Burned-in vs. Closed Captions for Reels and Shorts

There are two ways to put captions on a video, and they behave very differently once you post.

Burned-in captions (also called open captions) are drawn into the picture. They're part of the video file, so they always show, on every platform, and they look exactly the way you styled them. Viewers can't turn them off, and platforms can't read them as text.

Closed captions are a separate text file, usually SRT, that you upload next to the video. Viewers turn them on with a CC button, and you can upload one file per language. The platform decides how they look.

Which platforms accept caption files

According to UC Berkeley's caption support guide (updated March 2026), YouTube (regular videos and Shorts) and Facebook Reels accept caption files. Instagram Reels and TikTok don't. All five also make their own auto captions, which are another kind of closed captions. They're free, but you can't style them, they only exist on that one platform, and the same guide notes they aren't accurate enough for accessibility without someone checking them.

What to use where

Instagram Reels and TikTok: burned in. You can't upload a caption file, so burning them in is the only way to get captions you've checked and styled. Plenty of people scroll these feeds with the sound off, and captions tell them what the video is about.

YouTube videos: a caption file. Viewers can choose a language, YouTube can read the text, and the picture stays clean for people who don't want captions.

YouTube Shorts and Facebook Reels: either, or both. Shorts look and scroll like Reels, so burned-in captions are the safe choice. Adding an SRT file as well lets viewers pick another language. If you do both, use the file for other languages only. Otherwise a viewer who turns on CC sees the same words twice.

The same video on several platforms: burned in. One file works everywhere and looks the same everywhere.

Making both from one project

In CapCap, the iPhone app we make, both come out of the same project. After captioning and checking your video, tap Export:

• Save Video to Photos App gives you the video with captions burned in.
• Export Subtitle (SRT) File gives you the closed-caption file.

There's a step-by-step guide to adding subtitles on iPhone, and one for exporting an SRT file for YouTube.

Tips for burned-in captions on vertical video

• Keep captions above the bottom of the frame. Reels, Shorts and TikTok put the caption, username and buttons over the lower part of the screen.
• Use 1 or 2 short lines at a time, so people can read them at a glance.
• Give the text an outline or a background so it stays readable on bright and busy shots.