To add captions to a reel on Instagram, tap Create, choose Reel, pick a video and tap Next twice, then tap More options and switch on the toggle next to Enable closed captions. Instagram uses speech recognition to write out the speech as text at the bottom of the reel.
Closed captions turn the speech in your reel into words along the bottom of the screen, so people watching with the sound off still get the message. This page is about those on-screen captions, rather than the text you write to go with a reel.
Switching captions on while you create a reel
These are the steps for the Instagram app on iPhone. Instagram's help centre covers the Android and iPhone apps, and the toggles have the same names.
- Tap Create at the top, or swipe right anywhere in Feed.
- At the bottom, tap Reel.
- Select a video from your camera roll, then tap Next.
- Tap Next again.
- At the bottom, tap More options.
- Tap the toggle next to Enable closed captions to turn captions on.
- Optional: tap the toggle next to Translate closed captions.
Instagram writes the captions for you with speech recognition, so you don't type anything. Once the toggle's on, the spoken words in your video show up as text at the bottom when the reel plays.
Fixing captions on a reel that's already live
Forgot to switch them on? You haven't missed your chance. Go to your profile, select the reel, tap Options, tap Edit, then tap More options. You'll see the same two toggles there, and you can turn closed captions or translations on or off.
Older reels follow your general caption settings on Instagram by default, so if your settings already have captions on, earlier reels may show them without you doing anything.
The translation toggle explained
Under More options there's a second switch, next to Translate closed captions. It turns caption translations on or off. It's separate from the main captions toggle, so you can have captions on without translations if you prefer.
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When the toggle won't appear
If you can't find Enable closed captions, it may not be you. The help page says the feature is only available in some locations, so some accounts won't see it at all. Check you're looking under More options after the second Next tap, because that's where it sits.
Captions help the words land; the written text under the reel helps it get found and shared. For that side of things, there's a guide to writing reel captions people copy and share, and another on creating reels that grow your following.
The short version for reel creators
Switch on Enable closed captions every time you share a reel that has talking in it. It's one toggle, Instagram does the writing, and silent scrollers can follow along. If you forget, edit the reel later from your profile. If the option isn't there at all, it's likely not available in your location yet.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change captions after I post a reel?
Yes. Open the reel from your profile, tap Options, then Edit, then More options, and use the closed captions toggles.
