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How to Add Subtitles to a Video
Most social video is watched on mute. If your video doesn't have captions, a huge share of viewers scroll past without ever hearing a word. Subtitles keep people watching, improve accessibility, and even help search engines understand your content.
What is an .SRT file?
An .SRT (SubRip) file is a plain-text file that lists each caption with a start and end time. It looks like this:
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,400
Hey everyone, welcome back.
2
00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:05,100
Today we're keeping it simple.
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,400
Hey everyone, welcome back.
2
00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:05,100
Today we're keeping it simple.
You upload this file alongside your video on YouTube, or "burn" the captions directly into the video for TikTok and Instagram.
The fast, free way
- Open Vootkit's Subtitle Generator and add your video or audio.
- Generate the cues, then read through and fix any wording.
- Adjust timing if a line appears too early or late.
- Export as .SRT (for upload) or .VTT (for web players).
Tips for great captions
- Keep each line short — one or two lines on screen at a time.
- Match the timing to natural speech pauses.
- Include sound cues like [laughs] or [music] when they add context.
- Proofread names and numbers; auto-generated captions miss those most.