TikTok slideshow posting checklist: what to check before, during and after

What should you check while planning?

Planning mistakes are the cheapest to fix and the most annoying to find after export.

• One claim per post. A hook that names a topic gives no reason to swipe; a hook that makes a claim does. See slideshow hooks.
• The promised count matches the slides. If the cover says four, count four before you export. Late edits to a list are where this goes wrong.
• The slide count is within TikTok's cap. As of November 2026, TikTok's Creator Academy (opens in a new tab) says a photo post holds up to 35 images. We found no official minimum; how many photos a slideshow can have explains the conflicting numbers.
• You have the rights to every image. Neither TikTok nor a design tool grants them for you. Creative Commons licenses come with conditions, so check the license of each image, and photos from a search or a board belong to someone.
• Sensitive claims are out or limited. Health, money and legal topics get general information and a one-line limit note, never a promise. The fitness and skincare pages show how to reword risky claims.

What should you check in the design?

• Every slide has the same ratio. The Creator Academy advises cropping all photos to the same ratio for a cleaner look. TikTok gives no pixel size, which the size guide covers.
• Slide 1 is readable at thumbnail size. It may be seen small and alone. The cover guide has a test.
• Text stays away from the edges. We found no pixel margins from TikTok for photo posts, so keep a visible gap and read the safe zone guide.
• Each slide reads in a few seconds. A dense slide is hard to take in at one swipe; words per slide gives a budget.
• Text and background contrast clearly. A ratio of 4.5:1 is the WCAG 2.2 benchmark (opens in a new tab) for web text, not a TikTok rule, but it is a useful floor.
• The last slide asks for one thing. In our view, two asks split attention.

What should you check when you export?

• Every file has the same pixel size. Compare the dimensions, not the file sizes. One odd file shows up as a crop or a border.
• JPG if a tool will post for you. As of 4 August 2026, TikTok's Media Transfer Guide (opens in a new tab) lists WebP and JPEG for its API, with a 20 MB cap per image. We found no format list for photos you pick in the app, so test one private post if you upload PNG.
• Files are numbered 01, 02, 03. The numbers make the files list in slide order. You still check the order in the editor.
• You opened every exported file at full size. Cut-off text hides in thumbnails.
• You kept the editable version. A typo found after posting needs the source, not only the images.

What should you check at upload?

The in-app route is Add Post (+), then Photo, then Upload, then select photos and Next, per the Creator Academy.

• The order is right in the editor. Swipe through before you post; we found no TikTok page on reordering a published post.
• You chose the cover. The Creator Academy lists the image cover among editable settings. Details are in the cover guide.
• One sound, or none. The TikTok Help Center (opens in a new tab) allows one sound per post, and the Creator Academy advises a commercially available or licensed one. See adding music.
• The title carries the hook. The Creator Academy advises a hook title, and TikTok's photo-post reference (opens in a new tab) limits it to 90 UTF-16 runes (as of 27 October 2026). The caption length checker counts them.
• The caption fits and opens with context. As of November 2026 the limit is 4,000 characters, per the Creator Academy; the first line should add context, not repeat the cover.
• A few hashtags that describe the post. On 17 August 2025, Social Media Today reported (opens in a new tab) an in-app notice of a five-hashtag limit. TikTok gave no statement, so it is a report, not a rule.
• Alt text is added. In a Newsroom post of 23 May 2025 (opens in a new tab), TikTok said creators can add alt text to photo posts during upload or after publishing. Text drawn into a slide is normally not read by screen readers unless the alt text repeats it (a general accessibility point).
• Privacy and disclosure settings are right. The Creator Academy lists privacy among editable settings. As of 27 October 2026, the API in TikTok's photo-post reference (opens in a new tab) also has fields for AI-generated content and brand content, so if your images are AI-made or the post promotes something, check what your posting screen asks.

What should you check after posting?

• Open the live post on a phone and swipe every slide. The editor is not the viewer's screen. Check slide 1 as the cover while you are there.
• Read the title and caption once more. Text you have read ten times hides typos from you.
• Add alt text now if you skipped it. TikTok's post says that is possible after publishing.
• Log the post. Note the date, format, hook and link. In Fyslide you can link a post and type in its numbers by hand; automatic analytics are Coming soon, included in your lifetime access as an update, and the analytics guide shows the manual route.

Which checks matter most when you are short on time?

If you can only do five, do these: the promised count equals the slide count, slide 1 is readable small, the order is right in the editor, you may use the sound and every image, and the privacy and disclosure settings are what you meant. In our view these are the mistakes every viewer sees or you cannot easily undo.

If something still looks wrong after posting, slideshow troubleshooting and the guide to a blurry slideshow are the next stops.