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sites/tiktok-duets) says TikTok's predecessor, Musical.ly, rolled out a Duet feature on March 17, 2017, that TikTok acquired Musical.ly in November 2017, and that TikTok released Duet internationally in late April 2018 alongside the hashtag #duetwithme. TikTok has kept adding to it. In a newsroom post dated September 30, 2020, TikTok called Duet an original feature that had been a community favorite since the start and announced four new layouts. A short update on October 2 added the option to turn your microphone on while you duet. Know Your Meme dates the arrival of Green Screen Duet to May 12, 2021. - March 17, 2017: Musical.ly rolls out Duet - November 2017: TikTok acquires Musical.ly - Late April 2018: TikTok releases Duet internationally with #duetwithme - September 30, 2020: TikTok announces four new Duet layouts - May 12, 2021: Green Screen Duet arrives *Sources: Know Your Meme's TikTok Duets entry and TikTok Newsroom.* ## How to duet on TikTok You can only duet a video whose creator allows it, and TikTok notes that not every video has Duet turned on. If the option is there, TikTok's help center gives these steps. 1. **Open the video**: In the TikTok app, find the video you want to duet and tap the Share button on the side. 2. **Tap Duet**: It's at the bottom of the share sheet. You may need to swipe to find it. 3. **Set up your camera**: Add effects or filters, or use the other camera tools, before you record. 4. **Record**: Tap Record to start and stop, then tap the Continue checkmark when you're done. 5. **Edit**: Add a filter, voice effect, text, stickers or effects, or open the advanced editing tools. 6. **Add the details**: Tap Next to add a description and hashtags, tag people, add a location or link, and check the privacy settings. Or tap Your Story to share it to your Story instead. 7. **Post or save**: Tap Post to publish the duet, or Drafts to save it. Drafts are visible only to you on your profile. TikTok: Share button › Duet › Record › Continue › Next › Post *From TikTok Help Center: Duets.* Your description is where the context goes. TikTok's 2020 announcement said every duet credits the original creator in its caption, with a link back to the original video, so you don't need to explain whose video you're responding to. Use the space for your angle instead. The [TikTok caption character counter](/tools/tiktok-caption-character-counter) helps if you're writing a longer one. ## Duet layouts The classic duet is two videos side by side, but it isn't the only arrangement. TikTok's September 2020 post introduced a left and right layout, a react layout, a top and bottom layout and a three screen layout. It said you choose them with the Layout button among the editing tools on the right of the recording screen, that in left and right or top and bottom layouts you can switch which side your video fills, and that in top and bottom or three screen layouts you can hold and drag a video to reposition it. Those instructions date from the 2020 launch, and TikTok's current Duets help page doesn't list the layouts, so the exact buttons may look different in your version of the app. The idea is the same: pick the arrangement that suits what you're doing. Side by side works well for singing and dancing along, because viewers can watch both performers at once. Top and bottom suits tutorials, where people want to compare your attempt with the original step by step. A reaction usually works best when the original stays easy to see. ## Who can duet your videos You decide who can duet you. TikTok says you need a public account to allow duets at all, and then you can choose Everyone or Friends, meaning followers you follow back. The setting lives in TikTok's Reuse of content menu, which also controls Stitch. 1. **For your whole account**: Tap Profile, then the Menu button at the top. Select Settings and privacy, tap Privacy, then Reuse of content. Tap Allow reuse of content from and choose Everyone or Friends. 2. **Before you post a video**: On the Post screen, tap More options and turn Allow reuse of content on or off. 3. **For a video you already posted**: Open the video, tap the More options button on the side, tap Privacy settings at the bottom and turn Allow reuse of content on or off. > Turning Duet off isn't a single switch for one feature. TikTok says that if you turn Duet off, it also affects who can Stitch your posts, create stickers with them and add them to their Story. You can also clean up duets that already exist. In Settings and privacy, Privacy, Reuse of content, the Reuse of content history option lets you pick one of your videos and remove the duets and stitches made with it. Read the warning first: TikTok says Remove all posts permanently deletes your original video along with every associated duet and stitch. If you want to keep the original, download it before you start. If a single duet breaks TikTok's Community Guidelines or violates your privacy, report it instead. ## How people use duets Duets are TikTok's built-in conversation format. Singers post half a song and ask for harmonies. Teachers post a question and get answers recorded next to it. Cooks duet a recipe while trying it themselves. Fans duet their favorite creators with a reaction. Some turn into chains, with people dueting a duet. And because each duet credits the original in its caption, it also points viewers back to the creator who started it. - Invitation in a caption: "Duet this with your best harmony" - Reaction duet: "Watching this for the first time, no spoilers please" - Tutorial duet: "Trying her braid tutorial in real time, wish me luck" - Answering a question: "Duet with the answer, I'll pin the funniest one" - Comment asking for one: "You two need to duet" - Side-by-side challenge: "Duet me doing the dance, then tag a friend" Duets often travel with a [challenge](/glossary/tiktok-challenge) or a sound, since recording beside the original is the easiest way to show your version. A duet can show up on the [For You page](/glossary/fyp) like any other video, and the [hashtags](/glossary/hashtag) you add help people find it. If your duets aren't getting seen, our guide to [why a TikTok isn't getting views](/blog/why-is-my-tiktok-not-getting-views) covers the usual causes. ## Duet etiquette and when not to duet A duet borrows someone else's video, so a little care goes a long way. If the creator has turned duets off, respect it rather than screen-recording around the setting. Be thoughtful about duetting ordinary people who posted something personal: a reaction that mocks them puts their face in front of your audience without their say. And remember the original creator can remove duets made with their video, so a duet that's unkind may not last anyway. **Before you duet a video** - [ ] The creator has duets turned on - [ ] Your part adds something: a harmony, an answer, a real reaction - [ ] You aren't mocking someone who posted something personal - [ ] Your caption explains your angle in a sentence - [ ] Your privacy settings match who you want to see it - [ ] On a brand account, you'd be happy for the creator to see it Brands should be especially careful. Duetting a fan's video can be lovely, but it's still that person's face and voice, and a brand's audience is bigger than most fans expect. When in doubt, ask in the comments first. If you want a version of the idea without borrowing anyone's video, a [stitch](/glossary/stitch) of a public prompt or your own original [short-form video](/glossary/short-form-video) may suit better. ## Questions ### Why can't I duet a video on TikTok? The creator may have turned off Allow reuse of content, limited duets to friends, or have a private account. TikTok notes that not every video has Duet turned on. ### Does the original creator know when you duet them? Your duet credits them in the caption with a link to their video, and they can see and remove duets made with their videos through Reuse of content history. ### Can I remove a duet someone made of my video? You can report a single duet that breaks the Community Guidelines or your privacy. The Remove all posts option in Reuse of content history deletes every duet and stitch of a video, but it also permanently deletes your original. ### Where does my duet appear? Only on your profile. The original video stays on its creator's profile, and your privacy settings decide who can watch your duet. ### What is the difference between a duet and a stitch? A duet plays your video beside the original at the same time. A stitch plays a short clip of the original first, then your video continues on its own. ### How do I stop people from dueting my videos? Go to Settings and privacy, Privacy, Reuse of content, and limit Allow reuse of content to Friends, or turn it off for a single video in its privacy settings. ## Related terms - [Stitch](https://postmesh.app/glossary/stitch) - [TikTok challenge](https://postmesh.app/glossary/tiktok-challenge) - [FYP](https://postmesh.app/glossary/fyp) - [Short-form video](https://postmesh.app/glossary/short-form-video) - [Hashtag](https://postmesh.app/glossary/hashtag) - [Collab post](https://postmesh.app/glossary/collab-post) ## Sources - [TikTok Help Center: Duets (Wayback Machine copy, April 2026)](https://web.archive.org/web/20260413101106/https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/creating-videos/duets) - [TikTok Help Center: Duet privacy settings (Wayback Machine copy, May 2026)](https://web.archive.org/web/20260521073334/https://support.tiktok.com/en/account-and-privacy/account-privacy-settings/duets) - [TikTok Help Center: Stitch (Wayback Machine copy, April 2026)](https://web.archive.org/web/20260413101106/https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/creating-videos/stitch) - [TikTok Help Center: Add Yours (Wayback Machine copy, May 2026)](https://web.archive.org/web/20260508121029/https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/creating-videos/add-yours) - [TikTok Newsroom: Feature highlight, new layouts for Duet (September 30, 2020; Wayback Machine copy, August 2025)](https://web.archive.org/web/20250805004733/https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/feature-highlight-new-layouts-for-duet) - [Know Your Meme: TikTok Duets](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sites/tiktok-duets)