How to Add Captions on TikTok: 3 Easy TikTok Caption Methods

Key takeaways:

• Boost video accessibility: Adding captions makes TikTok videos inclusive for viewers who are hard of hearing.
• Improve engagement on TikTok: Captions help retain viewers who watch videos without sound, increasing likes, comments, and shares.
• Increase your reach: TikTok's algorithm uses captions for search, boosting video discoverability.
• Use Riverside for precise captions: Riverside offers customizable caption tools, audio enhancements, and branding options for polished TikTok content.

Adding captions is key to making your TikToks more accessible and engaging.

However, even TikTok's relatively simple captioning features have a learning curve. This article outlines the exact steps for adding captions to your TikToks, highlighting several popular options for doing so. Get ready to boost your viewership and connect with a broader audience!

Why should you add captions to TikTok videos?

Adding captions to your TikTok videos offers a variety of benefits that can enhance the overall impact and success of your content. They are essential for creating inclusive, engaging, and impactful content. Here's how:

Captions enhance accessibility

People who are hard of hearing rely on captions. Adding captions to your video allows everyone to enjoy and understand your content regardless of hearing ability. 

Captions increase engagement

Captions significantly boost viewer engagement. The data shows that 75% of people watch videos on their mobile phones with the sound off. Captions let viewers follow along without needing to turn on their sound. They’re more likely to watch the whole video and thus like, comment, and share, boosting engagement. 

Also, captions capture viewers’ attention by providing a visual anchor that automatically focuses their eyes on the screen. 

Captions can improve reach

TikTok’s data shows that captions can improve video impressions by more than 55%. That’s because TikTok’s algorithm uses video captions to make search query results relevant to the user. Using captions increases the likelihood you’ll be found when someone searches for a particular keyword related to your content. 

Captions aid comprehension

Even if the viewer has 10/10 hearing, captions can improve comprehension. Background noise, fast-paced speech, or accents can sometimes make it difficult to catch every word. 

Captions give clarity, making sure your message is exactly understood as intended. 

How to add captions on TikTok

Adding captions to your TikTok videos is easy; we’ll provide step-by-step instructions.

The first option is using TikTok's auto-captions feature, which automatically generates captions for your TikTok videos. 

However, these auto-captions can be prone to errors, so be sure to proofread them before publishing content. 

Step 1: Record or upload

You can record a video directly in the app or upload a pre-recorded video from your gallery. 

To get started, click on the “+” icon. 

If you want to upload, click on the box at the bottom right corner of the screen. This will open the gallery, where you can upload a video you’ve already recorded. Once you’ve added the video, click the red “Next” button. 

To record a video, choose your video length from 15 seconds, 60 seconds, or up to 10 minutes. Alternatively, press and hold the white camera button to start recording. Release the button to stop recording. You can also use TikTok’s timer feature to record hands-free.

Step 2: Turn on captions

On the right side menu, look for a toolbar with various icons. You’ll find the “Captions” icon here (if you don’t see it at first glance, click the down-facing arrow). 

Wait for the audio to be processed. Once done, your captions will be ready for you to review and edit. 

Step 3: Review captions

Now, it’s time to review the captions. Click on the captions. Then tap the “Play” button next to each line and check if your captions match the content of your video. You can tap the text and retype captions if you need to make changes.

Note: Unfortunately, caption timing in TikTok is automatic, so you can’t edit it if you don’t like how it lines up.

When you’re finished reviewing, click “Save” to finalize. 

Step 4: Post your video

Once done, click the red “Next” button, enter the description and hashtags, and press “Post” to share your video. 

How to add captions to TikTok videos with captioning software

If you're not satisfied with the options you are given by TikTok’s built-in captioning tools, don't worry. You can use an app like Riverside to generate captions that are accurate, perfectly synced, and look great. 

Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Record or upload your video

Log into your Riverside account. Create a new studio or go to an existing one.

To record a new video, click “Record.” Or, to upload an existing video, click “Upload.” 

After recording or uploading, hover over your recording and click “Edit” to go to the editor. 

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See the "Create with AI" button? That's another great option Riverside gives you. If you have longer footage and want to turn it into multiple TikTok videos automatically, Riverside's Magic Clips can do just that. It uses AI to analyze your content and turns a longer video into several shorter, shareable clips.

Step 2: Edit your video for TikTok

First, to should ensure your video is optimized for TikTok when you're on the editing screen. To do so, click the aspect ratio button at the top and select 9:16. 

To trim the recording, you can use Riverside's text-based editor. By deleting the text, you also delete the corresponding section in the video.

If you’re using the timeline, select the section you want to cut out and click “Delete.”

Step 3: Add and edit your captions

To add captions, click “Captions” on the right side. You’ll find options to add captions in various fonts and formats here. 

You can drag the captions box around your video to find the proper placement. You can also use the toolbar to change the font, style, size, color, alignment, and more. 

To edit the text in your captions, simply edit the transcript on the left side of the screen. 

Step 4: Finish editing your TikTok video

Before exporting, make sure your video is ready for TikTok and is of the utmost quality. Riverside has plenty of other tools to help you do that: 

• Enhance your audio: Enhance the audio using “AI Producer,” located on the right-side menu of your editor. Here, you can remove silences and filler words and enhance your audio with Riverside's AI Audio Enhancer Tool.

• Add overlays: Add text overlays by clicking the “Text” tool on the right sidebar. Choose from various options, and position this text anywhere in the frame. You can add image overlays by clicking “Images” on the sidebar. You’ll have a choice to either upload an image or choose one from our collection of royalty-free photos. Riverside also allows you to add video and music overlays to your videos.

• Brand your video: For an extra touch, click “Brand” to upload or add your logo and background.

Step 5: Export your video

That’s it! All that’s left to do is export the footage.

Click on “Export” at the top right corner of the screen. Before exporting, you have even more options for improving the quality of your video, such as normalizing audio and removing background noise. 

Choose at least 1080p for video resolution, as this is the highest resolution that TikTok can handle.  

Then click “Export video.”

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A pop-up will appear saying, “Exporting your edit.” Click on “Go to exports.”

Step 6: Share your video on TikTok

Hover over your exported video and click the “Share” arrow in the top left corner. Then select TikTok. Scan the QR code with your phone camera to continue. 

On your phone, click on “Open in browser.” Tap the “Share” button and click on TikTok on the following screen. You should now be able to post your video on TikTok. 

How to add captions to TikTok manually

If you want to create your captions in TikTok but don’t want to use an automatic caption generator, you can choose to add captions to your TikTok manually. This method is quite laborious, though, and isn’t recommended. 

Step 1: Record or upload your video 

You can either record a video directly in the app or upload a pre-recorded video from your device’s gallery. 

To do either, click on the “+” icon. 

If you want to upload a video, click the box at the bottom right corner of the screen. This will open your device’s gallery, where you can upload a video you’ve already recorded. Once you’ve added the video, click the red “Next” button. 

If you want to record, click and hold the white record button. To stop recording, release the record button. You can also use TikTok’s timer feature to record hands-free. When you’re done, click the “red check” button. 

Step 2: Add manual captions

On the menu on the right side, click the “Text” icon. 

Type the first sentence of the video manually. Then click on the text and “Set duration.”

Below “Selected Sticker lasts for X seconds,” adjust the slider to set when the caption should appear and disappear.

Repeat this process for each segment of the video. 

Step 3: Review captions

Make sure your caption is synced well with the video, and make changes if necessary. 

Step 4: Post video

Once done, click the red “Next” button, enter the description, hashtags, and other relevant details, and press “Post” to share your video. 

How to edit and add captions to a TikTok video after posting

Unfortunately, there’s no way to edit captions after posting a TikTok. This is because the text that appears onscreen is part of your video content, regardless of how you created your captions.

The only option is to delete your video and republish it with the correct captions applied. This isn't ideal, especially if your video already has substantial views or engagements. This is why it's so important to double-check your TikTok captions before publishing them.

Tips and best practices for using TikTok captions

Using TikTok captions effectively can elevate your content and ensure your message resonates with a wider audience. Here are some tips to keep in mind when using TikTok captions:

• Make a clear recording: When recording content, speak clearly so automated systems generate accurate captions. We recommend using Riverside, because it allows you to record at up to 48 kHz for professional-grade sound.
• Adjust language settings: Make sure your captions are generated in your language. Review the language settings in the TikTok app. You can also use Riverside to create accurate captions in 100+ languages.
• Style for clarity: Make sure your captions are clear. Choose colors, fonts, and placements that are easy to see.
• Make them pop: Use fonts and colors to match the video's mood. If your video is lighthearted, keep your caption lighthearted, too. In Riverside, you can choose from a range of colors, styles, and fonts to make your captions look any way you want them to!
• Proofread - and proofread again: ALWAYS double-check your captions before publishing your video. This way, you avoid errors in your final content. Remember that captions on live TikTok content can’t be edited!

FAQs on how to add captions on TikTok

Why can’t I add captions on TikTok?

If you're having trouble adding captions on TikTok, there could be several reasons behind the issue. Below we'll talk about some common causes and how they might affect your ability to add captions:

• Account restrictions: Certain TikTok features, including captions, might be restricted to new or underage accounts. Check your account settings to ensure you have full access to these features.
• Unsupported video format: Videos with unsupported file formats or codecs may not allow captions. TikTok works best with MP4 files encoded with H.264.
• Poor audio quality: Automatic captions rely on clear audio to detect and transcribe speech. Background noise, low volume, or muffled voices can interfere with this process.
• Outdated app version: Using an outdated version of TikTok may prevent you from accessing newer features, such as captions. Make sure your app is updated to the latest version.
• Regional restrictions: Some TikTok features, including captions, might not be available in all regions. Check TikTok's feature availability in your country.
• Technical glitches: Temporary bugs or glitches in the app can sometimes cause features like captions to malfunction. Try restarting the app or reinstalling it if issues persist.
• Disabled automatic captions: If you’ve disabled automatic captions in your TikTok settings or skipped enabling them during video editing, they won’t appear. Revisit your settings to enable this feature.

How do you move captions on TikTok?

To move captions on TikTok, simply tap and hold on the caption and drag it to the desired position on the screen. Note that you can only do this before posting your video and can't make any more edits once the video is live.

How can I turn TikTok captions on and off TikTok when watching videos?

It depends on the type of captions. Here's a breakdown of the two types and how they work:

• Embedded captions (part of the video): The creator adds these captions during editing. hey are burned into the video, much like open captions. Since they are part of the video, you cannot toggle them off or hide them while watching.
• Auto-generated captions (added by TikTok): TikTok's auto-generated captions can be toggled on or off while watching videos:
  1. Turn captions on: If captions are available, they will appear automatically. If not, the creator might not have enabled them.
  2. Turn captions off: Tap on them while watching a video. An option to hide them should appear. Select "Hide Captions" to remove them from the screen.

Ensure your app is updated if you don’t see an option to toggle captions. Older versions may lack this functionality.