Captions for YouTube Shorts

Add captions to a YouTube Short in YouTube Studio by opening the video’s Subtitles page and typing captions, syncing a transcript, or uploading a timed subtitle file. For a talking-head Short, you can also add subtitles while editing in ClipsPal’s vertical video editor, then export the video with burned subtitles.

Add timed captions to a Short in YouTube Studio

YouTube Studio lets you add subtitles after upload or during the upload process. To add them to an existing Short:

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio and select Subtitles from the left menu.
2. Choose the Short you want to caption.
3. Select Add language and choose the language spoken in the video.
4. Under Subtitles, select Add.
5. Choose how to create the captions, then save or publish them.

If you already have a timed subtitle file, choose Upload file, select With timing, and upload a file in a format YouTube accepts. YouTube’s caption instructions explain the other options too: type captions while watching the video, or enter a transcript and let Studio synchronize it. With auto-sync, the transcript needs to match the spoken language and the audio needs to be clear enough to recognize.

Prepare a captioned Short in ClipsPal

ClipsPal is a desktop editor for recorded talking-head videos. It can add subtitles to an edit, then export a finished video with the subtitles burned into the picture. This is useful when you want the words visible in the Short itself, without relying on viewers to turn captions on.

Start with your video file on your computer. In ClipsPal, edit the recording and add subtitles, then open the Export dialog. In the Video export options, choose whether to burn subtitles into the video. You can also export an SRT subtitle file alongside the video. The video and subtitle export are saved locally; upload the finished video to YouTube Studio yourself.

If you only need a caption file for Studio, the free auto caption generator creates timed captions from a video or audio file and lets you edit and download SRT or VTT. You can then review or correct that file with the subtitle editor before uploading it.