Exporting comments sounds like a single click, and in GlimTok it nearly is. But the useful part is what happens around that click: deciding what you want, seeing what it will cost, and understanding what the file does and does not contain. This guide walks through the whole thing, from the first link to the last column.

You need a public TikTok video link, a GlimTok sign-in and a few minutes. You do not need a TikTok account.

Start with one video, not a profile

Comments belong to a video. A username identifies a profile, so it cannot tell GlimTok which conversation you want. Paste a link that ends in /video/ followed by the numeric ID, or paste the numeric ID on its own. Short links from the share sheet are accepted where redirect handling has been verified; when it has not, the exporter asks for the full link instead.

If you arrived from the comment viewer, the video is already filled in and its details are shown above the form. Check the description and the author. It is easy to copy the wrong link from a busy feed, and a wrong video is a wasted quote.

Choose the scope before you start

The export form asks four questions. Format: CSV or Excel. Replies: main comments only, or include replies. Maximum total rows. Maximum credits. Each answer changes the shape of the job, so it helps to know what you will do with the file before you set them.

Main comments only is the default because it is cheaper and often enough. Include replies when the conversation under the comments is the point. Rows count both record types, so a 200-row ceiling with replies included might yield 150 comments and 50 replies. The ceiling is a limit, not a target: choosing 200 does not guarantee 200 accessible records.

A Free account starts with a 200-row maximum and one video per job. Pro accounts can go far higher and include up to ten videos in one job. Whatever your allowance, the row box will not accept more than it.

Read the quote, then confirm it

Get a quote produces a summary: the scope you chose, an estimated credit range, the maximum credits you are authorising and any known limits for that video. It is valid for ten minutes. Processing starts only when you confirm, and the confirmation button names the ceiling so there is no ambiguity about what you agreed to.

If a source cannot give a reliable estimate, the quote says so instead of inventing a count. If you change the reply mode or the row limit after quoting, you need a fresh quote. This is a little slower than a one-click export, and it is the reason you will never be surprised by a job.

Let the job run, or pause it

Once confirmed, the job runs in the background. The job page shows live counts for main comments, replies, duplicates removed and pending reply threads, along with credits authorised and settled. You can leave the page and come back; nothing depends on your browser staying open.

You can pause a running job, resume it within its authorised limit, or cancel it. A paused job that is left alone is finalised automatically after 24 hours so its rows do not sit in limbo. Credits reserved but unused are released when the job ends.

Open the workbook

An Excel export contains three sheets. Comments holds one row per record with the video ID, comment ID, parent comment ID, record type, text, author fields, timestamps and counts. Videos holds one row per video with its description, author and reported totals. Export info holds the scope, the options you chose and the stop reason.

Every cell is written as text. That matters for IDs, which are long numbers that spreadsheets love to round into scientific notation. If you paste data into another sheet, keep the ID columns as text there too. A CSV export carries the same rows, with a byte-order mark so accented characters and emoji open correctly in Excel.

Use the parent column to rebuild threads

A reply has a value in parent_comment_id that points at its parent's comment_id. A main comment has that column empty. To rebuild a thread, filter for a parent ID, or sort by parent ID and then by time. To count replies per comment, use a pivot table or a COUNTIF on the parent column.

Because both record types keep the video_id, you can combine exports from several videos into one sheet without losing track of where each comment came from.

Read the scope report before you conclude anything

The scope report is the part most people skip and the part that saves the most mistakes. It states how many main comments and replies were retrieved, how many duplicates were dropped, how many reply threads still had work pending, and why processing stopped. A stop reason of row_limit means your ceiling was reached and more may exist. No further page means the source had nothing more to give at that time.

Files and temporary rows expire after 72 hours. Within that window you can regenerate the other format from the retained rows, without a new job and without new credits. Download what you need, and keep the report with it.

Questions people ask

Can I export comments without signing in?

No. An export is a private job under your account, so a Google sign-in is required. Viewing comments needs no account at all.

Which format should I choose?

Excel if you want the three sheets and text-typed cells out of the box. CSV if a script or another tool will read the file. You can regenerate the other format within 72 hours.

Does an export include likes and timestamps?

Yes, where the source reports them. Like counts, reply counts and created times are written per row, along with the author details the source provides.