How to Add Captions to TikTok Videos

Adding captions to your TikTok videos is one of the quickest ways to improve watch time and make your content accessible to a much wider audience. For something that takes just a few extra minutes, the return on engagement is significant. This guide will walk you through exactly how to add captions using TikTok's built-in tools, what to do when you need more creative control, and some simple best practices to make your captions stand out.

Why Captions on TikTok Are a Game-Changer

Before jumping into the "how," it's helpful to understand why captions are no longer just an optional extra. They are a fundamental part of a successful video strategy that directly impacts who sees your content and how they interact with it.

1. They Make Your Content Accessible

First and foremost, captions open up your content to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. This is about more than just compliance, it's about being inclusive and ensuring everyone can enjoy what you create. By ignoring captions, you're unintentionally excluding a significant portion of the potential audience.

2. Most People Watch Without Sound

Think about where you scroll through TikTok: on the bus, in a quiet office, waiting in line, or late at night next to a sleeping partner. Reports consistently show a huge number of users - some studies say up to 85% on platforms like Facebook - watch videos with the sound off. Without captions, a talking-head video is just silent gesturing. Captions grab their attention immediately and pull them into your story, even if they can't turn the volume up.

3. They Boost Watch Time and Engagement

Captions keep eyeballs on the screen. When someone is reading along, they're more actively engaged than if they were just passively listening. This increased engagement and longer watch time send a powerful signal to the TikTok algorithm: people like this video. As a result, the algorithm is more likely to push your content to a broader audience on the "For You" page.

4. They Improve Clarity and Comprehension

Not everyone can hear or understand you perfectly. Whether it's due to loud background noise in your video, a strong accent, fast talking, or industry-specific jargon, captions eliminate confusion. They ensure your message lands exactly as you intended, making your content more effective and easier to follow.

5. Your Videos Become More Discoverable (TikTok SEO)

TikTok is becoming a powerful search engine, and the platform's algorithm analyzes everything to understand what your video is about, including the text on screen. The words in your captions are searchable. If you create a video reviewing a new "air fryer," having the words "air fryer" in your auto-generated captions can help your video show up when someone searches for that term. Learn more about how to understand the TikTok algorithm to maximize your reach.

How to Add Captions Using TikTok’s Built-In Tools

For most creators, TikTok’s native auto-captioning tool is the fastest and most convenient method. It’s surprisingly accurate and gives you enough customization options for a clean, professional look.

Here’s the step-by-step process:

Step 1: Record or Upload Your Video

Start by either recording a new video directly in the TikTok app or uploading a pre-recorded clip from your phone’s camera roll. Film an entire session just as you normally would, and then proceed to the editing screen by tapping the red checkmark.

Step 2: Find the 'Captions' Tool

Once you’re on the video editing screen, look at the vertical toolbar on the right side. You’ll see icons for Text, Stickers, Effects, and more. Tap on the downward-pointing arrow to expand the full list of tools if you don't see it immediately. Find and tap the icon labeled Captions.

Step 3: Let TikTok Generate the Captions

After you tap 'Captions,' a pop-up will appear. Make sure the sound source is set to "From video" to transcribe your audio, and then tap Turn on captions. TikTok’s AI will analyze a transcript within a few seconds. When it’s done, you'll see the generated text appear at the bottom-left of your video preview.

Step 4: Edit for Accuracy (The Most Important Step)

Auto-generating technology is impressive, but it’s not perfect. It often misspells names, misinterprets slang, or gets punctuation wrong. Never skip this step. Tap on the generated text at the bottom-left or tap the edit icon (it looks like a document with a pencil). This opens up the caption editor.

Here, you can review every word TikTok transcribed. You can:

• Correct spelling, grammatical errors, and punctuation.
• Capitalize proper nouns or the beginning of sentences.
• Combine or split text blocks for better pacing by using the merge/split icons or by editing the text directly.

Take your time here. A silly typo can undermine your credibility or become an unintentional distraction. Once you're happy with the text, tap Save in the top-right corner.

Step 5: Customize Your Caption Style

Now that your text is accurate, it's time to make it look good. Tap on the captions on your video preview screen one more time. You'll now have options to change the look and feel:

• Font: Choose a font that matches your brand’s personality but is still easy to read. Avoid overly scripty or decorative fonts that can be hard to decipher on a small screen.
• Color: Select a color for your text. Pro-tip: For maximum readability, add a background highlight or a text shadow. White text with a black outline or background is classic and works against nearly any video backdrop.
• Alignment: Align your text to the left, center, or right. Centered text often works best for short lines.

Position the captions on the screen by dragging them with your finger. Be mindful of TikTok’s "safe zones." Keep them away from the very bottom (where the video description and icons live) and the right side (where the like, comment, and share buttons are). The best spot is usually slightly above the bottom of the screen, in the center.

Step 6: Finalize and Post

After stylizing, hit 'Next.' You can now add your video description, relevant hashtags, tag accounts, and adjust your post settings. When you’re ready, tap Post, and your fully-captioned video will go live.

Adding Captions with Third-Party Apps (For More Creative Control)

TikTok’s built-in tool is great, but sometimes you need more. You might want dynamic, word-by-word animated captions (often called the "Alex Hormozi style"), more font choices, or pre-designed templates. In these cases, a third-party app is your best bet. The process involves creating the captions in another app, exporting the video with the captions "burned in," and then uploading that final file to TikTok.

Here are a few popular options:

• CapCut: Owned by the same parent company as TikTok, CapCut is a powerhouse free video editor with an excellent auto-caption feature. It integrates seamlessly with TikTok and offers tons of animations and styles.
• Captions: This is a dedicated app built specifically for generating stylish, attention-grabbing subtitles. It uses AI to not only transcribe but also to highlight keywords, add emojis, and create dynamic effects.
• Premiere Rush or Other Video Editors: If you already edit your videos on a desktop or mobile NLE (non-linear editor), you can often create captions there.

Example Workflow using CapCut:

1. Import Your Video: Open CapCut and start a new project with the video you want to caption.
2. Auto-Generate Captions: Tap the Text tool in the bottom menu, then select Auto Captions. Choose your sound source and let the app do its work.
3. Edit and Stylize: Just like in TikTok, review the text for accuracy. Then, use CapCut’s extensive style menu to customize fonts, colors, stroke, background, and animations. You can even apply animations to make words appear one by one.
4. Export and Upload: Once you're satisfied, export the video from CapCut in high resolution. The captions will be permanently part of the video file. Then, simply open TikTok, upload this new clip, and post it as usual. The major advantage of "burned-in" captions is that they will always stick and be visible if people view the video outside the TikTok app, like on a desktop.

Best Practices for Effective TikTok Captions

Knowing how to add captions is only half the battle. Following a few best practices will make sure they enhance - not detract from - your video.

Test for Readability: Always choose high-contrast color combinations. White text on a black background, or vice versa, is fail-safe. If your video has a very busy background, use a solid background highlight on your text to make it pop.

Keep Lines Short: Display one or two short, easily readable lines on the screen at a time. This makes it easy for viewers to keep up without having to pause. Good captioning software usually handles this breakdown automatically, but you can always manually split longer sentences.

Positioning is Important: Keep your captions clear of the user interface elements at the bottom and right of the screen. The lower-center third of the screen is typically the safest and most effective position.

Be On-Brand: Your captions are an extension of your creativity. Use font styles and colors that align with your overall brand aesthetic. Just remember the most important rule: your captions must be readable.

Don’t Set and Forget: We mentioned this previously but feel the need to highlight it again. No matter the captioning software or system, they're still only working at 95% perfection right now. The other 5% has to be fixed by a human correcting silly spelling of words.

Final Thoughts

Adding captions is a small step in your creation process that delivers a massive impact. It makes your content more inclusive, improves viewer engagement, and even helps your videos get discovered. Whether you use TikTok's quick and easy built-in tool or jump into an app like CapCut for more flair, making captions a standard part of your workflow is a must for any serious creator.

Of course, once your perfectly-captioned video is ready, the next step is making sure it gets published at the ideal time without the headache. That’s why we built Postbase with a "video-first" mindset. Instead of treating formats like TikToks and Reels as an afterthought, our scheduling and planning tools are designed for them from the ground up, making it simple to manage your content across all platforms without fighting a clunky interface that was designed a decade ago.