Captions Cut

How TikTok’s auto captions work

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

The short answer

TikTok has two caption tools. Auto-generated captions are made by speech recognition for videos you upload, in the language you pick, and can be edited after posting; viewers can switch them off. Creator captions transcribe the speech on the preview screen into text you can restyle. TikTok’s pages do not list the languages, and neither tool offers word-by-word highlighting or a caption file you can take elsewhere.

Auto-generated captions

  • Generated automatically for uploaded videos; choose the language under More options › Select video language when posting.
  • Shown only on eligible videos.
  • To fix them after posting: tap the caption, then Edit captions, then Save.
  • Viewers turn them on or off under Share › Captions › Show captions.

Creator captions

On the preview screen, Captions in the side panel transcribes the speech. The first time, you opt in. You can preview and edit each line and change the font style and colour.

What they do not do

  • TikTok’s help pages publish no language list.
  • No caption file to download or upload is described.
  • The styling described is font and colour; there is no word-by-word highlight.
  • Captions made in TikTok stay in TikTok: the same clip on Reels or Shorts needs captioning again.

If you want the spoken word highlighted, your own style, and the same captions on every platform, burn them in before uploading. How to caption a TikTok video.

Questions

Why are my TikTok auto captions wrong?

Check the language you selected when posting; background music and fast speech also cause errors. Edit them after posting with Edit captions.

Sources

Each page read on .

Caption a video in your browser Get the iPhone app