TikTok captions are the reason why people get so many views. With over 1.5 billion users in 2025, TikTok is one of the best social apps to grow your content — and subtitles are one of the best ways to effectively improve your posts.
This article teaches you how to add captions/subtitles to TikTok videos:
Let’s waste no time and jump into it.
TikTok is a short-form video app that exploded to over a billion users because it’s simple, addictive, and insanely viral. You post a video, the algorithm shows it to the right people, and boom—your content takes off.
It’s not just dances and lip-syncs anymore. It’s a marketing machine, a creative playground, and a platform where everyday people turn into influencers overnight. If you’re not on TikTok, you’re leaving attention on the table.
Answer: You can add captions in the TikTok app by inserting text and manually setting its on-screen appearance, or you can use an online AI like SendShort which listens to your video and auto-generates captions.
Fear not, we’ll take you through both methods — starting with TikTok’s way.
Let’s take them one by one.
While TikTok’s method may not be 100% reliable, we’re going to show you the best method just after this one. On the other hand, TikTok’s method is really the quickest way to add subtitles.
Answer: You can turn captions on/off within the TikTok app by long-pressing the video and selecting “Captions” to choose your preferred language.
This works for any video individually.
If you opt for translating the video, TikTok can automatically translate it in over 25 languages.
Answer: To disable TikTok’s captions, you have just to long-press the video, go to “Captions” and tick off the box for “Show captions (auto-generated)”.
This is the simple step-by-step process:
This will disable captions for all TikToks you’re going to watch.
Answer: The most efficient free, but rather complicated, method to add captions to TikTok is to manually insert them. To do this, you just have to insert text and manually set its length on the timeline.
This is the step-by-step process:
It’s a bit complicated, but it does the job if you don’t want to use another app but TikTok.
Answer: The most efficient and accurate way to add captions to your TikTok videos is through a free AI like SendShort, which automatically generates captions with +10 customizations.
Here’s how it works:
This app adds subtitles on the video itself, and they cannot be turned off — unlike on TikTok, where you can turn off captions.
At SendShort, we’ve got so many caption styles which you can use. Feel free to replicate the style of your favourite TikToker!
The main reason to add captions to a TikTok is to increase accessibility.
Overall, captions are an essential tool for maximizing engagement, accessibility, and visibility on TikTok, enhancing the overall viewer experience.
Captions make content accessible to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, ensuring that everyone can engage with your videos. This inclusivity broadens your audience and fosters a sense of community.
Many users watch TikTok videos without sound, particularly in public or noisy settings. Captions allow these viewers to understand and enjoy your content without needing to turn on the audio.
Captions can help keep viewers focused on your content, encouraging them to watch all the way through. This increased retention can lead to higher engagement rates, such as likes and shares.
Captions can assist non-native speakers in understanding the dialogue better. By reading along while watching, viewers can improve their language skills and comprehension.
TikTok may index captions for search purposes, making your videos more discoverable. Well-written captions that include relevant keywords can help your content appear in searches related to your niche.
Find out how to improve your TikTok SEO game.
Use concise language to quickly capture attention. Short captions are easier to read and can be more impactful, encouraging viewers to engage with your content.
Incorporate relevant keywords and hashtags to improve discoverability. This helps your videos reach a wider audience and appear in searches related to your niche.
Emojis can make your captions more visually engaging and fun. They can help convey emotions and break up text, making your captions more eye-catching.
Learn how to add emoji subtitles to a TikTok.
Encourage viewers to interact by including a call to action, such as asking them to like, share, or comment. CTAs prompt engagement and can help increase visibility.
Ensure your caption matches the tone and message of your video. Consistency between the caption and the content enhances viewer understanding and engagement.
Pay attention to the timing of your captions, especially if they include important points or dialogue. Make sure they appear on screen long enough for viewers to read comfortably.
Double-check your captions for spelling and grammar errors. Clear, error-free captions reflect professionalism and help maintain viewer trust.
For adding subtitles to TikTok videos, SendShort is the best software, offering easy, high-quality captioning to enhance engagement and accessibility.
Here’s why SendShort stands out for TikTok subtitles:
Using SendShort, you can add professional-quality subtitles that make your TikTok content more accessible and engaging, keeping viewers watching and boosting interaction.
Keep learning about this in our list of the best TikTok caption apps.
Yes, TikTok has an automatic captioning feature that transcribes speech in videos. This feature needs to be enabled by the creator.
Alternatively, creators may use SendShort.ai to add captions.
You can’t see TikTok captions because the creator didn’t add them, or you haven’t enabled them. To enable, long-press the video and click “Captions” and switch them on.
TikTok shows captions to improve accessibility and help viewers understand the content better, especially in noisy environments or for those with hearing impairments.
They’ve worked with organizations like The Deaf Collective to make systems detecting speech and putting it into captions.
Thanks a lot for reading this,
David Ch
Head of the Editing Team at SendShort
David leads the editing team at SendShort. With this help, the team delivers the latest guides on using your favorite social media apps and creating short-form content.
