Before you upload
Make the subtitle file from the exact version you uploaded to YouTube. If you trimmed the intro after making the SRT, every line will be early by that amount. Check the file opens in a text editor and reads correctly; how to edit an SRT file covers quick fixes for names, line breaks and timing.
YouTube accepts several caption formats; SRT and VTT are the common ones. Keep the file in UTF-8 so accented letters and non-Latin scripts display correctly.
Upload a subtitle file with timing
- Open YouTube Studio and choose Subtitles from the left menu.
- Select the video.
- If the video's language isn't set, set it. Then choose Add language and pick the language of your file.
- In that language's row, choose Add under Subtitles.
- Choose Upload file, then With timing, and select your .srt or .vtt.
- Review the preview, then publish.
The track now appears in the video's subtitle menu under that language. Automatic captions, where YouTube makes them, stay listed separately and marked as auto-generated.
Upload without timing
If you have a transcript with no timestamps, choose Without timing instead. YouTube matches the text to the audio and sets the timings itself. This works best when the transcript is close to word for word; summaries or heavily edited text don't align well. A timestamped SRT gives you more control, which is why the with-timing option is the better default.
Adding more languages
Repeat the steps for each language: Add language, choose the language, Add, upload the file. Viewers see every language you publish in the subtitle menu. Translated tracks are worth having for audiences who don't speak the video's language; translated subtitles covers reading speed and the languages available, and translating YouTube titles and descriptions covers the metadata that goes with them.
YouTube also offers viewers machine translation of captions on the fly. A track you upload in a language replaces that guesswork for viewers who pick it; YouTube auto-translate explains the difference.
A creator uploads her English SRT, then runs the same video again with Spanish as the target and uploads that SRT as a Spanish track. Viewers in Mexico now see "Spanish" in the menu instead of relying on auto-translated captions made from YouTube's automatic English ones.
Editing after upload
Open the language row in the Subtitles page and choose to edit. You can fix text and adjust timings in the editor, or re-upload a corrected file. Fixing typos in a source SRT and re-uploading is often faster for many changes, especially across several languages.
Making the SRT with mydubly
Upload the same file you published to YouTube to the subtitle generator. It stays on your device; only its audio is sent. You get SRT and VTT files in the spoken language, or translated into one of 21 languages, for 1 credit per minute. Each run produces one language; run again for each additional language. The YouTube subtitles page covers the channel workflow end to end, and do captions help YouTube SEO covers what captions can and can't do for discovery.
Limits and common problems
- Lines early or late: the file came from a different version of the video. Regenerate from the published file.
- Long lines: automatic subtitles come one line per cue with no fixed limit. YouTube wraps them, but splitting long cues reads better on phones.
- No speaker names or sound descriptions in automatic files; add them for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- YouTube's interface changes over time. If a menu label differs, look for the Subtitles page and the language row; the flow stays the same.
Subtitles for an existing back catalogue
Channels with years of uploads can add subtitles gradually. Start with the videos that still get steady views, since they benefit first, then work back. Keep one folder per video with the published file, the SRT for each language and any corrections, so a later fix doesn't mean starting again. Translating a YouTube back catalogue covers prioritising and batching, and a multilingual YouTube channel weighs subtitles on one channel against separate channels per language.
Subtitles, audio tracks and dubbing
Subtitle tracks are one way to reach viewers in another language. YouTube also supports extra audio tracks on eligible channels, so a viewer can hear a dubbed version. Many channels do both: subtitles for every language they can produce cheaply, and a dubbed track for their largest second audience. YouTube multi-language audio explains the audio side.
Before uploading a translated track, ask someone who reads the language to watch two or three minutes with it switched on. They'll catch an awkward phrase or a mistranslated name faster than any tool, and a short check on the first video of a series sets the standard for the rest.
Frequently asked questions
Can I upload an SRT file to YouTube?
Yes. In YouTube Studio, open Subtitles, select the video, add the language, choose Add, then Upload file and With timing.
What's the difference between with timing and without timing?
With timing uses your file's timestamps. Without timing takes plain text and lets YouTube set the timings by matching it to the audio.
How do I add subtitles in several languages on YouTube?
Add each language in the Subtitles page and upload one file per language.
Do uploaded subtitles replace YouTube's automatic captions?
They are listed alongside them. Viewers choose a track; your uploaded track is the one marked with the language name without auto-generated.
Which subtitle formats does YouTube accept?
SRT and VTT are the common ones; YouTube also accepts several other caption formats.
My uploaded subtitles are early. Why?
The file was made from a different version of the video, usually before a trim. Make the SRT from the exact file you uploaded.
Can I upload subtitles to a video that's already public?
Yes. Adding or editing subtitle tracks doesn't change the video itself, its link or its views, so you can add languages to old uploads at any time.