Neither TikTok nor Instagram has a built-in "Export comments" button. If you want a spreadsheet of every comment on a video — for brand research, influencer vetting, content analysis, or a client report — you need a third-party exporter.
This guide shows you exactly how to export TikTok comments and Instagram comments to CSV or Excel, what data you get, and how to work with it once you have it.
What you need
- The URL of a public TikTok or Instagram video (or multiple URLs)
- A browser — no extensions, no logins, no API keys
- About 30 seconds per video
How to export TikTok comments to CSV
Step 1 — Get the video URL
On desktop, open TikTok in your browser and navigate to the video. Copy the full URL from the address bar — it looks like https://www.tiktok.com/@creator/video/7638318227994725640.
On mobile, tap Share → Copy link. The short link (vt.tiktok.com/...) works fine.
Step 2 — Paste into ZocialComment
Go to zocialcomment.com. Paste the URL into the input box. You can paste up to 50 URLs at once — one per line — for bulk exports across multiple videos.
Step 3 — Click Export Comments
ZocialComment fetches the comment count first so you know how many comments to expect. Click Export Comments to start. For most videos this completes in under 30 seconds. Very large videos (50,000+ comments) run in the background — you get an email with the download link when it's ready.
Step 4 — Download your file
Choose CSV, Excel (.xlsx), or JSON. Click download. Done.
The free tier exports 3 videos per day with no signup required. For more, the $9 three-day unlimited pass removes the daily cap.
How to export Instagram comments to CSV
The process for Instagram is identical. ZocialComment supports Instagram posts and Reels — paste the post URL (e.g. https://www.instagram.com/p/ABC123/) and follow the same steps.
A few Instagram-specific notes:
- Only public accounts can be exported. Private accounts are inaccessible to any third-party tool.
- Instagram Stories and DM replies cannot be exported — they are not public data.
- Instagram counts comments slightly differently from TikTok: nested replies count separately.
To export Instagram comments: go to zocialcomment.com/export/instagram, paste the post URL, and export.
What columns do you get in the export?
A TikTok comment export from ZocialComment includes 40+ columns. The most useful ones:
| Column | What it contains |
|---|---|
| text | Full comment text including emojis |
| author_username | @handle of the commenter |
| author_display_name | Display name |
| digg_count | Number of likes on the comment |
| reply_comment_total | Number of replies to this comment |
| create_time | Unix timestamp of when the comment was posted |
| reply_id | ID of the parent comment (if this is a reply) |
| comment_language | TikTok's detected language |
| is_high_purchase_intent | TikTok's own purchase intent flag |
| author_pin | Whether the creator pinned this comment |
| is_author_digged | Whether the creator liked this comment |
Instagram exports include equivalent fields: comment text, username, timestamp, like count, reply thread structure, and verified status.
How to open a TikTok comment export in Excel
If you downloaded the CSV:
- Open Excel and go to Data → From Text/CSV
- Select your downloaded file
- Set encoding to UTF-8 — this preserves emojis, Arabic, Thai, and other non-Latin characters
- Set delimiter to comma
- Click Load
If you downloaded the .xlsx file directly, just double-click to open — no import steps needed.
In Google Sheets: go to File → Import → Upload, select the CSV, and choose "Comma" as separator.
How to analyze TikTok comments once you have them
With comments in a spreadsheet you can:
- Filter by sentiment — sort by keyword (product name, competitor, pain point) to find positive and negative signals
- Find purchase intent — filter the
is_high_purchase_intentcolumn to TRUE to isolate buying-signal comments - Identify top fans — sort by author, count comment frequency, find your most engaged community members
- Spot language distribution — use the
comment_languagecolumn to understand where your audience is from - Track creator engagement — filter
is_author_digged = TRUEto see which comments the creator responded to
For automated sentiment scoring, topic clustering, and demographic analysis, ZocialComment's AI analysis does this without spreadsheet work — it's included in the Starter plan ($20/mo).
How to bulk export comments from multiple TikTok videos
Paste up to 50 video URLs into ZocialComment — one per line — and click Export. Each video gets its own export file, and you can also download all of them as a single combined CSV.
This is useful for:
- Exporting all videos from a branded hashtag campaign
- Comparing comment sentiment across a creator's recent posts
- Pulling data from multiple competitor videos at once
Can you export TikTok comments with replies?
Yes. ZocialComment exports top-level comments and all threaded replies. Each reply row includes a reply_id column that links it to its parent comment, so you can reconstruct threads in Excel with a VLOOKUP or pivot table.
Frequently asked questions
How many TikTok comments can I export for free?
The free tier exports 3 videos per day with no signup. Each video exports up to 200 comments in the preview. For full exports of all comments on any video, the $9 three-day pass removes all limits.
Do I need to log in to TikTok or Instagram?
No. ZocialComment works on public URLs without any account credentials. Your TikTok and Instagram accounts are never involved.
Can I export comments from a private TikTok account?
No. Private videos are not publicly accessible, so no third-party tool can export their comments. Only public videos and public Instagram posts can be exported.
How long does a TikTok comment export take?
Under 10 seconds for most videos. Videos with more than ~5,000 comments take longer because TikTok paginates the data — ZocialComment runs these in the background and emails you the download link.
Can I export TikTok comments to Google Sheets directly?
Not with a direct sync, but the workflow is fast: download the CSV, go to Google Sheets, File → Import → Upload, select the file. It takes about 20 seconds.
What's the difference between CSV and JSON export?
CSV is the right choice if you're opening the file in Excel, Google Sheets, or any BI tool. JSON is the right choice if you're feeding the data into a script, database, or application — it preserves the nested structure of reply threads more naturally.
Can I export YouTube or Reddit comments the same way?
Yes. ZocialComment supports TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, Facebook, Threads, and Lemon8. Paste the URL from any of these platforms and the export process is identical.
Get your first export in 30 seconds
Paste any TikTok or Instagram URL into ZocialComment and click Export. No signup, no browser extension, no API key. The first 3 exports every day are free. For unlimited volume, grab the $9 three-day pass or the Starter plan at $20/month if you need ongoing access with AI analysis included.