How to Add Subtitles to YouTube Videos

This article explains How to Add Subtitles to YouTube Videos

Add subtitles to videos while uploading on YouTube

You cannot add subtitles to your videos using the YouTube Studio app on mobile, so you will have to do it on your desktop.

1. Open YouTube Studio and log into your channel. Click the Upload Videos icon, and start uploading your video. During the upload process, you will be taken through various sections like Details, Rights Management, etc. When you come to Video Elements, you will see the option of Add Subtitles. Click Add under that, and you will get three options – Upload File, Auto-Sync, and Type Manually.
    
2. Upload File: If you have a file that has the exact script used in the video, you can choose the With timing option. But, if you have text that needs to be synced with what you are saying in the video, then you can choose the Without timing option, YouTube will automatically sync the subtitles according to your video.
    
3. Auto-Sync: You can copy your captions and paste them and YouTube will auto-sync them according to your video.
    
4. Type Manually: With this option, you can manually type the subtitles as you watch the video.
    
5. After you’re done, check the subtitles and match them with your video. You can also change the timing by editing the timestamps. Then preview the final video with subtitles and edit the text once again if there is any mistake that you can spot.
    
6. Your video will now have subtitles, and when it will be published on YouTube, you will be able to see subtitles written right below it, and your viewers can choose to enable subtitles, according to their preference.

Add subtitles to an already uploaded YouTube video

1. If you’re logged into your YouTube channel, click on the profile picture icon on the top right, then visit Your channel. Click on Manage videos and open the video you want to add subtitles to.
    
2. Now, scroll below and click on Subtitles on the right side.
    
3. If YouTube has automatically transcribed your video, you can edit these captions. But, the biggest drawback here is that this text takes a lot of time to edit. You will need to add punctuations, break the paragraphs, and even add full stops after every sentence, which will consume a lot of your time. So, this text is more or less useless to you. Click on three dots right beside Edit Timings and choose the Clear text option. You will now have two options – either manually type subtitles of the video or upload the file by clicking on three dots and choosing the Upload File option. You can choose any option you like.
    
4. But, if you don’t see automatic captions upon clicking the Subtitles option then you will get three options – Upload File, Auto-Sync, and Type Manually. You can follow Step 2 of the previous guide, on how to use these options.
    
5. After you’re done, check the subtitles and match them with your video. You can also change the timing by editing the timestamps. Then preview the final video with subtitles and edit the text once again if there is any mistake that you can spot.
    
6. Your video will now have subtitles, and when it will be published on YouTube, you will be able to see subtitles written right below it, and your viewers can choose to enable subtitles, according to their preference.