In this guide, I’m teaching you how to add, for free:
- Captions to any Instagram post
- Subtitles for Instagram Reels videos
How to Add Captions to Instagram Reels
Answer: Launch the Instagram app and upload your video. Open the “Stickers” menu and select “Captions” for them to automatically appear on your video.
- Upload a Reel → Open the “Stickers” menu
- Select “Captions“
- Wait ~15 seconds (for Instagram to transcribe)
- Your video now has captions
Pro Tip: Tap the text to change/edit the appearance of your video’s captions.
You’ve got many styles to choose from.
Add *Multiple* Captions to Reels
- Open the Instagram app
- Upload a video
- Tap “Aa” → Type a caption
- Repeat step 3
You can add as many captions (or as much text) as you need!
👇 This section is about adding those fancy, colored subtitles on top of your Reels.
How to Put Subtitles on Instagram Reels
Answer: To add subtitles to Instagram Reels, create a free SendShort.ai account and upload your video. The AI automatically detects and adds them.
- Sign up for SendShort
- Upload your Instagram Reel
- Customize the style of your subtitles
- Export & Upload to Instagram
Just like on Instagram, you’ve got many models to choose from.
However, the upside of SendShort in comparison to Instagram is that it adds these super fancy, modern subtitles — those that keep users hooked to your content.
Pro Tip: SendShort adds subtitles in any language.
That’s it 🙌!
FAQ
1. Can I add captions to Reels?
Answer: Yes, you can add captions to Reels by using Instagram’s “Captions” sticker or manually typing text.
The “Captions” sticker automatically generates captions from spoken words in the video.
2. Does Instagram add subtitles?
Answer: Yes and no.
Instagram gives you the option to add captions to your videos, but not fancy subtitles. For subtitles, use SendShort to add them automatically in any language.
3. Does Instagram automatically add captions to Reels?
Answer: No, Instagram Reels doesn’t have automatic captions.
You can do it with SendShort, or with the “Auto-Captions” sticker when uploading Reels.
Thanks a lot for reading this,
David Ch
Head of the Editing Team at SendShort
