Start with a few broad albums
Albums or folders are your first layer. Keep them broad and few, such as Recipes, Workouts, Ideas, Learning and Personal, so every video has an obvious home.
Inside TikTok you can do the same with Favourites collections. For videos you made or have the right to keep on your device, use albums in your photo app or folders on your computer.
Create a short tag list
Tags are words you add to describe a video, such as quick, beginner or budget. Write your tag list down and limit it to 20 or 30 words, otherwise you end up with five spellings of the same idea.
Use tags for things that cut across albums. A tag like 'under-10-min' can apply to recipes and workouts alike, and searching it shows both.
Add one-line notes
Many photo apps let you add a caption or description to an item, and those words become searchable. For links you keep in a notes app or sheet, add a note column.
Write what you will search for later, not what you see now. 'Fix for squeaky door hinge' is far easier to find than 'video from that DIY guy'.
Keep it tidy with a small routine
Once a week, sort new saves into albums and add tags while you still remember why you saved them. It takes a few minutes if you do it regularly.
Every few months, delete what you no longer need. A smaller library with good labels beats a huge one where nothing can be found.
Frequently asked questions
Should I organise by album or by tag?
Use both. Albums give each video one main home, and tags let you find videos across albums by a shared feature.
What if my photo app does not support tags?
Put your tag words into the caption or description field instead, or keep a simple spreadsheet with the file name and tags. Search will still find them.