TikTok & Reels
How to make a TikTok video louder before you post it
Quick answer
Boost the video before you upload it. Open the clip in Increase Volume on your iPhone, set Volume multiplication to ×2–×5 (more for very quiet recordings), tap Boost Volume, compare Original and Processed, then Download Processed and upload the boosted file to TikTok or Instagram. TikTok's in-app volume slider is limited and its upload processing cannot recover audio that arrives too quiet.
A TikTok or Reel that nobody can hear gets scrolled past. The problem usually starts in the recording: phone microphones need you within arm's length, wind and traffic eat quiet speech, and screen-recorded gameplay is captured at a low level. Then the platform compresses the upload, and a track that was already quiet ends up thin and buried under the added music.
The reliable fix is to raise the level of the video file itself before it ever reaches the app. This guide shows how, and how much boost to use.
Why boosting inside TikTok isn't enough
TikTok and Instagram offer a volume slider for the original sound, but it is designed for balancing against added music, not for rescuing a quiet recording. Both platforms also normalise loudness on upload (TikTok targets roughly −14 LUFS), which levels *average* loudness but cannot lift a whisper to speech level without also raising noise. If the source is quiet, the published result is quiet.
How much boost to use
For talking-head clips that are merely soft, ×2–×3 is usually right. For clips recorded from a distance, in wind, or via screen recording, ×4–×6. Reserve ×8–×10 for recordings you can barely hear. Over-boosting a clip that already has loud moments makes those moments clip, and the platform's own compression will then exaggerate the harshness.
| Your clip | Suggested multiplier |
|---|---|
| Talking to camera, phone in hand | ×2 – ×3 |
| Recorded across a room or outdoors | ×4 – ×6 |
| Screen recording of gameplay or a tutorial | ×5 – ×10 |
| Music video where the music is fine but the voice is low | ×2 with Improve Audio Quality on |
Why a dedicated booster beats CapCut or iMovie here
Editors can raise volume too, but iMovie stops at about 500% and both require a project, a timeline and a re-export. Increase Volume opens the clip straight from Photos, gives you one slider to ×10, an Original/Processed comparison, and a share sheet that goes directly to TikTok, Instagram or back to Photos. It is a one-minute step you can slot in before your usual editing.
Step by step: boost a clip for TikTok or Reels
Do this on the finished clip, before uploading.
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1
Send the clip to Increase Volume
In Photos, open the video, tap Share, choose Increase Volume. The project opens with the file details.
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2
Enable Improve Audio Quality for speech
If your voice is the point of the clip, switch the toggle on before boosting.
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3
Choose the multiplier
Start at ×3, tap Boost Volume, and flip between Original and Processed on the loudest part. Adjust until it is clearly loud without harshness.
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4
Download Processed
Tap Download Processed, then Save Video (so the boosted clip sits next to the original in Photos) or share straight to TikTok or Instagram.
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5
Upload and check the sound settings
In TikTok, upload the boosted clip. If you add a sound, lower the added music rather than raising your voice again.
Do it in Increase Volume
Free on the App Store. Import, drag the slider to ×10, tap Download Processed.
Tips for louder, cleaner social clips
- Record within 30 cm (12 in) of the phone whenever you can; distance is the number one cause of quiet speech.
- Post a private test first: upload the boosted clip as private, play it on the phone speaker, and adjust if needed.
- Keep the original. Increase Volume always writes a new file, so you can re-boost at a different level.
Questions people also ask
Can I make a TikTok louder after posting it?
No. Once uploaded the audio is processed and fixed. Download or locate your original clip, boost it with Increase Volume, and re-upload.
Does this work for Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts too?
Yes. The boost is written into the video file, so it applies wherever you upload the file: Reels, Shorts, Snapchat, WhatsApp status.
Will the boosted clip get flagged or lose quality?
No. The picture is untouched and the audio is a normal, louder track. Platforms re-encode every upload anyway.
Increase Volume makes the audio inside a file louder and saves a new copy. It cannot raise the hardware volume limit of the iPhone speaker or change system-wide playback volume.