Add Captions to YouTube Shorts

Animated captions in 99+ languages that grab attention early and keep viewers watching to the end.

  • Free & No Watermark
  • Captions Ready in Seconds
  • Publish & Schedule to Shorts
Animated captions on YouTube Shorts created with Eliro

What Makes a Short Worth Staying For

Style It Once, Reuse It Forever

Set your font, color, outline, shadow, size and position, then save it. Every new video you make opens with your style already applied.

AI Keyword Highlight

The AI finds the important words and highlights them for you, then adds emojis that match. Your captions grab attention with no extra work.

Viral Caption Styles

Choose from 20+ styles used by top creators like MrBeast, Alex Hormozi and Ali Abdaal. One click gets you a scroll-stopping look with no design work needed.

Free & No Watermark

Generate stunning subtitles for free and export every video at full quality with no watermark. Post them straight to TikTok, Reels or Shorts instantly.

How to Add Captions to Shorts in 3 Steps

Dragging a vertical Short into Eliro to be captioned
Step 1

Upload Your Short

Upload an MP4, MOV, WEBM or M4V file. Your captions are ready in seconds, timed to every word you said.

Applying an animated caption style to a Short in Eliro
Step 2

Pick a Caption Style

Choose from 20+ styles top creators use, then set the font, color, size and position until it looks the way you want.

Publishing a captioned Short to YouTube from Eliro
Step 3

Export & Publish

Download the video with the captions inside it, or post and schedule straight to YouTube from Eliro.

More Watch Time on Every Short You Post

Style Your Captions Like the Biggest Channels

You do not need a video editor or a motion designer. Pick one of 20+ styles used by top creators, and every word is styled, animated and highlighted for you automatically. Save your style once, and every video you make after that will use the same look.

Viral caption style presets applied to a vertical video in Eliro

Win the Viewers Who Watch on Mute

Most apps play videos with the sound off, so a video without captions is silent when someone first sees it. That is the exact moment they choose to keep watching or scroll away. Captions give them something to read straight away, even in a noisy place.

A captioned vertical video playing muted in a social feed

Your Own Style, Not the App's Default

TikTok gives you a handful of fonts. Instagram does not let you pick one at all. That is why so much of the feed looks the same. In Eliro you choose the font, color, size and animation yourself, then save that look so every video you post is recognisably yours.

Custom styled captions next to a platform default caption

Everything Else Your Video Needs

Sound Effects

Add a whoosh, pop or ding so the key moments in your video get noticed.

Auto Zoom & Pan

Zoom in on your most important lines so the video always feels alive.

AI B-Roll

Add stock or AI-made clips on top of the parts you want to cover.

Remove Filler Words

Remove every "um" and "you know" from your audio in one click.

Smooth Transitions

Blend one clip into the next so your video never feels choppy.

Background Music

Add background music under your voice, without making it hard to hear.

AI Video Editor

Open your video in the full editor to make any final changes.

Publish & Schedule

Post your finished video to TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

Learn more about what you can do

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Content Creation

12 Tips for Writing Video Scripts That Convert

Content Creation

15 YouTube Shorts Best Practices for Maximum Reach

YouTube Automation

Add Captions to Shorts FAQs

How do I add captions to a YouTube Short?
Upload your vertical video to Eliro and your captions are ready in seconds, timed to every word. Pick a style, then download it or post to YouTube from here.
Should I just use YouTube's automatic captions?
They only take you so far. YouTube shows plain text a viewer has to switch on, while Eliro burns animated captions into the video so your hook is readable the moment the Short starts.
Do captions help Shorts get more views?
Yes. Shorts autoplay on mute, so captions are what make your opening line land before anyone reaches for the volume — and a hook people can read is a hook they stay for.
What caption styles can I choose from?
You get more than 20 to pick from. We rebuilt the caption looks top creators use, so a single click puts that style on your Short, animated and highlighted.
How does the AI decide which words to highlight?
The AI finds the important words and highlights them for you, then adds an emoji that matches. You get the look with no extra work.
How long does captioning a Short take?
Usually just seconds. A Short runs under a minute, so you can pick your caption style while it processes and export the moment it finishes.
What if the AI gets a word wrong?
Just click the word and retype it. Captions work like a text document, so your timing stays exactly where it is while you fix a name or an unusual spelling.
Do exports have a watermark?
Never, on any plan. Free accounts export Shorts at full quality, with no watermark added and no drop in resolution.
What video files can I upload?
MP4, MOV, WEBM and M4V are all supported. Drag your Short in and the captions start straight away.
Is there a free plan?
Yes, and it comes with generous free usage, unlimited downloads and no watermark. Paid plans give you more credits, and they work across every tool in Eliro.

Discover more

Shorts Captions

Win the first three seconds.

Caption your next Short before it goes live, with AI keyword highlights and a style top creators use.

Captions Ready in Seconds
Free & No Watermark
Publish & Schedule to Shorts