Tech Desk 
Feb 27, 2025
TikTok has revamped its desktop platform with the integration of several new features. The company announced on Thursday that its web-based experience features a new modular layout, a refreshed For You feed, a new Explore tab, immersive full-screen LIVE gaming streaming, and a floating player.
The new web layout features a repositioned navigation bar, designed to allow for a more immersive and distraction-free viewing experience.
Moreover, game streamers can now “go live” in portrait or landscape mode. Users on the desktop will see a horizontal view, while mobile users will be able to simply rotate their phones to view in horizontal mode.
With this update, TikTok is set to dominate both Twitch’s and YouTube’s in-game streaming market.
In addition, TikTok is launching a new “Collections” feature, allowing users to manage their favourite videos into custom categories.
Desktop users can now also access a floating player exclusively on Google Chrome. The flexible floating window keeps TikTok visible on top of other windows, allowing users to multitask while still watching content.
Notably, it’s been possible to do this with YouTube videos for quite some time now.
TikTok has brought the in-app “Explore” page to the desktop, as well, letting users see a curated collection of content based on their interests.
In a blog post, TikTok Product Manager, Cody Puckett stated: “Our users interact with TikTok in many different ways, which is why we’re excited to introduce these web app updates.”
“By enhancing our desktop capabilities, we aim to bring TikTok’s handheld magic to the desktop, providing an engaging experience with greater flexibility so you can enjoy TikTok anytime, anywhere. As TikTok evolves, we remain committed to innovating for our community and ensuring the platform is accessible for all,” Puckett said.
In addition, TikTok has introduced video-scrubbing thumbnails and tested horizontal full-screen mode on mobile, both of which are designed to make it simple to view long-form content.
