Troubleshooting for Scheduling and Publishing

TikTok Publishing and Upload Troubleshooting Guide

Updated 4 months ago

When a TikTok post fails to publish or upload, it's usually due to privacy settings, file requirements, content type configuration, or an expired account connection. This guide covers the most common causes and how to fix them step by step.

Quick Reference: Problems and Solutions

Problem

Solution

Auto-publish button is disabled

Duplicate the post or use manual publishing

File upload error or gallery error

Upload one video per post; check format, size, and duration

Content type mismatch error

Ensure the selected type matches your file

Privacy options error

Verify privacy is set and activated on your TikTok account

First comment empty from CSV

Use actual text, not boolean values

Need effects or special music

Use manual publishing

Repeated publishing errors

Reconnect your TikTok account

Post published to the wrong account

Disconnect and reconnect the correct TikTok account

This guide covers publishing and upload problems. If your video was posted without text or sound, see the specific articles linked at the end of this page.

1. The Auto-Publish Button is Disabled

If you try to enable Auto-publish and the button appears disabled, it's usually because:

  • The scheduled time has already passed and Metricool already sent the manual publishing notification. In this case, auto-publish cannot be re-enabled.

  • The content includes features not supported by the API, such as effects, stickers, or music outside the Top 100 trending songs.

Solution:

  • If the time has passed: duplicate the post from the calendar and enable Auto-publish in the new version.

  • If you need effects or special music: disable Auto-publish and use manual publishing to finish the post in the TikTok app.

2. The Video or Photo Doesn't Meet Requirements

TikTok rejects content that doesn't meet its technical specifications. Check these points:

Video

  • Format: MP4 (recommended) or MOV

  • Size: up to 500 MB

  • Duration: 3 seconds to 10 minutes for auto-publishing

  • Resolution: from 540px

  • Audio: 128kbps recommended

  • Format: JPEG or WebP (PNG is auto-converted)

  • Size: up to 20 MB per image

  • Maximum: 35 images

  • Resolution: up to 1080p

If the file is too large, too short, or in an unsupported format, publishing will fail. Always verify these specifications before scheduling.

3. Upload Fails or You See "Only 1 Video Is Allowed"

Symptom: The video does not upload from your gallery, or the planner shows a message that only one video is allowed.

Cause: Metricool supports one video per scheduled TikTok post. If you try to add more than one video, or the file does not meet TikTok's requirements, the upload will be blocked.

Solution:

  1. Upload only one video per post. If you need to publish multiple videos, create a separate post for each one.

  2. Confirm the file meets TikTok's requirements: MP4 (recommended) or MOV; up to 500 MB; 3 seconds to 10 minutes for auto-publishing.

  3. If the upload fails on mobile, try uploading the same file from the desktop planner, or vice versa.

  4. Clear your browser cache or restart the app and retry.

Carousel posts support up to 35 images (JPEG or WebP, up to 20 MB per image). You cannot mix video and images in the same TikTok post.

4. Error Due to Incorrect Content Type

This is one of the most frequent errors reported to support: the selected publication type doesn't match the file you uploaded.

Symptom: The post fails to publish with a generic error or simply doesn't send.

Cause: Metricool offers different content types (Video, Carousel). If you upload a video but configure it as a carousel, or vice versa, TikTok will reject the publication.

Solution:

  1. Go to the failed post in the calendar.

  2. Check the content type selected.

  3. If it's a single video, make sure it's marked as Video, not Carousel.

  4. If it's multiple photos, select Carousel.

  5. Reschedule the post with the correct type.

When you create a new post, Metricool automatically detects the file type, but if you change it manually or use CSV import, verify that the type matches your content.

5. "Does Not Specified Privacy Options" Error

Symptom: The scheduled post fails with an error about privacy options, even though you believe they were set correctly.

Cause: TikTok only exposes privacy options through its API if they are activated on your TikTok account. If the account setting is not enabled, or the privacy dropdown was left empty, the post will be rejected.

Solution:

  1. Go to the failed post in the Metricool calendar.

  2. Check the TikTok presets section and verify that a privacy option is selected: Public, Friends, or Only me.

  3. If the privacy dropdown is missing or grayed out, go to your TikTok account settings in the TikTok app and confirm that privacy options are available for your account type.

  4. Reschedule the post with the privacy option explicitly set.

  5. If the error persists, disable Auto-publish and use manual publishing to finish the post in the TikTok app.

This error originates from TikTok's API, not Metricool. If your account does not support API privacy controls, manual publishing is the available workaround.

6. The First Comment from CSV Doesn't Appear

If you use CSV bulk import to schedule TikToks and the first comment doesn't publish, it's usually due to a formatting error in the file.

Symptom: The post publishes but the first comment is empty or doesn't appear.

Cause: The first comment column contains incorrect values like false, FALSE, 0, or an empty cell. TikTok expects actual text.

Solution:

  1. Open your CSV file.

  2. Locate the first comment column (first_comment or similar).

  3. Ensure each cell contains actual text (the comment you want to publish).

  4. Remove any boolean values like false or TRUE.

  5. Re-upload the CSV and schedule.

Incorrect example:
first_comment
false
FALSE

Correct example:
first_comment
"What do you think? 👇"
"Tell us your experience"

7. TikTok Account Connection Error

If your TikTok posts are failing with repeated errors, the connection between Metricool and TikTok may have expired, or the wrong account was connected.

Error 40131: "Refresh token is invalid or expired"

This specific TikTok error means the authorization token Metricool uses to publish on your behalf has expired or was revoked. The old connection can no longer be used—you must reconnect the account.

Solution:

  1. Go to the connections section in Metricool.

  2. Disconnect your TikTok account.

  3. Reconnect the correct account using your TikTok credentials.

  4. If reconnection fails from the browser, try the Metricool mobile app.

This error comes from TikTok's side, not Metricool. Reconnecting establishes a fresh authorization token, which resolves the issue. You don't need to change your video settings or post content—only the account connection.

Post Published to the Wrong Account

Symptom: Posts appear on a different TikTok account than expected, or the connected username does not match the one you intended to use.

Cause: During connection, a different TikTok account was authorized, or multiple accounts caused Metricool to link to the wrong profile.

Solution:

  1. Go to the Connections section in Metricool.

  2. Disconnect the current TikTok connection.

  3. Reconnect and log in with the correct TikTok account credentials.

  4. Verify that the connected username matches the account you want to publish from.

  5. If reconnection fails in the browser, complete the process from the Metricool mobile app.

After reconnecting, you don't need to change your post content or settings—only the account connection needs to be updated.

8. photo_pull_failed Error

This error occurs because the TikTok server failed to download the image and the timeout expired.

Solution:

  • Create a new post (do not duplicate the existing one) and retry.

You can find more details about this error and similar ones in the TikTok API documentation.

9. Post Has a High Spam Risk

This error means that TikTok has detected a high risk of spam-like behavior and rejects the post.

It may be due to:

  • Posting too frequently

  • Other risky actions within the app (such as automations or suspicious patterns)

  • Using multiple accounts to bypass previous restrictions. According to TikTok, creating additional accounts to avoid blocks or restrictions goes against their guidelines.

Solution:

  • Do not retry publishing from Metricool.

  • Check your account status directly in TikTok, and if applicable, submit an appeal from the app.

  • If the account is still allowed to publish, you'll need to reconnect it to Metricool, as access expires for security reasons after this type of alert.

This error comes directly from TikTok's spam detection system. Metricool cannot override it—you must resolve the issue with TikTok first.

10. The Content Requires Manual Publishing

TikTok doesn't allow auto-publishing all content types through its API. You'll need manual publishing if your post includes:

  • Effects, filters, or stickers native to TikTok

  • Music outside the Top 100 trending songs (only business accounts can add Top 100 music)

  • Visible location (the API doesn't support adding location to posts)

  • Duets or Stitches with other videos

For step-by-step instructions on manual publishing, see How to manually publish via notification.

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