How to Add Free Subtitles to a Video

Key takeaways

• The best free route on Windows or a Mac is Subtitle Edit, a free subtitle editor that transcribes speech on your own computer with the open-source Whisper speech model and saves an SRT file.

• Kdenlive, a free video editor for Windows, Mac and Linux, can transcribe speech straight onto a subtitle track while you edit.

• Make an SRT file first and keep it. You can attach it as subtitles viewers turn on and off, or burn it into the picture for platforms that ignore caption files.

• HandBrake and ffmpeg, both free, burn subtitles into a video.

• Automatic transcription always needs a proofread, especially for names, numbers and technical terms.

Soft subtitles or burned-in subtitles?

There are two ways to put subtitles on a video, and it helps to choose before you start.

Soft subtitles live in a separate file, usually an SRT, or as a text track inside the video file. Viewers can switch them on or off, and you can fix a typo later without exporting the video again. Most video platforms and players accept them.

Burned-in subtitles, also called open or hard subtitles, are drawn into the picture itself. They always show, which suits social feeds where many people watch without sound and where the platform may ignore caption files. The catch is that you can't turn them off, and fixing a mistake means exporting the whole video again.

The safest workflow is to make an SRT file first, then burn in a copy only where you need it.

What an SRT file looks like

SRT is a plain-text format that almost every video tool reads. Each subtitle is a numbered block with a start and end time, one or two lines of text and a blank line after it:

1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,500
Welcome back to the studio.

2
00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,200
Today we're lighting a product shot
with one lamp

1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,500
Welcome back to the studio.

2
00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,200
Today we're lighting a product shot
with one lamp

1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,500
Welcome back to the studio.

2
00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,200
Today we're lighting a product shot
with one lamp

Times run hours:minutes:seconds,milliseconds, with a comma before the milliseconds. Save the file as UTF-8 text so accented letters display correctly. WebVTT (.vtt) is a similar format used on websites, with a period instead of a comma before the milliseconds.

Method 1: Subtitle Edit with Whisper (Windows and Mac)

Subtitle Edit is a free, open-source subtitle editor. Version 5.3.0, released on October 14, 2026, runs on Windows and on Macs with Apple silicon (macOS 12 or later). It uses Whisper, a free speech recognition model, to transcribe on your own computer, so your video isn't uploaded anywhere.

1. Download Subtitle Edit from its GitHub releases page and open your video from the Video menu.

2. In the Video menu, choose the Whisper audio-to-text option. The first time, Subtitle Edit offers to download the Whisper engine and ffmpeg.

3. Pick the spoken language and a model. Larger models are more accurate but slower, and the largest can take several times the length of the clip on an ordinary laptop. A smaller model is fine for clear speech recorded close to the mic.

4. Run the transcription. Subtitle Edit fills the subtitle list with timed lines.

5. Play the video and correct each line, splitting or merging lines where the breaks fall badly.

6. Save as SubRip (.srt).

Menu names have moved between versions, so older tutorials may not match what you see in 5.3.

Method 2: Kdenlive, while you edit (Windows, Mac and Linux)

Kdenlive is a free, open-source video editor, now on version 26.08.2. Its Speech to Text feature transcribes onto a subtitle track using one of two engines that run on your computer: VOSK, which is faster, or Whisper, which Kdenlive's manual describes as more accurate but slower without a capable graphics card.

1. Choose and install a speech engine and model under Settings > Configure Kdenlive > Speech to Text.

2. Add a subtitle track to the timeline with the Edit Subtitle Tool.

3. Click the speech recognition button to open the Automatic Subtitling dialog, pick the model and, if you like, limit it to part of the timeline.

4. Click Process, then edit the subtitles on the track as you would any clip.

5. Export the video with the subtitles, or save the subtitle track as an SRT.

This is the simplest route if you're already editing the video, since the subtitles stay in sync when you trim.

Method 3: DaVinci Resolve, if you already use it

DaVinci Resolve's free version lets you add a subtitle track, type or import an SRT, style the text and burn it in on export. Generating subtitles automatically from the audio is a feature of the paid Studio version, which costs $295 one time. For free transcription, make the SRT in Subtitle Edit and import it into Resolve.

Method 4: Type them by hand

For a short clip, typing the subtitles yourself is quick and usually more accurate than a transcription you have to fix. Use Subtitle Edit or Kdenlive to set the timings, or write the SRT in any text editor following the format above.

Burning subtitles into the video

HandBrake. HandBrake is a free video converter for Windows, Mac and Linux. Open the video, go to the Subtitles tab, import your SRT, tick Burn In and start the encode. Without Burn In, HandBrake adds the subtitles as a track viewers can turn on and off.

ffmpeg. ffmpeg is a free command-line tool for every desktop system. This command burns an SRT into the picture:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf subtitles=subs.srt output.mp4

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf subtitles=subs.srt output.mp4

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf subtitles=subs.srt output.mp4

And this one adds the SRT as a soft subtitle track to an MP4 without re-encoding the video:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -i subs.srt -c copy -c:s mov_text output.mp4

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -i subs.srt -c copy -c:s mov_text output.mp4

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -i subs.srt -c copy -c:s mov_text output.mp4

Check the transcript before you publish

Automatic transcription is good on clean speech and still makes mistakes on every video. Watch it through once with the sound off and fix:

• Names of people, products and places

• Numbers, units and dates

• Words that sound alike, such as "their" and "there"

• Punctuation and capital letters

• Speaker changes, with a dash or a name

• Lines added over silence or music, which Whisper-based tools sometimes invent

If your audience includes deaf or hard-of-hearing viewers, add short sound cues such as [laughter] or [music], which turns subtitles into captions.

Make subtitles easy to read

• Keep each line to about 42 characters and use no more than two lines at once, the limits many streaming services set for subtitles.

• For vertical 9:16 video, use shorter lines. The BBC's guidelines suggest about 25 characters.

• Leave each subtitle on screen long enough to read. The BBC recommends a pace of 160 to 180 words a minute.

• Break lines at natural pauses, not in the middle of a phrase.

• Keep burned-in text clear of the bottom of the frame on social apps, where buttons and captions cover it.

Frequently asked questions

What's the best free way to add subtitles to a video?

Subtitle Edit with Whisper. It transcribes the speech on your computer for free, lets you fix the text and saves an SRT file you can attach or burn in.

Can I generate subtitles automatically for free?

Yes. Subtitle Edit and Kdenlive both transcribe speech for free with models that run on your own computer, so you don't need an account or a subscription.

Does DaVinci Resolve's free version create subtitles automatically?

No. The free version handles subtitle tracks, SRT import and burn-in, but automatic subtitles from audio need DaVinci Resolve Studio.

How do I burn subtitles into a video for free?

Import the SRT into HandBrake's Subtitles tab and tick Burn In, or use ffmpeg's subtitles filter. Both are free.

What's the difference between captions and subtitles?

Subtitles show the dialogue. Captions also describe important sounds, such as music or laughter, for viewers who can't hear the audio.