How to Add Subtitles to a Video on iPhone for Free

Lots of people watch videos with the sound off, and without subtitles they scroll past. You don't have to type subtitles by hand on an iPhone, though. An app can listen to the video, write out what's said and time each line.

This guide uses CapCap, the iPhone app we make. The free plan is enough to try it, and there's a section further down on what the free plan does and doesn't include.

What you need

• An iPhone running iOS 18 or later.
• The video, saved in your Photos library.
• CapCap from the App Store.

Step 1: Start a project

Open CapCap, tap New Project and pick your video from Photos.

Step 2: Set the language

On the next screen, set Video language to the language people speak in the video. Leave Translation language on No translation if you want subtitles in that same language.

If the app asks Does this video contain music?, answer honestly. When there's music, CapCap separates the voice from the music first, so the music doesn't confuse the transcription.

Step 3: Transcribe

Tap Transcribe now. CapCap uploads the audio and sends back subtitles timed sentence by sentence and word by word.

Step 4: Fix the mistakes

Automatic subtitles get most words right, but names, brands and slang often come out wrong. Read through them once:

• Tap a sentence to edit its text.
• Delete words you don't want, such as "um" or a false start.
• Drag the edges of a caption on the timeline if a line shows up too early or too late.

Step 5: Style the subtitles

Choose a font, color, outline, shadow and highlight, or start from one of the ready-made templates. Word highlighting, where each word lights up as it's spoken, works well for talking-head videos. Some styles are Pro-only.

On Reels and Shorts, the platform puts its own buttons and text over the bottom of the screen. Keep your subtitles a bit above the bottom so nothing covers them.

Step 6: Export

Tap Export, then Save Video to Photos App. The subtitles are drawn into the video itself, so they look the same in every app you post to. If you also want a separate subtitle file, for YouTube for example, choose Export Subtitle (SRT) File. Exporting SRT files has its own guide.

What the free plan includes

• 3 captioned videos each calendar month.
• Videos up to 3 minutes long.
• Translation, subtitle file import and SRT export.
• Free exports carry a small CapCap watermark.

Editing, re-exporting or captioning the same project again doesn't use up another video. A transcription that fails doesn't count either. Pro removes the monthly limit and the watermark, and takes videos up to 30 minutes.

Other options

If you only ever post to one app, check its own auto-caption feature first. Instagram, TikTok and YouTube all offer auto captions, though each one only works inside that app. Use a separate app when you want the same subtitles on every platform, more control over the style, or a subtitle file you can reuse.