Free tool
Add subtitles in Canva
Canva’s list of uploads has no subtitle files, so you add subtitles in Canva with its own Captions, by typing them with the Text tool, or by uploading a video that already has them in the picture, made with the free generator below.
- Free
- SRT, VTT and text
- Nothing is stored
Drop your video or audio file here, or Choose your video or audio file
MP4, MOV, MKV or WebM video, or MP3, M4A or WAV audio. Up to 30 minutes of each file, 3 free files a day. The language is detected automatically.
Designing videos from recorded talks or webinars? NoteOwl transcribes them on your Mac, unlimited, and saves SRT subtitles with each speaker’s name.
How it works
How do you make subtitles for a video you edit in Canva?
Download the design from Canva as an MP4, or take the footage before it goes in, and drop it on the generator. You get timed subtitles to read through in the preview, then an SRT, a VTT or plain text, depending on how they will reach the video.
- 1
Get the video file
Export the Canva design as an MP4, or use the original clip if you subtitle it before designing.
- 2
Drop it here
The first 30 minutes of each file get subtitles, each listed with its start and end time.
- 3
Pick a download
SRT for a video editor or a video site, or TXT to copy lines into Canva’s Text tool.
Can Canva import an SRT file?
No. Canva’s list of upload formats covers video, audio, fonts and documents but no caption files, and its help describes no way to bring in a subtitle file. What Canva offers instead is captions it generates from the speech, or text you type yourself.
- Captions
- Where it startsCaptions on the video’s toolbar, or Text, then Captions under Dynamic text
- What you end up withA caption layer on the timeline, drawn into the MP4 you download
- Text tool
- Where it startsA text box for each line, typed in yourself
- What you end up withThe way Canva’s help suggests for adding captions manually
- A video with subtitles in the picture
- Where it startsMade here, burned in with a video editor, then uploaded
- What you end up withWords fixed into every frame of the clip
- View-only captions
- Where it startsFile, then Accessibility, then Show view-only captions on media
- What you end up withShown only while viewing on Canva; can’t be downloaded or edited
| Way | Where it starts | What you end up with |
|---|---|---|
| Captions | Captions on the video’s toolbar, or Text, then Captions under Dynamic text | A caption layer on the timeline, drawn into the MP4 you download |
| Text tool | A text box for each line, typed in yourself | The way Canva’s help suggests for adding captions manually |
| A video with subtitles in the picture | Made here, burned in with a video editor, then uploaded | Words fixed into every frame of the clip |
| View-only captions | File, then Accessibility, then Show view-only captions on media | Shown only while viewing on Canva; can’t be downloaded or edited |
How do you turn on Canva’s Captions?
Select the video and choose Captions on the toolbar, or open Text and pick Captions under Dynamic text. Choose a caption style pack, then Generate captions. Canva puts them on their own layer in the timeline, and an MP4 download keeps them in the picture.
- 1
Open Captions
From the video’s toolbar, from Text under Dynamic text, or by searching Apps for Captions.
- 2
Pick a style pack
Choose how the captions should look, then select Generate captions.
- 3
Fix and retime
Correct words in the Captions panel; drag the start and end edges of a segment to change when it shows.
- 4
Download an MP4
The captions leave Canva drawn into the video.
How do you use subtitles you made outside Canva?
Put them into the video first, then bring that video into Canva. Import the SRT into a video editor that reads it, such as CapCut on the web or desktop, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut Pro, export with the subtitles burned in, and upload the result.
This is how to add subtitles in Canva from an SRT you already have. Because the words are now part of each frame, they keep to their moment when you trim or rearrange the clip in Canva: cut a section and its subtitles leave with it.
If Canva is where the edit happens, work the other way round: finish the design, download the MP4, make its subtitles here, then burn them into the video as the very last step. The generator writes the subtitle file only; it never alters your video.
Making a vertical design for Reels or Shorts? Tick Short lines for a vertical video under the download buttons before you save the SRT.
Do Canva captions stay in the downloaded MP4?
Yes. Canva’s help says a design with captions downloads as an MP4 with them in it, drawn into the picture, so nobody can switch them off. For captions people can turn on and off, upload the video to a site that takes subtitle files and add the SRT there.
YouTube takes it in YouTube Studio under Subtitles, Vimeo through the video’s Languages button, and Google Drive through Manage caption tracks on a computer. Make the SRT from the same MP4 you upload, so the times match from its first second.
Canva’s view-only captions work differently: they show only while the design is viewed on Canva, can’t be downloaded, and Canva says they can’t be edited for now.
How do you subtitle a recorded webinar with each speaker named?
Use NoteOwl on your Mac. It transcribes the recordings you import with on-device AI models, unlimited, separates the voices and saves an SRT that names each speaker, ready to burn into the clip before it goes into Canva. It also records meetings without a bot.
FAQ
Questions about Canva captions and subtitles
Does Canva have auto captions?
Yes. Canva calls them Captions: pick a caption style pack and select Generate captions, and they appear on their own layer in the timeline. Canva’s help lists 57 languages for generating them.
How do I edit Canva captions?
Change the words in the Captions panel. To make a caption appear earlier or later, drag the start and end edges of its segment on the timeline.
Can I download Canva captions as an SRT file?
Canva’s help describes downloading captions by exporting the design as an MP4, with the words in the picture. For a separate SRT, drop that MP4 on the generator on this page.
Can I paste the subtitle text into Canva?
Yes. Download the TXT, or press Copy text, and paste each line into a text box made with the Text tool. The preview shows when each subtitle starts and ends, which tells you where each line belongs.
Is my video uploaded to make the subtitles?
No. Your browser opens the video on your own device, and only short parts of its sound leave it, for a cloud AI transcription service that transcribes and then deletes each part. The subtitles are built in the page; NoteOwl saves nothing.
How long can my Canva video be?
Up to 30 minutes of each file gets subtitles, and you can do 3 files a day without signing up.
Keep exploring
More subtitle generator tools
- Subtitle generatorA free AI subtitle generator: drop in a video or recording and download SRT or VTT subtitles timed to the speech, two short lines per cue; only the sound is sent, nothing is stored
- Subtitles for Final Cut ProMake an SRT and import it into Final Cut Pro with File > Import > Closed Captions, then burn it in or export it
- Subtitles for DaVinci ResolveMake an SRT and import it into DaVinci Resolve’s Media Pool as a subtitle track, free or Studio
- Subtitles for TikTokTikTok takes no subtitle files: make short-line subtitles here and put them in the video before you post, or use TikTok’s captions
- Subtitles for Instagram ReelsInstagram takes no subtitle files: make short-line subtitles here and put them in the Reel before you post, or use Instagram’s captions
Speaker-named subtitles for every recording, on your Mac
Free to download. Runs entirely on your Mac.
macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended
About NoteOwl
NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a one-time purchase.
NoteOwl pricing: what’s free and what Pro adds
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