How to put subtitles on YouTube

Often you’ll find yourself on YouTube to watch videos of various kinds and just as often you happen to run into movies in a foreign language that unfortunately, for this reason, you can not always fully understand. Given the situation, allow me then to give you a small but fundamental suggestion: activate the subtitles! How do you say? You had already thought of it but if you’re here on my site now, it’s because you do not have the slightest idea how to do it? No problem, I’ll explain it to you. If you allow me a few minutes of your precious time I can in fact show you how to put the subtitles on YouTube.

Assuming that it is a very useful function and thanks to which you can finally “enjoy” all your favorite videos in a foreign language without necessarily having to be a perfect connoisseur of English, French, Chinese and more has more or more, enabling the feature in question is quite simple, both from computer and mobile. In addition, to serve you will not have to download and install anything on your devices, everything you need and already a click (or tap).

How do you say? Would you like to understand how to add subtitles to videos that you shared on the “tube”? No sooner said than done! In the final part of this tutorial you can find a detailed explanation in this regard and I can assure you right away that even in this case it is a rather simple procedure to perform and for the signing of which it is not absolutely necessary to be great experts in made of information technology. But now just talk and let’s get to work. I wish you, as usual, a good read.

Note: You need to be signed in to YouTube with your Google Account to add and edit subtitles to videos. To do this, click on the Sign in button at the right-hand side of the service’s website and provide your credentials. If you do not yet have a Google account and do not know how to create one you can read my tutorial on the subject and immediately clear up ideas of what to do.

How to put subtitles on YouTube – Put subtitles on the videos of others on YouTube

Interested in figuring out how to put subtitles on YouTube in the sense that you want to find out how to enable them to view movies found by wandering through the “meanders” of the famous site? Then follow the instructions below to figure out how to proceed. The thing is feasible from the computer than from smartphones and tablets.

How to put subtitles on YouTube – From a computer

If you want to know how to put the subtitles on YouTube going to enable watching videos found by looking for the famous service from your computer, the first essential step you need to take is to go to the YouTube website and then to the reference movie.

Subsequently, if the Subtitles function is available, you can live it simply by clicking on the relevant button (the white rectangular button) located in the lower right part of the player. Et voilà! The subtitles will be immediately enabled on the video and can therefore be viewed in your language (if available).

How to put subtitles on YouTube

• If the language displayed for the subtitles is not the correct one or if you want to change the settings of the subtitles, press the Settings icon (the one with the gear wheel) that you will always find in the lower right part of the player, click on the item Subtitles in the menu that appears and selects the reference language among those available or enables automatic translation by choosing the appropriate option.

 

• By clicking on the Options tab attached to the same menu you can further customize the subtitle vision by choosing, based on your needs and preferences, the font family used for the same, the color and size, the color and the opacity of the background, the color and opacity of the window, the style of the border of the characters and / or the opacity of the characters. Optionally, you can also reset all basic parameters by simply clicking the Reset button.

 

• Do you want to contribute by adding a new language for subtitles for a video of others? For most movies you can do this too! You ask me how? I’ll explain it to you right away. After enabling the display of subtitles on a given video as seen above, click on the gear symbol in the lower right part of the player, then click on Subtitles and then choose the item Add subtitles from the menu that appears ( if available, otherwise it means that you can not add subtitles to the video).

How to put subtitles on YouTube

After that, you will be sent back to a new YouTube page through which you will first have to choose the language to be added by clicking on the appropriate button on the right and then searching for it using the appropriate field that you will see appear. Then bring the video cursor to the right at the part where you want to add subtitles then fill in the box on the left with the translation and click on the “+” button. Repeat these steps for all the subtitles you want to add and to final changes click on the Submit Contribution button at the top right.

Finally, I point out that if you want you can also improve the subtitles already applied to the video. To do this, click on the Settings icon that you will always find in the lower right part of the YouTube play, select the Subtitle then the Add subtitles item from the menu that appears and then click on the Select language button, select an existing language from those attached to the menu that you see appear and intervene on existing subtitles on the left by clicking on the appropriate box or add new ones through the appropriate field at the top. To complete changes, click on the Send contribution button.

How to put subtitles on YouTube

Whether you are adding new subtitles or changing existing ones, once you submit your contribution, it will be evaluated by the YouTube team. If the changes will be actually accepted, the subtitles will be added to the movie in a short time. Fantastic, do not you think?

I also point out that if you want your name to be added among those who have contributed to improve the translation of a given movie, you must remember to check, before clicking the Send contribution button, the box next to the entry Recognition for the my contribution you find at the top of the page for editing subtitles.

How to put subtitles on YouTube – From smartphones and tablets

Are you interested in how to put subtitles on YouTube on the videos you see when you use the official app for Android or iOS? So, to start with, go to the reference video and then press the button (…) in the upper right part of the player and select the words Subtitles from the menu you see appearing.

Then select the language for which you want to enable subtitles from the additional menu that is shown to you and is done. The changes will be applied instantly. Easier than that?

How to put subtitles on YouTube

 

As regards the possibility of contributing to the addition of subtitles or modifying existing ones, unfortunately using the app for Android and iOS is not feasible, at least not when I’m writing this article. The same applies to the mobile version of the site. The only way to do this is to enable YouTube desktop mode to display the famous service as well as from a computer and to proceed in the same way as indicated in the previous lines.

To do this, go to the reference video from the Web browser that you generally use to surf the net from your smartphone or tablet (eg Chrome or Safari), presses the button (…) that is at the top right of the same and choose the word Desktop from the menu that appears. You will see a new browser tab open with the computer version of YouTube and you can then put into practice the directions I gave you a few lines more on.

How to put subtitles on YouTube – Put subtitles on your YouTube videos

If instead what you want to do is to put the subtitles to the videos you uploaded yourself on YouTube, on your channel, to start going on the YouTube homepage and then click on your photo in the upper right corner and select the item Creator Studio from menu that appears.

Now, then click on the Video Manager item in the left toolbar, select the item Video from the menu that opens, click on the button with the down arrow that is next to the Edit button corresponding to the movie on which you want to go to act and select the Subtitles option.

How to put subtitles on YouTube

At this point, set the language for the video by selecting it from the appropriate drop-down menu and then click on the Set Language button. Then click on the button Add new subtitles that you find to the right of the movie, select the reference language again and then indicate how you want to add the subtitles to the video by choosing one of the following options.

• Upload a file – Allows you to upload a transcript or a subtitle file with time codes.

 

• Automatic transcription and synchronization – Allows you to type or paste the complete video transcription. In this case, the subtitle synchronization is done automatically.

 

• Create new subtitles – Allows you to create subtitles by typing them while viewing the movie.

Once you have made your choice, follow the simple on-screen instructions that are offered to you to complete the whole procedure. To complete changes, click on the button to save and apply the changes and these are immediately applied to your movie. If you think you need more details on what to do, you can refer to the specific information page attached to the online guide of YouTube

How to put subtitles on YouTube

However, keep in mind that YouTube is able to use speech recognition technology to automatically create subtitles for your videos. So, if available (only for Korean, French, Japanese, English, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and German) and if possible, subtitles will be added in automatic in your videos. If then the subtitles added automatically should be inaccurate, you can modify them by following the same instructions that I have just provided.

To conclude, I point out that with regard to the “side” smartphone and tablet, the ability to add subtitles has not yet been implemented. At the time of writing the article the function is therefore usable only and exclusively from the desktop version of the service.

Nevertheless you can succeed in your intent from the phone or from the tablet by accessing YouTube from the browser you usually use to browse the network on the device and activating the display in desktop mode tapping on the button (…) in the upper right part of the site and then choosing Desktop from the menu that appears.

How to put subtitles on YouTube