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HeyCaptions
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Captions & subtitles

Transcription

Subtitle tools

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Free YouTube subtitle generator

Create accurate subtitles for your YouTube videos and Shorts. Upload an SRT to YouTube Studio or burn eye-catching captions straight into your video.

Drop your video here

MP4, MOV, WEBM, MP3, WAV and more · up to 500 MB · 30 min

Your file is deleted automatically when you are done.

  • 100% free
  • No watermark
  • No sign-up
  • Auto-deleted

How it works

  1. 1

    Upload your video

    Drop a file or pick one from your phone. MP4, MOV, WEBM and more.

  2. 2

    AI does the timing

    Your speech is transcribed and every single word is timed automatically.

  3. 3

    Style & download

    Choose a style, fix any word and download your MP4 or SRT file.

Caption styles that keep viewers watching

From clean subtitles to bold, word-by-word animations. Every style works in all 99 languages and you can change fonts, colors and position.

  • Bold
  • Viral
  • Karaoke
  • Classic
  • Minimal
  • Boxed
  • Comic
  • Neon
  • Reveal
  • Cinema
  • Marker
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From clean subtitles to bold, word-by-word animations. Every style works in all 99 languages and you can change fonts, colors and position.
Video to text, in seconds

Video to text, in seconds

Need the words, not the captions? Get a full transcript with timestamps from any video or audio file and copy it with one click.

Transcribe a video
Every word, perfectly timed

Every word, perfectly timed

Tap a caption to jump to it, fix a word or highlight the important ones. Every change shows up instantly in the live preview.

Try the editor

Everything you need, nothing you don’t

  • Word-perfect auto timing

    Every word gets its own timestamp, so captions appear exactly when they are spoken.

  • Styles that go viral

    Bold, Karaoke, Viral, Neon, Boxed and more – made for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.

  • 99 languages

    Automatic language detection, from English and Spanish to Turkish and Japanese.

  • Edit like a document

    Fix any word in seconds and highlight the words that matter.

  • MP4, SRT, VTT & TXT

    Download a captioned video or subtitle files for any platform.

  • Private & auto-deleted

    Files are processed on our own servers and deleted as soon as you are done.

Better than automatic YouTube captions

YouTube’s automatic captions often miss names, brands and punctuation, and you can’t style them. With HeyCaptions you get a clean transcript you can correct before publishing, and you decide whether viewers see closed captions or burned-in captions.

For long videos, upload the SRT file in YouTube Studio so viewers can switch subtitles on and off. For Shorts, burn animated word-by-word captions into the video.

Subtitles help your videos get found

A subtitle file gives YouTube the full text of your video. That helps it understand your topic – and viewers who watch with the sound off or in a second language are more likely to keep watching.

Frequently asked questions

How do I upload subtitles to YouTube?

In YouTube Studio, open the video, go to Subtitles, choose Add language, then Upload file → With timing and select the SRT file you downloaded here.

Should I burn captions into my YouTube Shorts?

Yes. Most viewers don’t turn on closed captions for Shorts, so burned-in captions are the best way to make sure everyone can read along.

Which videos can I upload?

Videos you own or have the rights to use. To caption a video already on your channel, download the original from YouTube Studio and upload it here.

Is HeyCaptions really free?

Yes, 100% free. No sign-up, no watermark and no paid “export” step.

What happens to my video?

Your file is only used to create your captions. It is processed on our own servers and permanently deleted as soon as you are done – at the latest 30 minutes after your last activity. We never use your files for anything else.

Which languages are supported?

HeyCaptions recognizes 99 spoken languages, including English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Turkish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Hindi and Arabic. The language is detected automatically.

Are there any limits?

Files can be up to 500 MB and 30 minutes long. MP4, MOV, WEBM, MKV, AVI, MP3, WAV, M4A and most other formats work.

Does it work on my phone?

Yes. HeyCaptions works in any modern browser on iPhone, Android, tablets and computers – no app needed.

More free tools

Ready to caption your video?

It’s free, it’s fast and there’s no watermark.

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