They only exist in that post
Download your own video back and the text is gone, because it was never in the file. Burned-in captions come with the video to Instagram, YouTube, a client's inbox and your own archive.
TikTok
Add captions to a TikTok video
To add captions to a TikTok video, caption the clip before you upload it. Import it into Capster, wait about a minute while the audio is transcribed, pick a style, and export. The captions are burned into the file, so the video you upload already has them and every viewer sees them without switching anything on.
iPhone, iOS 16.0+ · No account · Updated September 2026
Why not just use TikTok's own captions?
Use them as well. They are free and they help. They are also not a substitute for captions in the file, for three reasons.
You do not control the look
Platform captions use the platform's font, size and placement. Yours are one of 9 styles, in any of 99 languages, with the font, colour, outline and position set by you.
They can be switched off
A viewer who turned captions off sees no captions. Text rendered into the frames is part of the picture — there is nothing to disable.
Where to put captions so TikTok does not cover them
TikTok draws its own interface over your video, and it takes more of the frame than people expect.
- Avoid the bottom third. The username, post text and music row sit there, and a long post caption pushes further up than a short one.
- Avoid the right edge. The profile, like, comment, bookmark and share buttons stack down the right side of every video.
- Centre or just above centre is safest. It reads naturally on a phone and stays clear of both. Capster places captions on a nine-point grid, so this is one tap.
- Give the text an outline or a background. TikTok re-encodes every upload, and thin unoutlined text is what suffers first.
The order that works
- 1
Shoot and trim first
Caption last. Trimming after captioning means the timings no longer line up with the footage.
- 2
Caption in Capster
Import, transcribe, style, fix the names it misheard, export. About two minutes for a short clip.
- 3
Upload the captioned file
Post it from your camera roll as normal. Add TikTok's own auto-captions on top if you want the accessibility layer too.
Questions people ask
How do I add captions to a TikTok video?
Caption the clip before you upload it. Open Capster, import the video from Photos, let the audio transcribe, pick a caption style, and export. The captions are rendered into the file, so you upload one finished video to TikTok and every viewer sees them.
Does TikTok not add captions automatically?
It offers auto-captions, and they are worth turning on. They are also styled by TikTok, sit where TikTok puts them, and only exist inside that post. Captions burned into your file look how you designed them and travel with the video everywhere else you post it.
Where should captions sit so TikTok's interface does not cover them?
Keep them out of the bottom third, where the post text, username and music row live, and clear of the right edge, where the like, comment and share buttons stack. Middle of the frame or just above centre is the safe choice across phone sizes.
Will the captions survive TikTok's compression?
Yes, because they are part of the picture. TikTok re-encodes every upload, which softens fine detail, so favour a heavier weight and an outline or background over thin text. All three are one tap in the style panel.
Can I reuse the same captioned video on Reels and Shorts?
That is the main reason to burn them in. One export uploads to TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts with identical captions. Text added inside TikTok exists only in that post and is gone if you download your own video back.
Posting the same clip elsewhere? See captions for Instagram Reels and subtitles for YouTube Shorts.
Read next
Caption it before it goes up
Free to try: 5 transcriptions and clips up to 2 minutes, which covers most of what goes on TikTok.
Free to try: 5 transcriptions, clips up to 2 minutes, exports carry a small Capster badge. iPhone, iOS 16.0+. No account.