How to add captions to a Spotlight Snap

By the maker of Captions Cut. Facts checked on 22 October 2026 from the pages listed under Sources.

The short answer

Snapchat’s own pages describe typing captions by hand, not automatic ones, so for Spotlight the dependable route is burning captions into the video before you post: Captions Cut does it from the speech, word by word. Keep them out of the top 10% and bottom 35% of the frame and away from the column of buttons on the right.

Snapchat Spotlight video limits

	Snapchat Spotlight
Length	At least 5 seconds; uploads up to 5 minutes.
Shape	Vertical; 1080 × 1920, 9:16 for ads.
File size	Up to 1 GB for ads, MP4 or MOV, H.264.

Captions built into Snapchat Spotlight

Snapchat’s help describes adding text yourself with Caption; it publishes nothing on automatic captions for Spotlight.

Caption files. Snapchat’s help pages do not describe uploading caption files.

Where captions are safe

Snapchat’s ads guide uses one safe zone for Stories, Spotlight and ads: 10% at the top, 35% at the bottom, 6% on each side, plus a column 15% wide and 45% high on the right, from the bottom up, for its buttons. On 1080 × 1920 that is 192 pixels at the top, 672 at the bottom, about 65 at the sides and a 162 × 864 pixel column. Captions Cut keeps captions inside the area the vertical apps leave clear: below the top bar and above the caption, buttons and username at the bottom. Drag them anywhere if your shot needs it.

Burn captions into a Spotlight Snap with Captions Cut

Open captionscut.com/edit in a browser, or the Captions Cut iPhone app, and add the clip.
Choose the spoken language or leave it on Auto detect (53 languages), check the cost (1 credit per second of audio) and create the captions.
Read the transcript and tap any word to fix it.
Pick one of 48 styles and place the captions clear of the app’s buttons.
Export in 1080p or 4K and post it to Snapchat Spotlight.

The video stays on your device: only the audio is sent for transcription, and it is deleted right after.

Platform captions or burned-in captions?

	Built into Snapchat Spotlight	Burned-in captions
Who sees them	Viewers who have captions on	Everyone, including on reposts and downloads
Style	The platform’s	Yours: font, colour, word-by-word highlight
Fixing mistakes	In the platform, after posting	Before posting, word by word
Search and accessibility tools	Readable as text by the platform	Part of the picture; add a caption file too where the platform takes one

How we checked

Every Snapchat Spotlight fact on this page comes from the platform’s own help, ads or developer pages, read on 22 October 2026. Where a page says nothing (a language list, a safe zone), this page says so rather than guess. Ads-guide numbers are for ads; organic posts have the same buttons in the same places.

Questions

Does Snapchat add captions automatically?

Snapchat’s own help pages only describe captions you type. Burn captions into the video to be sure they show.

Sources

Each page read on 22 October 2026.

Caption a video in your browser Get the iPhone app