How to Create and Edit Accurate YouTube Captions

Making your video content accessible is not just a best practice, it's a necessity. A change with digital accessibility law going into effect April 2026, which requires Purdue University to comply with the updated regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Adding captions (also known as closed captions or subtitles) to your YouTube videos is the key to reaching deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, those who watch videos in sound-sensitive environments, and even audiences who speak other languages.

While YouTube automatically generates captions, these are often inaccurate due to background noise, accents, or complex terminology. The only way to ensure quality and accessibility is to create or edit them yourself.

This guide will walk you through the process of creating and fine-tuning your video captions directly within YouTube Studio.

The Essential First Step: Navigating to YouTube Studio

Before you begin, ensure your video is uploaded and processed on YouTube.

  1. Sign in to your YouTube account.
  2. Navigate to YouTube Studio.
  3. From the left-hand menu, select Subtitles (sometimes labeled Captions).
  4. Find the video you wish to caption and click on its title or the pencil icon (Details) next to it.
  5. On the video's details page, look for the navigation options and select Subtitles.

Method 1: Editing YouTube's Automatic Captions

YouTube's auto-generated captions are a great starting point since you won’t have to transcribe from scratch. However, they are rarely 100% accurate. You will need to go in and manually edit them.

  1. Locate the Automatic Track: On the Subtitles page, you will likely see a track labeled with your video's language, followed by (Automatic) in the "Subtitles" column.
  2. Duplicate and Edit: Hover over the automatic track's row and click the Duplicate and Edit button (it looks like a pencil icon). This creates a new, editable draft based on the auto-generated text.
  3. Correct the Text:
    • You will be taken to the caption editor. On the left, you will see the video player, and on the right, the text of the captions divided into timed blocks.
    • Click inside any text block and correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation (e.g., adding commas, periods, and capitalization).
    • Crucial Tip: Add descriptive sound effects in square brackets, such as [music playing], [laughter], or [door slams], for viewers who cannot hear the audio.
  4. Refine the Timing:
    • After correcting the text, click Edit Timings in the top right corner. This view allows you to adjust when each caption block appears and disappears.
    • Click on a caption block. You can manually adjust the start and end times in the timestamp boxes, or you can drag the edges of the caption blocks directly on the timeline below the video player.
    • Aim for 3 to 7 seconds, when possible, for captions to display to give readers enough time to view them.
  5. Publish: Once your captions are accurate in both text and timing, click the Publish button in the top right corner. This will replace the originally created captions.

Method 2: Uploading a Transcript or Subtitle File

Often, the quickest method of captioning is to use a professional transcription service or a third-party tool. Common file formats include .SRT and .VTT.

  1. Add a New Track: On the Subtitles page, click ADD LANGUAGE and select the language of your captions.
  2. Select Upload File: Under the "Subtitles" column for the new language, click ADD.
  3. Choose the Upload File option.
  4. Select Timing Option:
    • Choose With timing if your file (e.g., an .SRT file) already includes timestamps.
    • Choose Without timing if you are uploading a plain text transcript, and YouTube will use its Auto-sync feature to create the timings for you.
  5. Upload and Review: Upload the file from your computer. If you choose "Without timing," YouTube will process the timings (which may take a few minutes). Once the process is complete, you should still review the captions for any errors before publishing.
  6. Click Publish.

Method 3: Typing Manually (For Short Videos)

For short videos with very clear audio, you can type the captions directly.

  1. Add a New Track: On the Subtitles page, click ADD LANGUAGE and select your language.
  2. Under the "Subtitles" column for the new language, click ADD and then select Type manually.
  3. Start Typing: The editor will open. As the video plays, type the spoken words and describe the sound effects. YouTube's editor will automatically assign basic timings to your text.
  4. You can use the editor's shortcuts (e.g., Shift + Space to pause/play) to make the process faster.
  5. Review and Publish: Review the text and timing and then adjust as described in Method 1. Once you are happy with the results, click Publish.

Captioning Best Practices

  • Punctuation and Grammar: Always correct punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. This makes the text much easier to read and comprehend.
  • Identify Speakers: If two or more people are speaking, identify them with tags (e.g., Speaker 1: Hello, or [Interviewer] What do you think?).
  • Sound Effects: Include all significant non-speech audio cues in brackets, as described in Method 1.
  • Reading Speed: Ensure your captions are not too fast. Viewers must have enough time to read the text before it disappears. YouTube's editor helps get you close, but a manual review will ensure accuracy.

You can search YouTube for “How to create and edit captions and subtitles in YouTube” or something similar, to find additional helpful content and guides.

More Information

Read more about digital accessibility on the following pages: