How to Add Auto Captions in CapCut (and Fix the Errors)

Want to know how to add auto captions in CapCut? The feature lives in the Captions menu on phone, desktop and web, and it takes about a minute once you know where to tap. This guide covers each version, then shows how to fix wrong words, export an SRT and handle Hindi or Hinglish speech.

What are CapCut auto captions?

Auto captions are subtitles that the app creates by listening to the speech in your video. CapCut turns the audio into text, splits it into short lines and times each line to the voice.

You still need to check them. Auto captions miss names, slang and mixed-language speech, so think of them as a fast first draft, not a finished file. If you are unsure of the terms, our explainer on captions vs subtitles sorts them out.

How to add auto captions in CapCut on mobile

The phone app for Android and iPhone is where most creators work. CapCut’s own help pages describe the menu slightly differently across versions, so look for either label.

1. Start a project. Tap New project, pick your video and tap Add.
2. Open Captions. Tap Captions in the bottom menu. In some older versions it is under Text.
3. Choose Auto captions. Select the audio source if asked, such as the video’s own sound or a voiceover.
4. Pick the language. Choose the language spoken in the video, not the one you want to read.
5. Generate. Tap Generate and wait. The captions appear as a new track under your video.

Next, play the video once with sound on and note every wrong word before you start styling.

How to add auto captions in CapCut on desktop

The Windows and Mac app gives you more control, including SRT export. According to CapCut’s help on recognising subtitles, the Captions option sits at the top of the left toolbar, marked with a speech-bubble icon.

1. Import your video. Drag the clip onto the timeline.
2. Open Captions. Click Captions in the left toolbar. Some versions place Auto captions under the Text tab instead.
3. Set source and language. Choose the audio track and the spoken language.
4. Click Generate. Some versions label this button Recognise or Create.
5. Review on the timeline. Double-click a caption block to open the caption editor and fix text.

On CapCut online (web)

The browser version follows the same path. Open your project, click Captions in the left panel, choose Auto captions, pick the language and click Generate. CapCut’s help notes that the web editor works best in Chrome or Edge.

How do I fix wrong auto captions in CapCut?

Every auto caption tool makes mistakes. The fix is a quick, planned review rather than random tapping. CapCut’s guide to inaccurate captions suggests the same basics on all three versions.

1. Open the editor. On mobile, tap a caption and choose Edit captions. On desktop, double-click the caption block.
2. Fix the text. Correct names, brand words, numbers and slang line by line.
3. Split long lines. Put the playhead at a natural pause and split. On desktop, use Ctrl+B on Windows or Cmd+B on Mac.
4. Re-run bad sections. If a whole part is wrong, delete those captions, mute the music track and generate again.
5. Watch it twice. Once with sound to check words, once muted to check reading speed.

Fixing Hindi and Hinglish errors

Mixed speech is where auto captions struggle most. Say “aaj main aapko ek simple trick dikhata hoon” and a tool set to English may write nonsense, while one set to Hindi writes it in Devanagari.

• Match the language to the speech. If most words are Hindi, choose Hindi, then fix the English words by hand.
• Decide your script first. Devanagari (आज) and Hinglish in English letters (aaj) need different fixing. Pick one before you edit.
• Keep spelling steady. Write “hai” or “hain” the same way every time, or the captions look careless.
• Watch the fonts. Many caption templates use Latin-only fonts, so Devanagari may show as boxes. Our guide to the best fonts for Reels lists ones that support Hindi.

For a full guide to writing Hindi in English letters, read our post on Hinglish captions.

How to style auto captions in CapCut

Once the words are right, style them. Select one caption and change the font, size, colour and outline. On most versions you can apply the change to all captions at once, which keeps the look consistent.

Keep captions to 1 or 2 short lines and away from the bottom edge, where Reels and Shorts show buttons and the post caption.

How to export CapCut captions as an SRT file

An SRT file is a plain text file that holds caption lines with start and end times. You need one to upload captions to YouTube or to reuse them in another editor. Our guide on what an SRT file is shows a sample.

On desktop, open the export window and choose the caption export option instead of video export, then pick SRT or TXT. CapCut’s help adds a few cautions:

• Only captions made by auto recognition can be exported this way.
• If the file shows odd characters, convert it to UTF-8. This matters for Hindi text.
• Save to a folder path that uses English characters.

Troubleshooting CapCut auto captions

Using CapCut in India: what to know

The Indian government blocked CapCut in 2020, in a second round of bans that followed the June 2020 block on TikTok and 58 other apps. It is not listed on Indian app stores. We do not recommend workarounds to get around a government block.

So if you create from India, you need an editor or caption tool that is legally available there. Many Indian creators also need Hindi, Hinglish and regional languages, which is where general tools often fall short.

Another way to add auto captions, including in India

GetNixa is a caption tool that works in a browser and as a desktop app for Mac and Windows. It is available in India and was built first for Hindi, Hinglish and Indian languages. You can see how it compares on our CapCut alternative page.

1. Upload the video. Open the web app and add your clip.
2. Pick the spoken language. Choose from 30 languages, including Hindi, Hinglish, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Marathi.
3. Let the AI caption it. Captions are timed to the voice. Hindi can come out in Devanagari or English letters.
4. Fix and style. Click any word to correct it, pick one of the templates and change font, colours, position and animation.
5. Export. Download an MP4 for Reels, Shorts or WhatsApp, or an SRT file.

There is no watermark on any plan, including Free. Our no-watermark caption generator page explains the plan limits, and the auto caption generator page shows the full feature list.

Which should you use?

• Use CapCut if it is available in your country and you already edit your full video in it.
• Use GetNixa if you are in India, speak Hindi, Hinglish or another Indian language, or want captions without a watermark.
• Use both if you edit elsewhere and only need captions: export a transparent .mov from GetNixa on Pro or Studio and layer it in your editor.

Final thoughts

Adding auto captions in CapCut takes four taps: Captions, Auto captions, language, Generate. The real work is the review, so fix words before style and pick the right language for mixed speech. For more detail on CapCut’s caption editor, see our earlier guide on adding captions in CapCut.

Frequently asked questions