Can You Add Subtitles After Uploading to YouTube?

Adding subtitles to your YouTube videos is a great way to make your content more accessible, connect with a wider audience, and keep people engaged. Plus, it’s super useful for those watching on mute or anyone who speaks a different language. But can you add subtitles after uploading to YouTube? The good news is—you can! YouTube makes it easy to add, edit, or even remove subtitles, even if your video is already live.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to create captions for your YouTube videos, walk you through different YouTube caption settings, and dive into features like YouTube’s closed captioning (CC) and auto-subtitles.

Why Add Subtitles to Your YouTube Video?

Before we get into the steps, let’s briefly discuss why subtitles, also known as captions, are so important.

• Accessibility: Captions make your videos accessible to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Boost Engagement: Subtitles can keep viewers engaged even when they’re watching videos on mute, which is quite common on mobile devices.
• Wider Reach: Adding subtitles in different languages, such as YouTube English subtitles, allows you to reach a global audience.

So, let’s go ahead and explore how to add subtitles and YouTube video captions effectively.

How to Add Subtitles to YouTube After Uploading

YouTube allows you to add subtitles to your video at any point, even after it has been uploaded and published.

Here’s how you can add subtitles to an already uploaded YouTube video:

1. Go to YouTube Studio: To get started, navigate to YouTube Studio by clicking on your profile picture and selecting YouTube Studio.
2. Select Your Video: On the left-hand side, click on Content. From there, find the video that you want to add subtitles to. Click on the thumbnail or the video title.
3. Access Subtitles Settings: Under the video details, look for the Subtitles tab in the left-hand menu. This is where you’ll manage all your YouTube captions.

1. Add or Edit Captions: Click Add Language and select the language for your subtitles. You can then either:

• Upload a Caption File (SRT or VTT): If you’ve already created captions, you can upload an SRT or VTT file directly.
• Use YouTube’s Auto Captioning: YouTube can generate auto subtitles automatically using its speech recognition technology. However, these captions often need manual correction for accuracy.
• Create Subtitles Manually: You can also type your captions directly in the subtitle editor.

5. Save Changes: Once you’ve edited or uploaded your captions, click Save to apply them to your video. These captions will now be viewable to anyone watching your content.

YouTube Auto Subtitles and How to Edit Them

One of the most popular ways to add captions is by using YouTube auto subtitles. YouTube can automatically generate captions for your videos using its speech recognition feature. Here’s how to view subtitles on YouTube and edit the auto-generated captions:

• How to Turn On Auto Subtitles: Once you’re in the Subtitles tab of your chosen video in YouTube Studio, you might see YouTube auto captions if YouTube has detected speech in your video.
• Editing YouTube Auto Captions: While convenient, auto captions are not always accurate. Click on the auto-generated captions to edit them. You can correct mistakes, adjust timing, and make sure your subtitles accurately match what’s being said in the video.

How to Add Closed Captioning to a YouTube Video

Closed captions, or YouTube CC, can be turned on or off by the viewer, unlike subtitles that are “burned in” and always visible. How to add closed captioning to a YouTube video:

1. Follow the same steps as mentioned above in YouTube Studio.
2. Make sure you upload the caption file as SRT or VTT. These files make it possible for YouTube to offer closed captioning that viewers can enable or disable as per their preference.

How to Turn On or Get Closed Captions on YouTube

If you’re watching a video and you want to see if it has captions available, you can easily turn on captions on YouTube. Here’s how:

1. Click the CC Button: While playing a video, click the CC button at the bottom of the video player to get subtitles on YouTube.
2. YouTube Caption Settings: You can adjust your settings by clicking on the gear icon, where you can choose the subtitle language, customize font size, and more.

If a video has YouTube closed captioning, you can easily turn CC on YouTube or turn CC off as needed.

Can I Add Subtitles to a YouTube Video on iPhone After Uploading?

Unfortunately, if you’ve already uploaded your video to YouTube, adding or editing subtitles directly from an iPhone isn’t currently supported in the YouTube mobile app. YouTube’s mobile version is limited when it comes to detailed video edits like adding captions after uploading. You would need access to a desktop computer to use YouTube Studio for this task, where you can add, edit, or remove captions.

However, if you’re planning ahead, there is still a convenient way to get subtitles on your video using your iPhone.

YouTube Captioning Alternatives

Now, let’s talk about an alternative approach that can make the entire captioning process easier, especially if you’re looking for a more efficient solution compared to YouTube’s manual or auto-captioning methods.

ZapCap is a tool that allows you to create captions before uploading your video to YouTube, making it more streamlined and less time-consuming. Here’s how ZapCap stands out:

1. Automatic Transcription: Instead of manually typing your captions or fixing YouTube’s auto-generated errors, you can upload your video to ZapCap, which will automatically transcribe your audio.
2. Supports Over 50 Languages: With ZapCap, you can create captions in multiple languages, such as English, Spanish, Russian, and Japanese, which means your content can have a broader reach.
3. Export as SRT or VTT: Once the captions are ready, you can export them as SRT or VTT files. These files are compatible with YouTube, allowing you to easily upload closed captions that can be toggled on or off.
4. Customization with Preset Templates: ZapCap offers customizable templates for styling your captions, which allows you to make your subtitles more visually engaging than the basic options provided by YouTube.

Why Use ZapCap Before Uploading to YouTube?

Adding captions directly on YouTube is definitely an option, but using ZapCap beforehand offers some benefits:

• Better Accuracy: YouTube’s auto captions can be hit or miss, often requiring you to spend time correcting them. ZapCap provides more accurate transcription, saving you time.
• Customization: With preset templates, ZapCap offers you the ability to create captions that suit the aesthetic of your video. YouTube’s editor, on the other hand, is limited in terms of customization.
• Smoother Workflow: By adding subtitles before uploading, you ensure your video is fully ready to go live without needing extra editing on YouTube. This makes the entire publishing process faster and more efficient.

The Bottom Line

You can absolutely add subtitles to a YouTube video after uploading it, and there are a number of ways to do so—using YouTube’s auto captions, manually editing, or uploading SRT/VTT files. While these options are available on YouTube Studio, they can be labor-intensive or error-prone, particularly for lengthy videos or content in multiple languages.

Using a tool like ZapCap before uploading can streamline the process by offering more accurate transcription, exporting in compatible formats, and allowing for easy customization of captions. This makes your content more accessible and helps you make a stronger impression right from the moment you hit publish.

FAQ

Can You Add Subtitles After Uploading to YouTube?

Yes, you can add subtitles to your YouTube video even after it’s been uploaded. Just go to YouTube Studio, select your video, and use the Subtitles tab to add, edit, or upload caption files.

How do I turn on closed captions (CC) on YouTube?

You can turn on closed captions by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the video player. If available, this will show subtitles in the chosen language.

Does YouTube automatically generate captions for my videos?

Yes, YouTube has an auto-subtitle feature that uses speech recognition to generate captions. However, these captions often require manual edits for better accuracy.

What file types can I upload for captions on YouTube?

You can upload captions in SRT or VTT formats. These files allow viewers to toggle captions on or off as they watch the video.

What’s the best way to create subtitles before uploading to YouTube?

Using a tool like ZapCap can simplify the process. It provides automatic transcription, supports over 50 languages, and lets you export captions as SRT or VTT files, giving you greater control over accuracy and customization before uploading.