# YouTube Subtitles > To add YouTube subtitles, open YouTube Studio, choose Subtitles, pick the video and add a language: upload a file, auto-sync a transcript, type the lines, or edit YouTube's automatic captions. Those are closed captions viewers can toggle. For Shorts and clips you also post elsewhere, burn styled captions in with Kenerate before uploading. URL: https://kenerateai.com/youtube-subtitles Publisher: Kenerate AI (https://kenerateai.com) Last updated: 3 October 2026 ## Key facts - YouTube's own captions: Closed (CC) - Kenerate's captions: Burned in (open) - Kenerate clip limit: 4 min, 100 MB - Shorts length: Up to 3 min - Best for long videos: YouTube Studio - Best for Shorts: Burned in - Automatic captions (YouTube (speech recognition)): Any uploaded video → Closed captions in supported languages. A starting point you review and edit. - Upload file, with timing (YouTube Studio): A timed subtitle file such as SRT → Closed captions exactly as written. Subtitles made in an editor or by a translator. - Auto-sync (YouTube Studio): A plain transcript → YouTube sets the timings. Scripted videos with an exact transcript. - Type manually (YouTube Studio): You type while the video plays → Closed captions, timed as you type. Short videos and careful corrections. - Burned-in captions (Kenerate Auto Subtitles): Clip up to 4 min → MP4 with captions in the frames. Shorts, trailers, clips posted elsewhere. ## Steps 1. Export the cut — 16:9 for a regular video or 9:16 for a Short, under 4 minutes and 100 MB. 2. Upload it to Auto Subtitles — Sign in with a verified email; new accounts get starter credits to try it. 3. Place captions with YouTube's CC in mind — Top or Middle keeps them away from where YouTube draws CC by default. 4. Choose 1080p HD — Sharper text holds up better after YouTube processes the upload. 5. Download and upload to YouTube — Post the captioned MP4 as a video or a Short. ## In depth ### YouTube Studio's options, step by step Under Subtitles in YouTube Studio, choose a video, add a language and click Add [1]. Upload file takes a file with timing, or a transcript without it; Auto-sync takes a transcript and times it for you, working best on videos under an hour with clear audio; Type manually lets you enter lines as the video plays [1]. ### When automatic captions fall short YouTube lists the usual reasons automatic captions are missing or wrong: complex or poor-quality audio, an unsupported language, a very long video, a long silence at the start, or several people speaking at once [2]. The same audio problems affect any speech-to-text tool, Kenerate's included, so clean audio pays off either way. ### Shorts are short enough to burn in Square or vertical videos up to three minutes long, uploaded on or after 15 October 2024, are treated as Shorts [3]. That fits inside Auto Subtitles' 4-minute limit, so a whole Short can be captioned in one run, in the Middle position the tool labels Reels style, and posted with its captions showing from the first view. ### A sensible split for a channel Most channels end up using both kinds. - Long-form uploads: YouTube's closed captions, reviewed in Studio. - Shorts: burned-in captions in the Middle position. - Trailers and teasers: burned in, posted on YouTube and social. - Other-language versions: dub first and caption, or add a YouTube subtitle track. 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] YouTube Help — Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts, checked 3 October 2026: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/15424877 ## FAQ Q: Does YouTube add subtitles automatically? A: Often, yes. YouTube uses speech recognition to create automatic captions for many videos in supported languages. They can be missing or wrong when the audio is poor, several people talk at once, or a video starts with a long silence, and YouTube advises creators to review them. You can correct them in YouTube Studio under Subtitles. Q: How do I add subtitles to YouTube Shorts? A: Two routes. YouTube can add automatic captions to a Short, which you can then review in YouTube Studio. Or burn captions in before uploading: run the 9:16 clip through Kenerate's Auto Subtitles with the Middle position and upload the captioned MP4. Shorts can run up to three minutes, inside Kenerate's 4-minute limit. Q: Should I burn subtitles into a YouTube video? A: Usually not for long videos: YouTube's closed captions can be corrected later, offered in several languages and switched off by viewers who don't want them. Burn them in for Shorts, trailers, ads and clips you'll also post on other platforms, where you want the same styled captions everywhere. Kenerate handles clips up to 4 minutes, so it suits short-form. Q: Can I upload an SRT file to YouTube from Kenerate? A: No, because Kenerate doesn't create SRT files: it burns captions into the video. If you need an SRT for YouTube, let YouTube generate automatic captions and correct them in Studio, or make the file in an editor that exports one. YouTube accepts uploaded subtitle files with or without timing under Subtitles in YouTube Studio. Q: Why do my YouTube captions appear twice? A: Because the video has burned-in captions and the viewer has also turned on YouTube's closed captions. Burned-in text can't be hidden, but you can reduce the clash: place your captions at the Top or Middle so they don't sit where YouTube draws CC by default, and don't upload a matching subtitle track for a video that already has captions burned in. Q: Can YouTube show my subtitles in other languages? A: YouTube lets you add your own subtitle track for each language, and viewers pick one in the player. Kenerate's burned-in captions are always in the spoken language and can't be switched by the viewer. To publish a version in another language, dub the clip with Kenerate's AI dubbing first, then burn in captions for that language. ## Related pages - Add subtitles to video: https://kenerateai.com/add-subtitles-to-video - How to add subtitles to video: https://kenerateai.com/how-to-add-subtitles-to-video - Open captions: https://kenerateai.com/open-captions - Instagram Reels captions: https://kenerateai.com/reels-captions - 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 - YouTube Help — Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts, checked 3 October 2026: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/15424877