How to add subtitles to a YouTube video

YouTube offers a variety of methods for adding subtitles to videos. These different options can be found within the 'Video Manager' section of your YouTube channel. After accessing it, click on 'Subtitle and CC' under the 'Edit' menu and choose a method for adding subtitles. Users can also contribute subtitles to other people's videos by opening the video, accessing the settings, and selecting 'Add Subtitles or CC' if the video owner allows it.

Click on 'My Channel'. This button is located near the top of the sidebar and will take you to your personal YouTube page.

Click on 'Video Manager'. This button is found at the top-left of your channel. Once clicked, it will display a list of videos you've uploaded.

• You can also access the Video Manager by clicking on your account icon and selecting 'Creator Studio > Video Manager'.

Click on the 'Edit' dropdown arrow and select 'Subtitles and CC'. The 'Edit' button and the dropdown menu are typically located next to the video you want to add subtitles to. This will open the subtitle management interface.

Click on 'Add New Subtitles' and choose 'Create new subtitles or closed captions'. This option appears to the right of the video in the subtitle management interface. A text box will appear next to the video for you to input the subtitles.

Select the subtitle language. This setting will categorize your subtitles for YouTube viewers worldwide in the future.

• Vietnamese subtitles on Vietnamese-language videos can be helpful for non-native speakers (and other groups, such as those with hearing impairments), so don't be discouraged from adding native language subtitles to your videos.

Play the video and pause when you're ready to input subtitles. The playback feature can be used to listen to the dialogue before entering the subtitles in the text box.

Enter the subtitles in the text box. Click the blue '+' icon next to the text box to add subtitles. The subtitles will appear in the transcript and the timeline below the video.

Adjust the duration of the subtitles. Subtitles will be placed on the timeline where you paused the video. Click and drag the bars on either side of the subtitles to modify when the text will appear and disappear.

Publish the video. Once you've added the subtitles, click 'Publish' to upload the subtitles to the video.

Open a text editor. Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on Mac are both good free options, but you can use any text editor of your choice.

Create subtitles. Subtitle files follow a specific format: subtitle number, timestamp, and text, each on a separate line. The timestamp is in the format of hours:minutes:seconds:milliseconds.

• Example:
  1
  01:15:05:00
  Here’s a sample subtitle text.
• This example will display the sentence “Here’s a sample subtitle text” as the first subtitle at 1 hour, 15 minutes, and 5 seconds in the video.

Go to the “File” menu and select “Save As…” This is where you can set the file type to SubRip format (or srt – a common text format used for subtitled videos).

Enter the file name with the “.srt” extension. For example: ‘subtitle.srt’. The extension at the end of the name helps define the file type.

Click on “Save As Type” and select “All Files”. This option is located below the file name field. Choosing “All Files” ensures the extension is applied, rather than just a plain text file.

Click on the 'Encoding' menu and select 'UTF-8'. The SubRip file will not function properly unless this encoding option is set. After that, click 'Save' to finalize the settings.

Go to the 'Video Manager' section on YouTube. Log in to your YouTube account and navigate to 'My Channel > Video Manager' to view the list of uploaded videos.

• You can also access the Video Manager by clicking on your account icon and selecting 'Creator Studio > Video Manager'.

Click on the 'Edit' dropdown arrow and select 'Subtitles and CC'. The 'Edit' button and the dropdown menu are usually located next to the video you want to add subtitles to. The subtitle management interface will open.

Click on 'Add New Subtitles' and select 'Upload a File'. A menu will pop up where you can choose the type of file you wish to upload.

Select 'Subtitle File' from the popup menu. A window will appear allowing you to choose the file to upload.

Browse for the file you created and select 'Upload'. The subtitles will be extracted from the .srt file and placed onto the timeline along with the subtitle transcript.

Adjust the subtitles as needed. You can make changes directly in the transcript or click and drag the bars on either side of the subtitles on the timeline to fine-tune the timing.

Publish the video. Click 'Publish' to upload the subtitles to your video.

Go to the 'Video Manager' section on YouTube. Log in to your YouTube account and click 'My Channel > Video Manager' to view your uploaded video list.

• You can also access the Video Manager by clicking on your account icon and selecting 'Creator Studio > Video Manager'.

Click on the 'Edit' dropdown arrow and select 'Subtitles and CC'. The 'Edit' button along with the menu is usually located next to the video where you want to add subtitles. The subtitle management interface will open.

Click on 'Add New Subtitles' and choose 'Transcribe and auto-sync'. A text box will appear next to the video for you to enter the subtitles.

Choose the subtitle language.

Transcribe the audio from the video into the text box. Type in everything you hear into the text box to the right of the video. There's no need to worry about timing just yet.

Click on 'Set Timings'. YouTube will automatically synchronize the text you've written with the video’s timing.

Adjust the timing. The auto-synced subtitles will appear on the timeline. Click and drag the sliders on either side of the subtitle to align the content with the correct timing.

Publish the video. Once you're finished, click 'Publish' to upload the subtitles to the video.

Select a video to contribute to. Go to a video uploaded by someone else.

Click on the 'Settings' gear icon. This button appears in the video player, and clicking it will bring up the video options menu.

Click on 'Subtitles/CC' and select 'Add subtitles or CC'. You will be redirected to the subtitle editing interface.

• Important note: Not all users allow others to contribute subtitles. If the owner has disabled this feature, the 'Add Subtitles or CC' option will not be available, meaning you won't be able to contribute.

Select the subtitle language.

Play the video and pause when you're ready to input subtitles. The playback feature can be used to listen to the sentence before entering the subtitles into the text box next to the video.

Adjust the subtitles. As you type, the subtitles will be placed on the timeline at the point where the video was paused. Click and drag the sliders on either side of the subtitle to modify its duration.

Submit the subtitles. Click 'Submit for review' to send your subtitles to the video owner for review.

Once the submission process is completed, you will be asked whether the subtitles are finished. If you select 'No', another contributor will have the opportunity to continue editing the subtitles you left unfinished, before the finalized version is sent to the video owner. On the other hand, if you select 'Yes', it means the subtitles will be submitted for review. After making your selection, click 'Submit' to finalize your contribution.

• Currently, it is not possible to add subtitles or separate subtitle files via the YouTube mobile app.
• You can also use these methods when uploading a new video by clicking the 'Upload' button and selecting the video you wish to post.
• If you don't complete the subtitles in one go, YouTube will automatically save your work as a draft. You can access this draft later by selecting 'My Drafts' and continue transcribing the video subtitles.
• Make sure to proofread for any spelling mistakes.