How to add subtitles to a video for free.
Last updated: July 2, 2026
Adding subtitles breaks down into two separate problems: getting a subtitle file that matches your video's timing, and attaching it. Most guides skip straight to the second part and skip the part people actually get stuck on.
What you actually need
Two things: your video file, and a subtitle file — SRT or VTT — whose timestamps line up with the speech in that video. Everything else is just how you combine the two.
Getting the subtitle file
You have three realistic options. Write the timings by hand in a text editor — technically free, but slow and easy to get wrong on anything longer than a minute. Use a video editor's built-in caption tool if you already edit in one — convenient if you're already there, though quality varies a lot between editors. Or use a transcription tool that outputs ready-to-use SRT/VTT files directly — TranSpeaker, for instance, gives new accounts 10 free credits, enough to generate captions for your first files without paying anything.
Attaching subtitles without burning them in
Most platforms support "soft" subtitles: a separate file uploaded alongside your video that viewers can toggle on or off. YouTube accepts an SRT or VTT upload directly against an existing video. On your own website, the HTML5 <video> tag accepts a VTT file through the <track> element with zero extra libraries. Most desktop editors can also attach a soft subtitle track without re-rendering the video at all.
This is almost always the better choice: it keeps the video file untouched, lets viewers turn captions off, and means fixing a typo later is a one-line edit instead of a full re-export.
Burning subtitles into the video (hard subs)
Sometimes you need captions permanently visible in the picture itself — typically for platforms that don't support a separate caption track. Most video editors can overlay a subtitle file and render it directly into the frame. It works everywhere the video itself plays, at the cost of a slower export and no way to turn the captions off or swap the language afterward.
Quick checklist before publishing
Watch at least the first and last minute to confirm the timing actually lines up — drift tends to show up at the edges first. Double-check spelling on names, brands and any jargon, since those are exactly what automatic transcription is most likely to get wrong. And keep the original SRT/VTT file even after you've burned in a hard-sub version — you'll want it if you ever need to re-render in another language.