Subtitles have become an essential part of TikTok videos. They improve accessibility, help viewers follow along without sound, and boost engagement—especially for audiences who watch videos in noisy places or prefer watching on mute. TikTok makes adding subtitles simple through both auto-captions and manual text subtitles.
Whether you’re a creator, business, or casual user, here is a detailed guide on how to put subtitles on TikTok.
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How to Add Auto-Generated Subtitles on TikTok
TikTok’s auto-captions feature automatically transcribes speech in your video. It is the easiest and fastest way to add subtitles.
Step-by-step:
- Open TikTok and tap the + button to record or upload a video.
- After recording or selecting your clip, tap Next to enter the editing screen.
- Tap Captions (or Auto Captions, depending on your app version).
- TikTok will automatically scan your audio and generate subtitles.
- Review the subtitles:
- Tap Edit to correct spelling mistakes or timing errors.
- Tap Save to apply the subtitles.
- Continue editing your video or tap Post when you’re ready.
Why use auto-captions?
- Fast and accurate for clear speech
- Easy to edit
- Great for accessibility
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How to Manually Add Text Subtitles
Manual subtitles give you full creative control. This method is ideal for adding captions with special styling, translations, annotations, or subtitles for music.
How to add manual text subtitles:
- Create or upload your video and tap Next.
- On the editing screen, select Text at the bottom.
- Type your subtitle.
- Customize the style:
- Font
- Color
- Background
- Alignment
- Tap Done.
- To sync text with your video:
- Tap the text box and select Set Duration.
- Drag the slider to choose when the subtitle appears and disappears.
- Repeat these steps for each subtitle line if you want timed, multi-line captions.
Best for:
- Creative captions
- Multilingual subtitles
- Emphasizing key dialogue
- Adding lyrics or commentary
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How to Add Subtitles Using TikTok’s Speech-to-Text for Stickers
Some TikTok versions offer speech-to-text within the text tool, allowing spoken words to automatically convert into on-screen text.
Steps:
- Tap Text after recording.
- Tap the speech-to-text microphone icon.
- Speak clearly to generate written subtitles.
- Edit and style as needed.
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Using Third-Party Apps for Advanced Subtitles (Optional)
If you want more control or advanced designs, you can create subtitles using external tools and then upload the video to TikTok.
Popular apps include:
- CapCut (TikTok’s sister app)
- VEED.io
- InShot
- Adobe Premiere Rush
These apps allow:
- Auto-captioning
- Custom fonts
- Word-by-word animations
- Multi-language subtitle tracks
Once done, save and upload the video to TikTok as usual.
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Tips for Better Subtitles on TikTok
- Use large, readable fonts for mobile screens.
- Keep subtitles short to avoid covering the video.
- Place text higher to avoid TikTok’s bottom buttons (like, comment, share).
- Check spelling before posting.
- Match color contrast with your background to improve visibility.
ALSO READ: How to pause TikTok videos
