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How to add subtitles to a video free

✔ Add subtitles to a video fast with Freemake. 100% FREE & safe download.
✔ No manual work, get an SRT file & embed it into a movie automatically!
✔ Create videos with subtitles for any device: a PC, TV, iPhone, Android, iPad.
✔ No file size limit. Awarded as the Best Video Software of 2020.

Also find out how to:
edit subtitles font & size • add subtitles to YouTube video
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Add subtitles to your video in these easy steps:
1. Download free software for adding subtitles
2. Add a video that you want to subtitle
3. Get & add a subtitle file to your video
4. Choose the output video format
5. Merge subtitles with the video
or Watch video guide Hide video guide

Learn how to add subtitles to a video:

1

Download and install
Freemake subtitle adder

Download free software for adding subtitles. It's safe & easy to use. The supported OS's are Windows 10, 8, 8.1, Windows 7, Vista. By default, you get the lightweight online installer which loads all the necessary components during the installation.

Run the file on your desktop computer or laptop.

Freemake freeware doesn’t contain any ads or third-party offers so you can safely install it on your system. Accept Freemake EULA and click the "Next" button all the time till the installation process finishes.

In case you are a proficient user, you can choose another location for the tool and select a custom installation to add the program to a context menu or make it the default utility for your media data.
2

Add a video that you want to merge with subtitles

Run the software to add subtitles to video. Press the "+Video" button to add your movie into the subtitle editor. The tool accepts over 500 video formats: MP4, AVI, MOV, MPG, WMV, 3GP, FLV, SWF, MTS, etc. Just keep in mind that your video file should not be protected. If your film is in a foreign language, you can integrate English subtitles into it to enjoy the movie with the original sound.

You can import several videos at once (for example, TV series) and subtitle them one by one.

Pay attention to the signs next to your movie thumbnail. Find the "No subtitles" button that goes right after the audio settings.
free subtitle adder & editor software (thumbnail) сlick to enlarge
3

Get & add subtitle file to your video

Now you need to merge the video with the subtitles file in SRT, ASS, SSA formats. Please note that Freemake freeware doesn’t contain any subtitle files within itself. You can only add subtitles to video with it. It’s up to you to find them online or create with special tools.

Choose and follow one of these ways to get a subtitle file:
  • visit the website opensubtitles.org & look for free subtitles for your movie;
  • create a corresponding text file for your video using Notepad (here you'll find the detailed instruction how to do this on Windows & Mac).

When you got the subtitles file, go back to Freemake app. Press the "Add subtitles" button, browse, and choose the subtitle file that you want to put into your video.

Click on the scissors button to run Freemake video editor. Here you can preview the video with the embedded subtitles. Use the timeline to check if the subtitles sync with the movie.

Please note that the resulted video will be with hardsubs. It means the text will be permanently presented on the video so you won’t be able to switch the subs on/off.

Click "OK" to close the editor.
add subtitles to video free (thumbnail) сlick to enlarge
4

Choose the output video format

Now you need to choose an output format for your video.

It can be:
  • MP4, a universal extension for portable gadgets & streaming, Facebook or YouTube upload,
  • AVI, a format for a big TV screen and home media systems,
  • 3GP for old smartphones.

You can also convert videos right for your device by clicking the respective button: Apple, Sony, Nokia, etc. and selecting your phone or tablet from the list.

In case you want to write a DVD with your new subtitled video, look for the text instructions here and get our free burning software.
embed subtitles in MP4 videos (thumbnail) сlick to enlarge
5

Add subtitles to your videos permanently

Set a location for your output media files. By default, the content (after you add subtitles to video) will be saved to "My videos" folder. In case you don’t have enough of disc space, you'd better limit the file size of your video clip. Just click on the weight sign button and set the necessary output size.

When everything is ready, click the "Convert" button to run the embedding process and attach subtitles to your movie.

After the process finishes, you may upload the video file to your device or YouTube, share on social media, & start watching the subtitled movie immediately.
add text to video (thumbnail) сlick to enlarge
Now it’s your turn to try!
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To say even more:

How to change subtitles font and size?


Freemake tool also lets you edit the font and size of subtitles text. However, to use this option, you will need to get Freemake Mega Pack. When you do it, paste your subtitles into a movie and go to Freemake editor to change text font and size with the respective buttons as shown on the image below.

change font of subtitles

Then follow the how-to steps above to merge text captions with your video.

How to add subtitles to a video for YouTube upload?


Though YouTube provides the option of adding closed captions to your uploaded video, you may send a video with already included subtitles or captions. Follow the steps to do it:

  • download and install free video software from Freemake;
  • prepare the SRT file and embed it to your video using Freemake tool;
  • press "Save" when you're done with the video editing;
  • then choose the option "to YouTube" and add your YouTube account info;
  • share the subtitled video online straight from the program.

How to add subtitles to video for Facebook upload?


You may add subtitles to video in two ways. The first option is to use Freemake tool & follow the steps above. The second way is to add subtitles right on Facebook after video upload. You need to click the "Edit" button and upload a SRT file from your computer. To paste captions in other languages, please repeat this easy procedure for each additional language you want to add.

How to adjust subtitle timings in the SRT file?


If you feel that your downloaded subtitles don't sync with the video content, you may manually edit the time of phrases using Notepad tool. You can change the time and text within the file, but don't make any changes to the punctuation. Then, click "File" → "Save as", and choose the SRT file extension. Then use Freemake video editor window to preview the result.

How to add subtitles to a video permanently?


Unlike other tools, Freemake app provides the option of adding subtitles permanently. All you need to do is to prepare (or create) your captions file and follow to steps above to add subtitles to video. When you make a new video with hardsubs, you may watch it on any portable device regardless of the video player features.

Other tutorials:

Freemake Video Converter
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