How to Add and Edit YouTube Subtitles [4 new methods]

There are several ways to add subtitles to your YouTube videos. You can add subtitles to your YouTube videos in a number of ways, such as uploading a pre-written file or using automatic syncing.

For some videos uploaded to YouTube, subtitles will be generated automatically. If you choose to manually add subtitles, there are keyboard shortcuts to help speed things up.

When making videos on YouTube, it’s important to consider your audience, including viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. Adding subtitles and captions is a way to make your videos more accessible so more people can watch and enjoy your content.

Here’s what you need to know to add subtitles and captions to your YouTube videos. You can view the subtitles of a video you are watching on YouTube by clicking the “CC” button at the bottom of the video. How to put subtitles in YouTube videos?

How to add and edit subtitles with YouTube Studio

There are several options for adding and editing YouTube subtitles: upload a pre-written file, use automatic synchronization, type them manually, or use automatic translation.

Upload a pre-written file

Uploading a file that contains what is said in the video is one way to add captions to a video. For this to work, you need to have the correct file type. For example, a SubRip, SubViewer, or LRC will work, if properly formatted.

1. Log into your YouTube Studio account.
2. Select Subtitles, located in the left sidebar.
3. Click on the video you want to edit.
4. Select Add language and select your preferred language.
5. Under Subtitles, click Add.
6. Select Upload File.
7. Choose With times or Without times, before selecting Continue.
8. Choose the file you want to upload.
9. Press yes Save draft or publication.

Automatic synchronization

Auto-sync lets you type your transcript all at once, then the transcript is automatically synced to the timing of your video. 

1. Go to YouTube Studio and select Subtitles in the left sidebar.
2. Select your video from the list and then click Add, which is located under the subtitles.
3. Choose Auto Sync from the pop-up menu.
4. Type the entire transcript of your video into the text box on the left or click the three dots next to Edit timing and choose Upload file.
5. The transcript you use must be in a language supported by YouTube’s speech recognition technology, and the audio quality must be good.
6. After adding text or uploading the file, select Edit times.
7. Right-click on Save and Close.

How to add and edit YouTube subtitles by typing them manually

1. Log into your YouTube Studio account.
2. Choose Subtitles in the left sidebar.
3. Select the desired video.
4. Click Add under Subtitles.
5. Select Type manually.
6. Play the video and insert your own captions or subtitles, adjusting timestamps as needed. You should add text tags like [applause] or [thunder] to help give viewers the necessary context.
7. Choose Post when six ready.

Using keyboard shortcuts while adding captions can speed up the process:

• Shift + Left Arrow: Go back 1 second. 
• Shift + Right Arrow: Go forward 1 second. 
• Shift + space: pause or play your video.
• Shift + Enter: Add a new line.
• Shift + Down Arrow: Change the next subtitle.
• Shift + Up Arrow: Change the previous subtitle.
• Enter: add a subtitle.

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How to generate YouTube subtitles automatically?

YouTube adds automatic subtitles to certain long-form videos and short films. Note that this feature is limited to 13 languages.

Automatic subtitles are also implemented for live streams. However, this is limited to English-language streams from those who have over 1,000 subscribers. Once generated, you can still review the automatic subtitles and make the necessary changes: 

1. Log into your account and log into YouTube Studio.
2. Choose Subtitles in the left sidebar.
3. Select the video you want to review.
4. Under Subtitles, click the three dots next to the video you want to review or edit.
5. Review the automatic subtitles and edit or remove parts of the automatic subtitles, as desired.

If you see a lot of errors in your auto-captions, there are several key reasons why this could happen, which you can look out for when making future videos:

• Subtitles are not available yet because there is complex audio in your video.
• The video language uses an unsupported language for automatic subtitles.
• The video is too long for automatic subtitles.
• The sound quality is poor or YouTube does not recognize the speech.
• A long period of silence at the beginning of the video prevents the automatic subtitles from working.
• There are multiple speakers in the video, with overlapping speeches.