# How to Add Subtitles to Video > How to add subtitles to video depends on where it plays. On YouTube, add closed captions in YouTube Studio; on TikTok or Instagram, use the in-app captions; in a desktop editor, generate or import a subtitle track. To burn styled subtitles into the file itself, upload it to Kenerate's Auto Subtitles — it doesn't create SRT files. URL: https://kenerateai.com/how-to-add-subtitles-to-video Publisher: Kenerate AI (https://kenerateai.com) Last updated: 3 October 2026 ## Key facts - Methods covered: 6 - Closed captions: YouTube, TikTok, editors - Burned in: Kenerate, editors, Clips - Kenerate clip limit: 4 min, 100 MB - Kenerate output: One MP4, captions burned in - SRT from Kenerate: No - 1. YouTube Studio (Closed captions): A video uploaded to YouTube → Automatic captions, an uploaded file, auto-sync or typed lines. Long YouTube videos, several languages. - 2. TikTok editor captions (Closed captions): A clip in the TikTok app → Auto captions that viewers can switch off. Posts that live only on TikTok. - 3. Instagram Captions sticker (On-screen sticker): A Reel in the mobile app → Auto captions in four preset looks. Quick Reels made on a phone. - 4. Desktop editor (e.g. Clipchamp) (Editable caption track): A project on your computer → Editable captions, SRT download or burned in. Hand-corrected subtitles and subtitle files. - 5. Apple Clips Live Titles (On-screen titles): Speech recorded in Clips on iPhone → Animated titles written as you speak. Short iPhone clips you record yourself. - 6. Kenerate Auto Subtitles (Burned in (open captions)): MP4, MOV or WebM up to 4 min → One MP4, 10 styles, 720p or 1080p. Social clips posted in several places. ## Steps 1. Decide: closed or burned in — If viewers must switch subtitles off or pick a language, use a closed-caption method instead. 2. Upload the video — MP4, MOV or WebM up to 4 minutes and 100 MB, after signing in with a verified email. 3. Choose a style and a position — Ten styles; Bottom is classic, Middle suits vertical clips, Top clears lower-third graphics. 4. Set the language and resolution — Auto-detect or pin the spoken language; 720p or 1080p HD. 5. Generate, check, download — About 1–3 minutes; compare Original vs Captioned, then save the MP4. ## In depth ### Method 1: YouTube Studio In YouTube Studio, open Subtitles, choose the video, click Add language, then Add under Subtitles. You can upload a file with or without timing, paste a transcript and let auto-sync time it, or type the lines while the video plays [1]. YouTube also writes automatic captions with speech recognition and asks creators to review them [2]. ### Methods 2 and 3: TikTok and Instagram TikTok's editor has a Captions option that transcribes the clip, and the text can then be edited and restyled inside the app [6]. Instagram's Captions sticker transcribes a Reel in the mobile app and comes in four preset looks — classic, typewriter, scroll and fade — according to Kapwing's guide [5]. Both stay inside their own app. ### Method 4: a desktop editor Editors give the most control. In Clipchamp you turn on autocaptions, choose the language and transcribe, then correct words in the transcript and download the captions as an SRT file [3]. Other editors follow the same pattern: a caption track you can edit, export as a file, or burn into the picture when you export. ### Method 5: Apple Clips on iPhone Apple's Clips app writes Live Titles from your voice: choose a title style, hold Record while you speak, and the words appear on the video in time with you [4]. You can also add Live Titles to a voiceover you recorded in Clips. It suits short clips made in the app rather than long, finished edits from another camera. ### Method 6: burned in with Kenerate Upload a finished clip and Auto Subtitles transcribes it, times every line and burns the subtitles into one MP4 in the style you pick. It's the quickest way to get the same styled captions on every platform, but there is no text editor, no SRT or VTT file and no translation — the trade-offs listed in the table above. References: [1] YouTube Help — Add subtitles and captions, checked 3 October 2026: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734796 [2] YouTube Help — Use automatic captioning, checked 3 October 2026: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6373554 [3] Microsoft Support — How to use autocaptions in Clipchamp, checked 3 October 2026: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-to-use-autocaptions-in-clipchamp-ccb0520b-38f6-4fa9-aca8-872c2964946a [4] Apple Support — Record with Live Titles in Clips, checked 3 October 2026: https://support.apple.com/guide/clips/record-with-live-titles-dev77e5e5619/ios [5] Kapwing — How to add auto-captions to Instagram Reels (2 May 2024), checked 3 October 2026: https://www.kapwing.com/resources/instagram-reels-captions/ [6] Kapwing — How to add captions on TikTok (9 January 2026), checked 3 October 2026: https://www.kapwing.com/resources/how-to-add-captions-to-tiktoks/ ## FAQ Q: How do I add subtitles to a video on my phone? A: On a phone, the quickest routes are the captions built into TikTok and Instagram, or Live Titles in Apple's Clips app on iPhone, which writes your words on screen as you speak. Kenerate also works in a phone browser: upload the clip from your camera roll, pick a style and download the captioned MP4, with no app to install. Q: How do I add subtitles to a video on a computer? A: Use a desktop editor or a browser tool. In Clipchamp, Microsoft's editor, you turn on autocaptions, choose the language and transcribe; you can then fix words and download an SRT file, according to Microsoft's support page. In Kenerate, you upload the file, choose one of 10 styles and download it with the subtitles burned into the picture. Q: Should subtitles be burned in or kept as a separate file? A: Burn them in when the video autoplays on mute in social feeds or goes somewhere that ignores subtitle files. Keep a separate file, or use the platform's closed captions, when viewers need to switch them off or choose a language, or when you'll correct the text later. Kenerate only burns in, so choose another method if you need a file. Q: Can I add subtitles to a long video? A: With Kenerate, each video can be up to 4 minutes and 100 MB, so cut longer videos into parts, subtitle each part and join them in your editor. For full-length YouTube videos, YouTube Studio is usually the better route: YouTube writes automatic captions with speech recognition, and you can review and correct them there before relying on them. Q: How do I add subtitles in another language? A: Translate the speech first, then subtitle it. Kenerate's subtitles always match the spoken language, so dub the video into a listed language with Kenerate's AI dubbing, then run the dubbed version through Auto Subtitles. On YouTube you can instead add a subtitle track for each language, which viewers pick from the player's settings. Q: How long does it take to add subtitles? A: With Kenerate, about 1–3 minutes per clip once it's uploaded, with no typing: the speech is transcribed, timed and burned in automatically. Typing subtitles by hand takes far longer, because every line needs its own start and end time. Platform captions vary; YouTube says processing time depends on how complex the video's audio is. Q: Do I need to install software to add subtitles? A: Not for Kenerate: Auto Subtitles runs in the browser, so you sign in, upload and download. Some other methods do need an app: Instagram's Captions sticker is in its mobile app, Apple's Live Titles live in the Clips app on iPhone, and desktop editors such as Clipchamp or Premiere Pro need to be installed or opened separately. ## Related pages - Add subtitles to video: https://kenerateai.com/add-subtitles-to-video - YouTube subtitles: https://kenerateai.com/youtube-subtitles - Open captions: https://kenerateai.com/open-captions - Add captions to video: https://kenerateai.com/add-captions-to-video - Auto subtitle generator: https://kenerateai.com/auto-subtitle-generator ## Sources - Kenerate Auto Subtitles (tool): https://kenerateai.com/app/tool/subtitles - YouTube Help — Add subtitles and captions, checked 3 October 2026: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734796 - YouTube Help — Use automatic captioning, checked 3 October 2026: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6373554 - Microsoft Support — How to use autocaptions in Clipchamp, checked 3 October 2026: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-to-use-autocaptions-in-clipchamp-ccb0520b-38f6-4fa9-aca8-872c2964946a - Apple Support — Record with Live Titles in Clips, checked 3 October 2026: https://support.apple.com/guide/clips/record-with-live-titles-dev77e5e5619/ios - Kapwing — How to add auto-captions to Instagram Reels (2 May 2024), checked 3 October 2026: https://www.kapwing.com/resources/instagram-reels-captions/ - Kapwing — How to add captions on TikTok (9 January 2026), checked 3 October 2026: https://www.kapwing.com/resources/how-to-add-captions-to-tiktoks/