How to Add Captions to YouTube Shorts
There are two ways to get captions on a Short, and each suits a different goal. Here is how to do both.
Two kinds of captions
- Burned-in captions are part of the video picture. They always show, and you control the style. Best for Shorts, because many people watch with sound off.
- Subtitle files (SRT) are uploaded to YouTube. Viewers can switch them on or off, and YouTube can translate them. Availability for Shorts can change, so check YouTube Studio.
Burn captions into your Short
- Upload your voiceover or video to the video caption generator.
- Choose Roman Urdu or English.
- Fix the text and timing, pick a style and export.
- Upload the captioned video as a Short. Keep it vertical (9:16) and within YouTube's length limit for Shorts.
Upload a subtitle file instead
Create an SRT with the SRT file generator, then open the video in YouTube Studio and look for the Subtitles section.
Write the title, description and hashtags
Put the strongest words at the start of the title. Add a short description and a few relevant hashtags. The YouTube Shorts caption generator drafts all three in English or Roman Urdu.
Checklist
- Captions stay out of the bottom area where YouTube shows its interface.
- Names and numbers are spelled correctly.
- The title makes sense without the video.
The broader process for all three platforms is in adding subtitles to Reels, TikTok and Shorts.