How to add subtitles to a YouTube video
- Generate the captions above from your video file and correct any names or terms.
- Download .srt (or .sbv, YouTube's own format) from the Export tab.
- In YouTube Studio open Subtitles, choose the video, then Add language and pick the language of the video.
- Under Subtitles click Add, choose Upload file, select With timing, and pick your file.
- Review in the preview and click Publish.
For a second language, translate the subtitles in the AI tools tab, download again, and repeat step 3 with the new language. Viewers get your translation instead of YouTube's machine auto-translate.
Why upload your own captions?
YouTube adds automatic captions to most videos, but they are unpunctuated, miss names and are not shown on all videos or in all languages. Your own caption track is marked as the creator's, is used for the transcript panel, and replaces auto-captions for viewers who turn captions on. A caption track also makes the spoken content of the video available to YouTube as text.
Chapter timestamps
YouTube turns timestamps in the description into chapters when the list starts at 0:00, has at least three timestamps, and each chapter is at least 10 seconds long. “Suggest chapters” in the AI tools tab reads the transcript and proposes a list in exactly that format; paste it into the description and edit the titles to your taste.
Questions people ask
What caption file format does YouTube accept?
YouTube accepts SRT, SBV, WebVTT and several broadcast formats. SRT is the most portable; SBV is YouTube's own simple format. Both are available in the Export tab.
Are my own captions better than YouTube auto captions?
Usually, yes: the AI transcript adds punctuation and capitalisation, and you correct names before publishing. YouTube shows your uploaded track instead of the automatic one.
How do I generate chapters for YouTube?
After generating subtitles, open AI tools and press “Suggest chapters”. It returns lines like “0:00 Intro” that you paste into the video description.
Can I add captions to a YouTube video I do not own?
Only the channel owner (or people they allow) can add captions. For your own videos, download the original from YouTube Studio if you no longer have the file.