How to Add Subtitles & Captions on Facebook Videos

While Facebook offers some caption tools, they’re limited, especially if you’re posting outside of a Page.

So how do you make sure your message is seen and read?

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to add subtitles to Facebook videos — the right way.

Does Facebook Have Auto-Caption for Videos?

Yes — but only in some cases.

Facebook does offer an auto-caption feature, but it’s limited. It only works when you upload a video to a Facebook Page. If you’re posting to a personal profile or a group, this option won’t appear.

So if you're managing a business page or a creator account, you're in luck. Otherwise, you'll need to add subtitles manually.

How Does Auto-Captioning Work?

When you upload a video to your Page, Facebook gives you the option to generate captions automatically. It uses built-in speech recognition to transcribe the audio.

Here’s how it works:

• Upload your video to your Facebook Page
• Click “Edit Video” after upload
• In the Captions section, select “Generate Automatically”
• Facebook will process the audio and create subtitles

Once the auto-captions are ready, you can preview and edit them before publishing. This step is important — automatic captions are rarely perfect.

What Are the Limitations?

• Only for Pages — not available on personal timelines or private groups
• Limited styling — you can’t customize fonts, colors, or position
• No multi-language support — you can only generate captions in one language at a time
• Accuracy varies — you’ll likely need to fix errors manually

Can you Upload Subtitles in Facebook?

Yes, but Facebook supports only one format for subtitles: .srt (SubRip Subtitle).

This format is simple and widely used. But Facebook adds an extra layer — a specific naming convention that you must follow. If you get this wrong, your captions won’t appear.

Here’s how to get it right.

Facebook requires you to name your subtitle file like this:

filename.[language code]_[country code].srt


For example:

• video.en_US.srt for English (United States)
• video.fr_FR.srt for French (France)
• video.es_ES.srt for Spanish (Spain)

If you leave out the language and country codes — or use the wrong format — Facebook won’t recognize the file. Your captions simply won’t show up.

How to Upload Subtitles to Facebook

Once your .srt file is ready and correctly named:

1. Upload your video to your Facebook Page
2. Click “Edit Video”
3. Scroll to the Captions section
4. Click “Upload SRT File”
5. Select your file and save changes

Your subtitles are now linked to the video and will appear when viewers enable captions.

What If You Want Multiple Languages?

You can upload more than one .srt file per video — as long as each file has a different language code.

Facebook will display the appropriate captions based on the viewer’s language preferences. This is a great way to reach a wider audience with just one post.

How to Generate Facebook Subtitles Using Checksub

If you’ve ever tried writing subtitles by hand, you know how tedious it can be.

That’s why tools like Checksub make a big difference. Checksub is an AI-powered subtitle editor that handles the heavy lifting — from transcription to timing to export.

Step 1: Generate Subtitles

Start by heading to checksub.com and logging into your account. If you don’t have one yet, signing up is fast — and free to test.

Click “Upload Video”, then choose your file. You can upload in .mp4, .mov, or any other major video format.

Next, select the original language spoken in your video. If you want to add subtitles in other languages later, Checksub supports over 270 language options.

After upload, Checksub’s AI begins analyzing your audio.

In just a few minutes, it will:

• Transcribe the full audio with high accuracy
• Split the script into clean, readable subtitle lines
• Sync each line precisely with the timing of the video

You don’t need to write a single word. It’s all done for you.

Step 2: Review and Edit

Even the best AI needs a human touch.

Once your subtitles are generated, Checksub lets you edit everything inside its easy-to-use subtitle editor.

You can:

• Fix small transcription errors
• Adjust line breaks or merge sentences
• Add speaker names, sound cues, or foreign-language terms
• Ensure your captions are short and readable for Facebook’s mobile viewers

You’re in control — but without the pain of starting from scratch.

Step 3: Customize and Export for Facebook

When your subtitles are ready, click “Export” and choose .srt as your file format.

Here’s the important part: rename your subtitle file using Facebook’s naming rule. For example:

• video.en_US.srt for American English
• video.pt_BR.srt for Brazilian Portuguese

Facebook Subtitles Troubleshooting

Facebook subtitle issues are common, but they’re usually easy to fix.

1. Subtitles Not Displaying

The most common reason your subtitles don’t appear? File naming errors.

Facebook requires a very specific naming convention for .srt files:

css

CopierModifier

filename.[language code]_[country code].srt


For example:
video.en_US.srt for English (United States)
video.es_MX.srt for Spanish (Mexico)

If your file is named subtitles.srt or just video.srt, Facebook won’t recognize the language — and your captions won’t load.

Fix it: Rename your file using the correct language and country code before uploading.

2. Wrong Timing or Out-of-Sync Subtitles

If your subtitles show up at the wrong time or flash too quickly, your timestamp formatting might be off.

Each subtitle line in an .srt file should follow this format:

lua

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00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,500


• Use commas for milliseconds (not periods)
• Keep start and end times accurate
• Avoid overlapping subtitle lines

Fix it: Use Checksub or another subtitle editor to check and correct timing issues. Re-export the .srt file and try again.

3. Captions Not Available on Mobile

Sometimes subtitles work on desktop but don’t show on mobile. This often happens when captions aren’t enabled in the video settings.

Fix it:

• Go to your Video Library in your Facebook Page
• Click Edit Video
• In the Captions tab, make sure your uploaded .srt file is selected and enabled
• Save your changes and recheck the video on mobile

4. Auto-Captions Not Working

Trying to use Facebook’s built-in auto-captions but not seeing the option?

Here’s why:

• Auto-captioning is only available on Facebook Pages
• It’s not offered for personal profiles or groups
• You need to use the Classic Page view or Meta Business Suite for full access

Fix it: If the feature is missing, consider generating your captions using Checksub and uploading them manually.

5. Special Characters or Encoding Issues

If your captions show strange symbols (�) or missing letters, it could be a text encoding issue.

Fix it: Make sure your .srt file is saved with UTF-8 encoding — especially if it includes accents, symbols, or non-English characters.