How do i add captions to a youtube video

Adding subtitles to your YouTube videos offers many benefits. YouTube subtitles allow your video content to reach wider viewers who speak a foreign language and make it easier for people with hearing issues to enjoy your YouTube videos.

Besides, adding subtitles to YouTube videos can also increase YouTube watch time. So, with higher watch time, your videos are more likely to rank high on YouTube’s search list. You may also add subtitles for strong CTA for a promo video. What’s more, viewers can catch your YouTube videos without audio on.

So, in this post, we will walk you through how to add subtitles to YouTube videos in the 5 best ways. Then, you can either manually or automatically add subtitles to YouTube videos to your needs.

Here is what you will learn:

1. How to Add Subtitles to YouTube Videos Using YouTube Studio

Well, the official way to add subtitles to a YouTube video is by using YouTube Studio. It’s 100% free and offers you an easy way to upload and edit the subtitle and caption.

*Add YouTube Subtitles When Uploading a YouTube Video

Add YouTube subtitles when uploading a YouTube video

When you uploaded a video to YouTube, you will go through the “Video Elements” where you can add subtitles to your YouTube videos in the “Add Subtitles” section.

*Add YouTube Subtitles When a Video Has Been Uploaded

Log in to your YouTube account > go to the left “Subtitle” tab in YouTube Studio > click on the “Language” drop-down menu > add a specific language and click “add” under the “Subtitle” column.

Add subtitles for uploaded YouTube videos

Once you click on the “Add” subtitle button, YouTube Studio offers you 3 options to add subtitles to a YouTube video:

You have 3 options to add subtitles to YouTube plus keyboard shortcuts

Option 1: Upload a Prepared Subtitle File

A YouTube subtitle file can be an SRT file or a TXT file in which the subtitles of the speakers in the video and the timings of the texts are written. Once you upload it to the YouTube Studio, YouTube will automatically arrange the subtitles according to the timings.

Option 2: Auto-sync the Transcript of a Video

You can manually type the transcript of the video with timing or copy and paste the transcript of a video > click on the “Assign Timings” button > YouTube Studio will automatically set subtitles timings for your YouTube videos.

Option 3: Type Subtitles Mannually

You can manually type in the texts as you watch the video and set the timing for each subtitle. To boost working efficiency, YouTube Studio also offers you keyboard shortcuts for editing.

You may use keyboard shortcuts, trim subtitles, or zoom in/out to check for details.

To enable the keyboard shortcut feature, simply check the “Pause while typing” button and click on the “Keyboard Shortcuts”. Then a pop-up window will show you the hotkeys, like “shift+space = pause or play the video”, etc.

Or You can click and drag the caption to move it above the exact audio track and drag the slider to easily trim a subtitle or use the zoom in/ out tool to check whether your timeline is correct or not.

2. How to Add Subtitles to YouTube Videos Manually Online

Instead of using YouTube Studio, if you prefer to add subtitles with styles and trending text animations on a short YouTube video like a YouTube trailer or a promo video, then using FlexClip, a free and feature-packed online video maker, can be your one-stop solution.

Use FlexClip to add subtitles to YouTube videos online.

Another bonus you can enjoy is that you can select from a wide array of designer-made and fully-customizable YouTube video templates. Just drag and drop your clips and you can create a compelling YouTube video in a breeze, plus royalty-free music and sound effects. It will make your edits 10x faster.

Cooking At Home

Animated Neon Lyrics

Opening Credits

Motivational Hype Video

Step 1

Upload your YouTube videos to FlexClip from your PC or phone.

Upload your YouTube videos to FlexClip.

Step 2

Add your YouTube videos to the timeline. You may trim and split clips or adjust their sequence on the intuitive timeline.

Add your YouTube videos to the timeline.

Step 3

Add subtitles to YouTube videos.

Click the timeline icon, which allows you to easily see the timing and add subtitles. > click the Text tab > select a premade subtitle > type in to customize the text, text style, fonts, colors,etc. You can listen to the audio and move the playhead to locate the timing and add subtitles accordingly. Copy the first subtitle and repeats the same steps until all the subtitles are added to your YouTube video.

Add subtitles to YouTube videos by FlexClip online.

Step 4

Add more video effects. (optional)

Again, click the Text tab > scroll down to add YouTube video profile text animations for call-to-actions; or click the Elements tab to add GIPHY stickers and animated illustrations and shapes to spice up your YouTube video; or you can add trendy liquid transitions to connect different shots, etc. Just free feel to explore.

Add more video effects to enhance YouTube videos.

Step 6

Preview and share.

You can directly download the edited YouTube video to your PC or share it to your YouTube channel, Google Drive or Dropbox; meanwhile, a clickable link and an embed code will also be available for your blogs and other repurposing.

3. How to Add Subtitles to YouTube Videos Automatically

If your YouTube video is more than 30 mins and you don’t have time to manually add subtitles to YouTube videos by YouTube Studio, a viable solution is to use HappyScribe, a professional online tool, offering auto-generated and human transcription services.

Use HappScribe to automatically add subtitles to your YouTube videos.

Step 1

Sign for a free account and log into it

Step 2

Select the Auto-transcription Tool in the Dashboard

Go to “Upload a New File” > click on the “Transcription” option > you can directly upload your YouTube video from PC or select “My YouTube Channel” to allow HappyScribe to access your online YouTube video and choose the video you would like to transcribe > select the language of your YouTube video is spoken and choose “Machine Generated” option for a quick auto-transcription > click the “Submit” button.

By the way, you may also opt for paid human service for complex and long YouTube video content.

Step 3

Correct the Minor Errors and Label Multiple Speakers

Once the auto-transcription is done, you may open the auto-transcripted subtitles. You can manually correct the minor mistakes and add the name of multiple speakers at different timings. HappyScribe also allows you to select a new language for auto-translation.

Step 4

Download the Transcription in a Format You Like

Multiple formats of transcription are available, such as: SRT, VTT, TXT, STL, HTML, JSON, CSV, PDF, etc.

Step 5

Upload the Subtitle File to YouTube

4. How to Add Subtitles on YouTube by Hiring Professionals

For long YouTube videos like documentaries with many terminologies, hiring a professional to add subtitles to your YouTube video can be a great alternative. Our recommendation would be to use the affordable human service offered by Rev($1.25/per min).

Use Rev’s human service to directly add subtitles on YouTube

Like HappyScribe, Rev has fine integration with YouTube. So, you can grant Rev access to your online YouTube video and then select the video you wanna add subtitles. Then pay for the service. Then the professionals will add subtitles to your YouTube videos within the agreed time. So, there is no need for you to upload an SRT file to your YouTube Studio and save your precious time.

Step 1

Go to Rev. com and Select “Caption” Option and Click “Get Started”

Step 2

Grant Rev Access to Your YouTube Account

Click on the “YouTube” icon > sign in Rev and grant Rev access to your YouTube account. So, Rev can download your YouTube video and directly upload subtitles to your YouTube videos. > select the video you would like to add subtitles > hit “Add Selected to Cart”.

Step 3

Finish the Checkout Process

If you are pressed for time, you can select “Rush My Order” by adding $1 more/ per min for human transcription service.

5. How to Add Subtitles to YouTube Videos Automatically on iPhone/Android

Well, if you are a content creator who often uses iPhone/Android to record and create YouTube videos and YouTube Shorts, then CapCut, a free and versatile mobile app with an auto-captioning feature, can be your ultimate choice to add subtitles to YouTube videos automatically on your mobile phone.

Add subtitles to YouTube videos automatically on your phone by CapCut.

The only downside is that since CapCut is built to edit short videos, you can only add auto subtitles to YouTube videos that are no more than 15 mins. Other than that, CapCut is almost flawless to add subtitles to YouTube videos automatically.

Step 1

Download and open the CapCut on your iPhone/Android.

Step 2

Tap New Project and import the YouTube video you want to add subtitles to.

Import your clips to CapCut.

Step 3

Use auto-caption to add subtitles to YouTube videos automatically.

Tap Text > Auto Captions > select Orignal Sound and the language you wish the subtitles to be > tap Continue. Then CapCut will automatically add subtitles to your YouTube videos with impressive accuracy.

Add subtitles to YouTube videos automatically by CapCut.

Step 4

Play back the YouTube video and check if all the subtitles are correct. Or You can tap Batch edit to quickly check the timing and texts of each subtitle and add text styles as well. Amazing.

Edit subtitles in batch in CapCut.

Step 5

Download the YouTube videos to your phone and upload it to YouTube.

Now, It’s Your Move

So, these are the 5 best ways to add subtitles on YouTube. Now, the question is which solution works best for you to add subtitles to YouTube videos. Share this post on your Facebook and Twitter and leave your comments to us. Cheers!

Passionate about photography, video-making and travel, Frank is a seasoned copywriter and a beloved father of 2-year-old daughter at FlexClip. He is always keen to share his latest discovery about video marketing and tricks to relive your memories through videos and images.