Video captions are useful for displaying dialogue and sound as text on the screen for people who are hearing impaired or as language translations. Captions are saved as separate files. The most common subtitle file formats are Subrip Subtitle Format or SRT files. You can create this file manually using a text-editing program such as Notepad or TextEdit, or through a caption development program such as Aegisub. Most media player programs allow you to select or detect SRT files, and display them while the video is playing. However, the captions will be displayed only if the SRT file is selected. To permanently add subtitles to a video file, you'll need to use a video encoder program like Handbrake. Apart from that, you can also upload SRT files to videos on YouTube.
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Method 1 of 5: Adding Captions to Video Files
Step 1. Download and install Handbrake
Handbrake is a free video transcoding tool that allows you to add or caption videos. You can download it from
To add captions to videos, you'll need an external SRT file that contains the captions for the video. If you don't have an SRT file, you can create your own using a free app called Aegisub or write it manually in Notepad or TextEdit
Step 2. Open Handbrake
Once the program is downloaded and installed, you can open it from the Windows “Start” menu or the “Applications” folder on a Mac.
Step 3. Click File
This option is the second option in the menu on the left. A file browsing window will open.
Alternatively, you can drag and drop the video you want to add or caption to the box on the right
Step 4. Click on the video you want to add subtitles to and select Open
The video will open in Handbrake afterwards.
Step 5. Click Subtitles
This option is one of the tabs in the middle of the screen, below the video source information.
Step 6. Click Import SRT
It's at the top of the box, under the "Subtitles" tab.
Step 7. Select the SRT file that corresponds to the video and click Open
The SRT file will be imported into Handbrake.
Step 8. Click Browse
It's a gray button in the lower-right corner of the program window.
Step 9. Type a name for the new video file and click Save
The new video file with added subtitles will be saved in the selected location.
Step 10. Click Start Encode
It's at the top of the Handbreak window, next to the green “play” triangle icon. The video will be encoded with additional subtitles. You can display subtitles in your media player program by selecting the subtitles menu and activating it.
Method 2 of 5: Uploading Captions to YouTube Videos (Creator Studio Classic Version)
Step 1. Visit https://www.youtube.com via a web browser
You can use any browser on your PC or Mac computer.
- If you are not logged into your Youtube account, click “ Sign In ” in the top right corner of the page and log in using your email address and account password.
- To upload captions to your videos on YouTube, you'll need an SRT file that includes the captions for the video. If you don't have an SRT file, you can create your own using a free app called Aegisub or write it manually in Notepad or TextEdit.
Step 2. Upload your video to YouTube
If not, use the usual method followed to upload videos to YouTube from a computer.
Step 3. Click the user icon
It's a circle icon with your profile picture in the top-right corner of the page. The account menu will be displayed after that.
If you haven't selected a profile photo, YouTube will display a colored circle with your initials in it
Step 4. Click Creator Studio
This option is in the drop-down menu that loads when you click your profile photo.
If you see " YouTube Studio (Beta) " instead of " Creator Studio ", use the next method to learn how to upload captions in YouTube Studio. Alternatively, you can click “ YouTube Studio (Beta) " and choose " Creator Studio Classic ” on the left sidebar to return to the classic/old version of Creator Studio.
Step 5. Click Video Manager
It's in the left sidebar. A list of all the videos you uploaded to YouTube will appear.
Step 6. Click Edit next to the video you want to add captions to
A drop-down menu for the video will open.
Step 7. Click Subtitles/CC
This option is at the bottom of the drop-down menu that appears when you click “ Edit ”.
Step 8. Select the video language and click Set Language
If you haven't specified a video language, use the drop-down menu to select a language. After that, click the blue button labeled “ Set Language ”.
Step 9. Click Add new subtitles or CC
It's a blue button on the right side of the video.
Step 10. Select the subtitle language
If you want to add more languages to the video, select the appropriate subtitle language. Otherwise, just click on the primary language you selected earlier.
Step 11. Click Upload a file
This option is the first option on the right.
If you don't have a caption file, you can choose one of the other options to create captions directly in YouTube Creator Studio
Step 12. Select "Subtitle file" and click Choose file
Click the radio button next to “Subtitle file” and select “ Choose file A file browsing window will open and you can select a subtitle file from it.
Step 13. Select the subtitle file and click Open
Use the file browsing window to locate the SRT file. Click the file to select it. After that, select Open ” to upload files.
Step 14. Click Upload
It's a blue button in the lower-left corner of the page. The caption file will be uploaded to the video. You can review the captions using the video window on the left side of the page.
Step 15. Click Save Changes
It's a blue button above the video preview window, on the right side of the page. The video will be encoded and the subtitles will be permanently added to the video file.
Method 3 of 5: Uploading Captions to YouTube Videos (YouTube Studio Beta Version)
Step 1. Visit https://www.youtube.com via a web browser
You can use any browser on your PC or Mac computer.
- If you are not logged into your Youtube account, click “ Sign In ” in the top right corner of the page and log in using your email address and account password.
- To upload captions to your videos on YouTube, you'll need an SRT file that includes the captions for the video. If you don't have an SRT file, you can create your own using a free app called Aegisub or write it manually in Notepad or TextEdit.
Step 2. Upload your video to YouTube
If not, use the usual method followed to upload videos to YouTube from a computer.
Step 3. Click the user icon
It's a circle icon with your profile picture in the top-right corner of the page. The account menu will be displayed after that.
If you haven't selected a profile photo, YouTube will display a colored circle with your initials in it
Step 4. Click YouTube Studio (Beta)
This option is in the drop-down menu that appears when you click your profile photo.
If you see " Creator Studio " instead of “ YouTube Studio (Beta) ”, read the second method to learn how to upload captions in classic/old versions of Creator Studio. Alternatively, you can click “ Creator Studio " and choose " Try Studio (Beta) ” to switch to YouTube Studio.
Step 5. Click Videos
It's in the sidebar on the left of the page. A list of all the videos you have uploaded to YouTube will appear.
Step 6. Click on the video you want to add captions to
You can click on the inset or title of the video. A new page will open and you can edit the details of the video afterwards.
Step 7. Click Advanced
This option is the second tab at the top of the page.
Step 8. Select the video language
If not, use the " Video Language " drop-down menu to specify the video language. You cannot upload a subtitle file until you select the video language.
Step 9. Click Upload Subtitles/CC
This blue link is below the video language drop-down menu.
Step 10. Select “With Timing” and click Continue
Since the SRT file already has a line of text timers in it, click the radio button next to " With Timing " and select “ Continue ” in the lower right corner of the window.
Step 11. Select the SRT file and click Open
Use the file browsing window to search for the SRT file for the video. Click the file to select it, then select Open ” in the lower right corner. The file will be uploaded to YouTube afterwards.
Step 12. Click Save
The video will be saved with the uploaded caption.
While playing a video, you can turn on captions by clicking the gear icon at the bottom of the video window and selecting “ Subtitles/CC " After that, select the subtitle language.
Method 4 of 5: Creating Captions Using Aegisub
Step 1. Visit https://www.aegisub.org via a web browser
The link directs you to a website where you can download Aegisub, a free app that you can use to create video captions.
If you want to type in the caption manually, read the method for creating a caption file manually
Step 2. Click Full Install next to "Windows" or "OS X 10.7+"
If you are using a Windows computer, click “ Full Install ” next to “Windows” to download the program installation file. If you are using a Mac computer, click “ Full Install ” next to " OS X 10.7+ " to download the Mac version of the program installation file.
Step 3. Double-click the Aegisub installation file and follow the instructions that appear
By default, downloaded files are saved to the " Downloads " folder on Mac and Windows computers. The Windows version of the installation file name is " Aegisub-3.2.2-32.exe ". For Mac, the installation file is named " Aegisub-3.2.2.dmg ".
Step 4. Open Aegisub
The icon looks like a red eyeball with an “X” above it. You can find it in the Windows “Start” menu or the “Applications” folder on a Mac.
Step 5. Click Videos
It's in the menu bar at the top of the screen. The “Video” drop-down menu will open after that.
Step 6. Click Open Video
This option is the first option in the drop-down menu under "Video".
Step 7. Select the video and click Open
Locate the location of the video where you want to add the caption and click on the file to select it. After that, click Open ” to open a video on Aegisub. You will see the video view window on the left side. On the right side, you can see the audio view window. This window displays the audio waveform of the video. Below that, you can see a text field for entering the caption. At the bottom, you can see the captions view which shows a list of each caption and information about the corresponding caption.
Step 8. Click and drag the audio window to mark the portion of the audio you want to add subtitles to
Use the audio view window on the right to mark the audio you want to add or caption. You can adjust the marked area by clicking and dragging the red and blue lines on either side of the area. You can also type the start and end times of the caption in the time fields below the audio display window.
You can also click the audio band icon at the bottom of the audio view window. The audio display will switch to “Spectrum Analyzer” mode so that you can see the audio waveform more clearly and identify the starting and ending points of speech/dialogue more easily
Step 9. Type the caption into the text field
Use the text field at the bottom of the audio display window to type the caption for the tagged audio.
Step 10. Click the tick icon
The green tick icon is above the text field. The caption entry will be saved and a new entry will be created after the last entry is completed.
Step 11. Repeat the process for all additional captions
You can add as many caption entries as you want by clicking the check icon. You can customize an entry by clicking on it in the captions display window at the bottom of the screen and editing the text or setting a start and end point.
If the caption entry boxes in the captions display window below the program are displayed in red, you may have typed too many characters on one line. You can create a new line for captioned entries by typing "/N" or pressing the shortcut Shift+↵ Enter
Step 12. Click File
It's in the menu bar at the top of the screen. When you're done adding captions, you'll need to save the captions file.
Step 13. Click Export Subtitles
It's in the drop-down menu under the "File" button.
Step 14. Click Export
It's in the lower-right corner of the pop-up window.
Step 15. Visit the location or folder where the subtitles file is stored
For your convenience, save the SRT file in the same folder as the video you want to add subtitles to.
Step 16. Type in a name for the caption file
Use the field next to " Filename " to type a file name. Give it the same name as the video in question. If your video file is named "Introduction.mp4", your SRT file should also be named "Introduction.srt".
Some media players (eg VLC) can detect and display subtitles automatically if the SRT file is in the same folder as the video, and has the same name. Other media player programs such as Windows Media Player require you to add the SRT file along with the video file. This method only allows you to view captions. Also, the captions won't be permanently added/installed on the video file
Step 17. Select " SubRip (*.srt)"
Use the drop-down menu next to " Save as Type " to select " SubRip " as the file type. After that, the caption file will be saved in SRT format.
Step 18. Click Save
The subtitle file will be saved in SRT format. An SRT file is a plain text document that can be edited in Notepad or TextEdit (on Mac computers).
Aegisub does not permanently install or add subtitles to video files. This program only creates external caption files. You'll need to use another free program called Handbrake to add or caption your video files. You can also upload an SRT file to add captions to videos that have already been uploaded to YouTube
Method 5 of 5: Creating Subtitles Files Manually
Step 1. Open a text editing program
The most common text editing program on Windows computers is Notepad. On Mac computers, you can use TextEdit. Follow these steps to open a text editing program.
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Windows 10:
- Click the Windows “Start” menu in the lower-left corner of the screen.
- Type Notepad.
- Click the Notepad icon.
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Macs:
- Click the magnifying glass icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.
- Type in TextEdit.app and press Enter.
- Click " TextEdit.app ”.
- Click " New Document ”.
Step 2. Type in the number for the first caption entry and press Enter key
Each caption in the SRT file is numbered in the order in which it appears. Type "1" for the first caption entry, "2" for the second entry, and so on.
Step 3. Type in the start time of the caption entry
This marker is a marker of the time the caption entry appears on the video. The initial time format for each entry is "[hour]:[minute]:[second], [millisecond]". For example, for the first caption entry that appears at the beginning of the video, the timestamp can be written as 00:00:01, 000.
Step 4. Type after the initial timestamp
Enter two dashes and arrows to separate the start and end times of the caption entry.
Step 5. Type in the end time of the caption entry
This code marks the end of serving of the caption entry. End time markers must be typed in the format "[hour]:[minutes]:[seconds], [milliseconds]". Overall, the row containing the caption times would look like this 00:00:01, 000 00:00:05, 040.
Step 6. Press Enter
After typing the caption entry timestamp, press the “Enter” key to create a new line.
Step 7. Type in the caption text
The third line contains the caption text which will be displayed on the screen.
Step 8. Press Enter twice
When finished typing the text, press the “Enter” key twice to create a space between the caption entry that was created and the next entry. Repeat these steps for each caption entry you want to add to the video.
Step 9. Repeat these steps for each caption on the video
Step 10. Click File and select Save As.
When you're done typing the captions into your text-editing program, you'll need to save the file with the ".srt" extension. You can find the “Save” option in the “File” menu at the top of the screen.
In TextEdit on a Mac, select “ Save ”, and not " Save as ".
Step 11. Open the folder containing the video
You must save the SRT file in the same directory as the video in question.
Step 12. Name the text document after the video file name
Use the field next to " Filename " (Windows) or " Save As " (Mac) to name the SRT document/file. Both video and SRT files must have the same file name. If the video file name is "Introduction.mp4", the SRT file must also be named "Introduction.srt".
Use VLC to test if the SRT file is saved to the same directory as the video, and has the same name. Click “Subtitles”, select “Sub-tracks”, then click “Subtitle tracks”
Step 13. Save the document as an SRT file
Follow these steps to save a text document as an SRT file. Once the file is saved, search for articles or information about the subtitle testing method to learn how to test the subtitles you've created.
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Windows:
When saving files in Notead, remove the ".txt" extension at the end of the file name and replace it with ".srt". After that, click " Save ”.
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Macs:
Click " Save ” to save files with ".rtf" extension. Use the Finder to locate the file directory and click the file to select it. Choose " File " and click " Rename " Remove the ".rtf" extension at the end of the file name and replace it with ".srt". Click " Use.srt ” when the computer asks if you want to save or keep the file extension.
Here's an example of nicely formatted captions in an SRT file:
1 00:00:01, 001 00:00:05, 040 Welcome to our video tutorial.
2 00:00:07, 075 00:00, 12, 132 In this video, we're going to talk about captions.
3 00:00:14, 013 00:00:18, 021 Let's start by creating an SRT file!
