How to Add Captions on TikTok: Auto and Creator Captions

Plenty of people scroll TikTok with the sound off, on the bus, in a waiting room or at their desk. If your video relies on what you say, captions are what stop those viewers swiping past. They also make your content usable for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, which is reason enough on its own.

TikTok gives you two kinds of captions, and they're easy to mix up. Auto-generated captions are added for viewers to switch on, while creator captions are styled text you design and burn into the look of your video. Below I've covered both, step by step, following TikTok's accessibility help pages.

Two kinds of captions on TikTok

Caption type	What it does	Who controls it
Auto-generated captions	Speech recognition turns your audio into text that viewers can show or hide	You set the language and can edit or remove lines; viewers switch them on or off
Creator captions	Your speech is transcribed into captions you can style, such as font and colour	You design and edit them while creating the video

Most creators use auto-generated captions as a baseline and add creator captions when they want the words to be part of the design.

Add auto captions on TikTok when you post

TikTok's help says auto-generated captions are created automatically for videos you upload. What you choose is the language, so the speech recognition knows what to listen for. Once you've recorded or uploaded your clip and reached the post screen:

1. On the post screen, tap More options.
2. Tap Select video language.
3. Choose the language you speak in the video.
4. Tap Post.

TikTok says eligible videos will then show auto-generated captions in that language. If you speak in more than one language, choose the one you use most, then tidy up any lines it gets wrong afterwards.

Edit or remove auto captions on a TikTok video

Speech recognition isn't perfect. Brand names, accents and background music can all trip it up, so it's worth checking captions on anything important. TikTok's steps:

1. In the TikTok app, go to your video with auto-generated captions.
2. Tap the caption on the video, then tap Edit captions.
3. Change any words that are wrong, or remove captions you don't want.
4. Tap Save at the top.

For small businesses, this is the step that matters most. A product name spelled wrong in a caption looks careless, and it's an easy fix that takes a minute.

Add styled creator captions on TikTok

Creator captions are the ones you design. TikTok's help says you can edit them and change things like the font style and colour. Here's how to turn them on while you're making a video:

1. In the TikTok app, tap the Add post + button at the bottom.
2. Record or upload your video and continue to the preview screen.
3. Tap Captions on the side panel. TikTok transcribes the speech in your video into text.
4. Preview and edit each line, then tap Save.

If it's your first time using creator captions, TikTok says you'll be asked to opt in to the feature before it runs. Once it's on, the Captions button will be waiting on the side panel next time.

Turn TikTok captions on or off as a viewer

If you're watching rather than posting, you can choose whether captions appear. TikTok's help points out that you can only manage captions on a post that has them. To switch them:

1. Go to the post with captions.
2. Tap the Share button on the side of the post.
3. Tap Captions at the bottom. You may need to scroll across the row to find it.
4. Turn Show captions on or off.

It's worth checking your own videos this way too, so you can see exactly what a viewer sees when captions are switched on.

TikTok captions versus on-screen text and descriptions

People often say captions when they mean something else, so it helps to separate them:

• Captions are a transcript of what's said in the video, either auto-generated or creator captions.
• On-screen text is anything you type onto the video with the Text tool, such as a headline or a list.
• The description is the text you write on the post screen, with hashtags and links.

TikTok also has text-to-speech, which works the other way round. Tap Text on the side panel, type your words, tap the text and select Text-to-speech, and TikTok reads it out loud. That's useful for people who need help reading the screen, and for creators who'd rather not use their own voice.

Captions and alt text on TikTok photo posts

Photo carousels have no speech to transcribe, so the accessibility tool there is alt text. TikTok's help says you can add up to 300 characters to describe each photo. On the post screen, tap More options, then Add alternative text, and type a description next to each photo. You can also add it to a photo you've already posted by tapping More options on the post, then Edit post.

If TikTok captions aren't showing up

TikTok's help says captions show on eligible videos, so not every clip will get them. Try these in order:

• Check there's clear speech in the video. Music-only clips have nothing to transcribe.
• Make sure you picked a video language on the post screen before posting.
• Update the TikTok app, as caption options can move between app versions.
• As a viewer, check Show captions is on under Share, then Captions.

If the Captions button seems to be missing on the side panel, the issue may be the same kind of device or version clash that affects other creative tools. I've written about TikTok features that won't work on some devices, and the same checks help here.

Why captions on TikTok help creators and businesses

Captions make your message land with people who can't or won't turn the sound on, and they help viewers follow fast speech or a strong accent. If you're running TikTok ads for a shop, captions carry your offer even in a silent scroll. My guide to running TikTok ads for an online shop covers the wider creative side.

If you want the full set, start at the TikTok Help: 19 Guides to Views, Pay, Freezing Fixes, Followers and TikTok Shop. Check the length with my free caption length checker.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add captions on TikTok?

Auto-generated captions are added to videos you upload. On the post screen, tap More options, then Select video language, choose your language and tap Post. For styled captions, tap Captions on the side panel while editing.

How do I edit auto captions on TikTok?

Go to your video, tap the caption, tap Edit captions, change or remove lines, then tap Save at the top.

What's the difference between auto captions and creator captions?

Auto-generated captions are a transcript viewers can turn on or off. Creator captions are transcribed captions you can style, for example by changing the font and colour.

How do I turn captions off on TikTok?

On a post with captions, tap Share, then Captions at the bottom, and turn Show captions off.

Can I add captions to a TikTok photo post?

Photo posts have no speech to caption, but TikTok lets you add alt text of up to 300 characters for each photo through More options and Add alternative text.