How to add auto captions to a video
- Add your video. Open Uploads in the editor above and pick a video from your computer or phone. MP4 and MOV work best.
- Choose the language. In the Text panel, leave Any language or pick the one spoken in your video for better accuracy.
- Click Make captions. The first time, Snipply downloads a small speech model (about 40 MB). After that it starts straight away, even for long videos, and you can keep editing while it listens.
- Fix any words. Tap a caption on the timeline or on the video to edit its text or move its timing.
- Style them. Change the font, colour, size and animation, then copy the style to every caption.
- Export. Click Export to burn the captions into an MP4, or Download .srt to get a subtitle file.
Why add captions to your videos?
Most people scroll through Reels, Shorts and TikToks with the sound off. Captions keep them watching, make your videos accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, and help people follow along in noisy places or in a second language. Word-by-word highlighted captions, the style used by many popular creators, draw the eye to what is being said right now.
Private by design
Many caption tools upload your video to a server. Snipply does not. The speech recognition (a Whisper model) runs inside your browser, so your video and audio stay on your device. That also means there are no upload waits and no limits on video length beyond what your device can handle.
Burned-in captions or an SRT file?
Burned-in captions are drawn onto the video, so they show everywhere, look exactly as you styled them and can't be turned off. Use them for Reels, Shorts and TikTok. An .srt file keeps the captions separate. Upload it to YouTube, Facebook or a course platform, and viewers can turn captions on or off. Snipply gives you both from the same captions.
Tips for accurate captions
- Clear speech with little background music gives the best results.
- Pick the spoken language instead of Any language if words come out wrong.
- Use the voice settings to reduce background noise before making captions.
Frequently asked questions
Are the auto captions really free?
Yes. Snipply is free, has no watermark and needs no account. There is no limit on how many videos you caption.
Is my video uploaded anywhere?
No. The speech recognition runs inside your browser. Only the speech model is downloaded, once, the first time you make captions. Your video and audio never leave your device.
Which languages are supported?
Pick Any language and Snipply detects it, or choose English, Hindi, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic or Japanese for better accuracy.
How do I get an SRT subtitle file?
After making captions, click Download .srt in the Text panel. Use .vtt instead for web video players. The file includes any edits you made.
Can I change how the captions look?
Yes. Tap any caption to change its font, colour, size, position and animation, then copy the style to all captions at once.