How to Add Subtitles to a YouTube Video in YouTube Studio

Subtitles are one of the easiest wins on YouTube. Lots of people watch with the sound off, on a train, in an office or with a baby asleep next door, and captions keep them watching. They also make your videos usable for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, which I think every business channel should care about.

YouTube Studio gives you three ways to add your own subtitles, plus automatic captions that you can tidy up. Here's how each one works according to YouTube's help pages, and how to pick the right one for the video in front of you.

Adding subtitles to a YouTube video in YouTube Studio

Everything starts in the Subtitles section of Studio on a computer:

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. From the left menu, choose Subtitles.
3. Select the video you'd like to caption.
4. Click Add language and choose the language of your subtitles.
5. Under Subtitles, click Add, then pick one of the methods below.

Studio on a computer is where YouTube's help describes this, so if you only use your phone, open studio.youtube.com in a browser for this job.

Upload a subtitle file to your YouTube video

If you already have a caption file, perhaps from your editing software or a transcription service, choose Upload file. YouTube's help asks you to pick With timing or Without timing first:

• With timing: the file already says when each line should appear.
• Without timing: it's just the words, and YouTube works out where they go.

A file with timing gives you the most control, which matters for fast talkers or videos with lots of cuts. YouTube keeps a separate list of supported file types in its help centre, so check that if your file won't upload.

Auto-sync a transcript to your YouTube video

Auto-sync is my favourite option when I've got a script. You paste or upload the words, and YouTube lines them up with the speech. YouTube's help says the transcript has to be in the language spoken in the video.

There's one limit worth knowing. YouTube's help says transcripts aren't recommended for videos that are over an hour long or have poor audio quality. For a long webinar or a noisy event recording, uploading a timed file or typing them in is a safer bet.

Type YouTube subtitles in by hand

For short videos, Type manually is quick. You type or paste the words as the video plays, and YouTube's help says timings are set automatically as you go. It's ideal for Shorts, short intros and product clips.

Add sound cues in square brackets, such as [music] or [laughter], so viewers who can't hear the audio know what's happening.

Fixing automatic captions on YouTube instead of starting from scratch

YouTube creates automatic captions using speech recognition, so you may already have a starting point. YouTube's help is honest about the downside: automatic captions may contain errors, and it recommends reviewing them. It also says they'll be in the video's default language only.

To tidy them up, open the video in the Subtitles section and edit the automatic track. YouTube's help says editing an automatic caption track creates a new track with your revisions, so the original stays in place. Brand names, place names and industry terms are the usual culprits, so check those first.

Method	Good for	Watch out for
Upload file	Videos you've captioned elsewhere	Unsupported file types
Auto-sync	Scripted videos up to an hour	Poor audio throws off the timing
Type manually	Short clips and Shorts	Takes longer on long videos
Edit automatic captions	A quick first draft	Mistakes with names and jargon

Editing YouTube subtitles after they're published

Spotted a typo after publishing? You can change the text and timestamps in the Subtitles section at any time. YouTube's help also describes another route: download the caption file, edit it in a plain text editor, and upload it again. That's handy if you're fixing the same mistake many times.

Viewers who'd rather not see captions can switch them off on their side, and I've explained how in my guide to turning off subtitles on YouTube.

Letting someone else add subtitles to your YouTube channel

If a team member or freelancer handles your captions, you don't need to hand over the whole channel. YouTube's help says channel owners can give someone the Subtitle Editor role, which limits them to the Subtitles section. The help page notes this role isn't available on Brand Accounts, so check how your channel is set up first.

If your YouTube subtitles don't show up

• Check you published the track. A draft in the Subtitles section won't appear for viewers until it's saved and published.
• Make sure the language you added matches the words in the track, especially for auto-sync.
• Look at the CC button on the player. Viewers choose whether captions are on, so they may simply be switched off.
• If you uploaded a file, check its format against YouTube's supported list and try again.

Subtitle tips for business videos on YouTube

• Add subtitles as part of your upload routine, not weeks later. My guide on uploading a video to YouTube covers the rest of that process.
• Review automatic captions once your video has finished processing rather than mid-upload.
• Keep lines short. Two short lines on screen are easier to read than one long one.
• Add subtitles in a second language if a chunk of your viewers speak it.

For the rest of the series, see the YouTube Help: 30 Guides to Channels, Subscribers, Monetisation, Thumbnails and Fixes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add subtitles to a YouTube video?

Sign in to YouTube Studio, choose Subtitles from the left menu, select the video, add a language, click Add under Subtitles and pick Upload file, Auto-sync or Type manually.

Does YouTube add subtitles automatically?

YouTube can create automatic captions using speech recognition, in the video's default language only. YouTube's help says they may contain errors, so review them.

Can I add subtitles on the YouTube app?

YouTube's help describes adding subtitles in YouTube Studio on a computer. Open Studio in a browser if you'd like to do it from your phone.

Why won't auto-sync work well on my video?

YouTube's help says transcripts aren't recommended for videos over an hour long or with poor audio quality. Try uploading a timed file instead.

Can someone else add subtitles to my channel?

Yes. Channel owners can give the Subtitle Editor role, which limits access to the Subtitles section. YouTube's help says it isn't available on Brand Accounts.