What Is ttclid? TikTok's Click ID Explained

What ttclid does

When someone taps your TikTok ad and lands on your page, TikTok adds ttclid to the URL. That value is TikTok's handle on the specific click. When your conversion later fires — a signup, lead, or sale — sending ttclid back to TikTok lets it match the conversion to the ad click, even when browser cookies have been limited or stripped.

ttclid is used across TikTok's measurement stack: attribution, audience building, delivery optimization, and reporting. It rides alongside the TikTok Pixel (browser-side) and the Events API (server-side); the server path is what keeps match rates healthy as browser signals decay.

The "7 days" myth — what the attribution window really is

You'll see a lot of guides claim ttclid "lasts 7 days." TikTok's own documentation doesn't say that. It states that each Click ID is unique and follows the click-through (CTA) attribution window you configure in Attribution Manager — so the effective window is whatever your account is set to, not a fixed number TikTok bakes into the parameter.

Takeaway: don't hard-code "7 days." Check your Attribution Manager settings and store ttclid with a lifetime that matches your configured window.

Preserving ttclid through your funnel

On landing. Read ttclid from the URL query string and store it first-party (cookie or localStorage). Tag managers can automate this.
Through the flow. If traffic passes through a bridge page or a redirect, make sure ttclid survives — some affiliate-network redirects strip unknown parameters, which silently breaks matching.
At conversion. Include ttclid in the payload you send to the TikTok Events API. Without it, TikTok falls back to weaker signals (hashed email, IP) and your reported conversions match at a lower rate.

Common ttclid failure modes

Stripped by a redirect. The single most common cause of "TikTok says zero conversions." Capture ttclid before any redirect and forward it deliberately.
Stored too short. If your storage TTL is shorter than your attribution window, late conversions lose the click ID. Match the TTL to Attribution Manager.
Only firing the Pixel. Browser-only tracking leaks events to ad blockers and privacy browsers. Pair the Pixel with the Events API and pass ttclid server-side.

For how ttclid sits in the wider click-ID landscape, see the click ID explainer; for the full capture-and-forward flow, the tracking-setup playbook.

Frequently asked questions

What is ttclid?

ttclid, the TikTok Click ID, is a tracking parameter TikTok appends to your landing-page URL when a user clicks one of your TikTok ads. It's sent back with your web events through the TikTok Pixel or Events API so TikTok can associate the conversion with the campaign that drove it — improving attribution, audience building, and optimization.

How long does ttclid last?

Per TikTok's own documentation, each Click ID is unique and follows the same click-through (CTA) attribution window configured in your Attribution Manager — it isn't a single fixed number set by TikTok. The commonly repeated "7 days" figure comes from third-party guides, not TikTok's primary help page, so treat your configured attribution window as the source of truth.

Do I need ttclid if I already have the TikTok Pixel?

They work together. The Pixel fires browser-side events; ttclid is the click identifier that lets TikTok match those events (and server-side Events API events) back to the ad click even when cookies are limited. For paid affiliate traffic, capturing and forwarding ttclid to your Events API payload is what keeps match rates up as browser signals degrade.

How do I preserve ttclid through a bridge page?

Read ttclid from the landing URL's query string when the visitor arrives, store it in a first-party cookie or localStorage, and include it when the conversion fires to the TikTok Events API. If you run traffic through a redirect or affiliate network, make sure the redirect doesn't strip unknown parameters — a dropped ttclid means the conversion can't be matched to the click.