This article teaches you how to turn on auto-captions for TikTok videos and photos for free, in two methods:
- Using the TikTok app
- Using SendShort, a powerful TikTok editor
Both methods are 100% free.
What are Captions on TikTok?
Captions on TikTok have two meanings: description and subtitles.
A video’s “caption” is also known as the description, while “captions” refer to the autop-subtitles feature.
TikTok introduced the auto-captions feature back in April 2021, and it works for any video on the platform in +25 languages.
How to Turn ON Captions on TikTok
Answer: The easiest way to turn on captions on TikTok is to long-press a video and select “Captions” to choose your preferred language.
Though, there are 2 methods — let’s take them one by one.
Method #1: In the TikTok app
- Open the TikTok app
- Find a video
- Long-press the screen
- Tap “Captions“
- Toggle on “Show captions (auto-generated)“
- Optional: Translate the video
This works for any video individually.
If you opt for translating the video, TikTok can automatically translate it in over 25 languages.
Method #2: In SendShort
SendShort is an AI software that automatically detects audio and adds subtitles to your TikToks. Yes, it works in any language!
Here’s how it works:
- Create a free SendShort account
- Upload your TikTok
- Choose a style for your captions
- Edit, delete, or add new captions to the video
- Download it
- Upload the video to TikTok
This app adds subtitles on the video itself, and they cannot be turned off — unlike on TikTok, where you can turn off captions.
How to Turn OFF Captions on TikTok
- Open the TikTok app
- Find a video and long-press it
- Tap “Captions“
- Switch off “Show captions (auto-generated)“
This will disable captions for all TikToks you’re going to watch.
FAQs
1. Does TikTok automatically add captions?
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.
2. Why can’t I see captions on TikTok?
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.
3. Why is TikTok showing captions?
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
