Add subtitles to a YouTube video

Make a short tutorial or Short easier to follow with timed captions. Start with your own SRT, type the lines yourself or generate captions from speech, then review every line.

Up to 3 minutes
100 MB per video
SRT and captioned MP4

Sample workspace12-second sample

0 s3 s6 s9 s12 s

Video

Selected footage

Text

Caption at 3 s

Example timing. Add your own audio or text in the editor.

Self-made sample with synthetic audio and hand-written captions. Use a video with speech to try automatic transcription.

How to add subtitles to a short YouTube video

Open a video up to 3 minutes
Paste a public YouTube watch or Shorts link and import it in the editor, or upload your local footage. Available source captions can be read into the project.
Add and correct your captions
Import SRT, generate text from speech when available or enter the words manually. Check timing against the source preview and choose an outline, bold text or a dark box.
Choose SRT or burned-in text
Download SRT to keep the captions separate. For visible text on a Short, enable subtitle burning and export a new MP4. Check the processed preview before downloading.

Captions you can change line by line

Control text and timing

Fix a technical term, shorten a line or change when a caption appears. Manual editing and SRT download work without speech recognition.

Captions that follow your cuts

The source subtitle timings follow the sections you keep and join. Extra labels in Timed inserts use the finished timeline, so you can add a note at a specific second.

A separate track for later changes

Take an editable SRT to another editor or upload it through your own channel workflow. Burned-in captions stay visible in the exported picture and cannot be toggled off.

Before you start

The current editor accepts videos up to 180 seconds and 100 MB. Cloud imports, AI processing and exports require sign-in. Portrait video exports use a 720 × 1280 canvas. Only upload material that can be public: the editor uses a public asset bucket.

Frequently asked questions

Does this upload subtitles to YouTube for me?

No. Download the SRT or captioned MP4, then add it through your own YouTube channel. Creator Studio does not connect to or update your channel.

Can I add captions manually?

Yes. Type the lines and set their start and end times, or import an SRT up to 128 KB. Speech recognition is optional.

Can the captions use another language?

Yes. Choose a target language in the editor and translate existing subtitles, or translate after transcription. Review the result before exporting.

Can I caption an hour-long video?

The current source limit is 180 seconds and 100 MB. This page is for Shorts and other short videos. If a public link cannot be imported, upload a file within those limits.