Free tool
Add subtitles to Vimeo
To add subtitles to Vimeo, make a WebVTT file from your video with the free generator below; VTT is its first download because Vimeo recommends it. Then open the video from your Library, select Languages beside the player, upload the file with its language and type, and toggle it on.
- Free
- WebVTT first, SRT too
- 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.
Hosting webinars or course videos on Vimeo? NoteOwl transcribes the recordings on your Mac, unlimited, and saves subtitles that name every speaker.
How it works
How do you create a WebVTT file for Vimeo?
Drop the video you host on Vimeo, or the export you uploaded, onto the generator. It transcribes the sound in short pieces, lays the words out as captions timed to the speech and lists them for checking. Download VTT then saves a .vtt named after your video.
- 1
Choose the source file
The export you put on Vimeo, so the times match the hosted video. Its sound alone, as an MP3 or M4A, works too.
- 2
Read the captions
Each one appears with its times and lines. The first 30 minutes of every file are captioned.
- 3
Download VTT
The lead button. Download SRT sits next to it if you need SubRip instead.
How do you upload captions to a Vimeo video?
Open the video from your Library and select the Languages button in the toolbar left of the player. Select + at the top of the languages window, upload the file from your computer, set its Language and Type, select Upload, then toggle it on to activate it.
For Type: the file made here holds the spoken words and nothing else. Caption is the usual label for a file that also describes sounds, such as music or laughter, for viewers who can’t hear them.
- 1
Languages
In your Library, open the video and select Languages in the toolbar to the left of the player.
- 2
The + button
Select + at the top of the languages window and upload the .vtt from your computer.
- 3
Language and Type
In the dropdowns next to the file name, choose the language spoken and Subtitle or Caption.
- 4
Upload, then toggle on
Select Upload. Once the file is in, switch its toggle on to activate it.
Should you upload WebVTT or SRT to Vimeo?
WebVTT. Vimeo takes both SRT and WebVTT for captions and subtitles, and its help recommends WebVTT. Either way the file must be encoded in UTF-8 so special characters display correctly, and both downloads here are saved that way.
Already holding an SRT from somewhere else? The SRT to VTT converter rewrites it as WebVTT and keeps every time.
- WebVTT (.vtt)
- First lineWEBVTT
- Times written as00:00:00.000, a full stop before the milliseconds
- EncodingUTF-8
- SRT (.srt)
- First lineThe first caption’s number
- Times written as00:00:00,000, a comma before the milliseconds
- EncodingUTF-8
| Format | First line | Times written as | Encoding |
|---|---|---|---|
| WebVTT (.vtt) | WEBVTT | 00:00:00.000, a full stop before the milliseconds | UTF-8 |
| SRT (.srt) | The first caption’s number | 00:00:00,000, a comma before the milliseconds | UTF-8 |
Can you use your own captions and Vimeo’s automatic ones together?
No. Vimeo’s help says your own caption file and Vimeo’s autogenerated captions can’t be enabled at the same time. Upload your file when the wording, names and spelling matter, and keep it as the one switched on.
Viewers then choose for themselves: the CC button in the player’s bottom toolbar shows or hides the captions, so the picture stays clear for anyone who doesn’t need them.
How do you fix or replace a caption file on Vimeo?
Through the file’s ⋮ menu, where Vimeo lets you download, replace, delete or edit it. If an upload is refused because a caption or subtitle file with that name already exists, rename your file and try again.
Captions running a beat late all the way through? Move them together with the subtitle shifter, then replace the file. For a second language, translate the VTT with the subtitle translator, give the new file its own name and choose that language when you upload it.
Want speaker names in your Vimeo captions?
The web generator writes the words only, but NoteOwl adds names. On your Mac, with on-device AI models, it tells apart the voices in recordings you import and saves SRT subtitles with each speaker’s name, unlimited. The SRT to VTT converter then gives you the WebVTT Vimeo prefers.
FAQ
Questions about captions on Vimeo
Does Vimeo accept SRT files?
Yes. Vimeo takes SRT as well as WebVTT for captions and subtitles, though its help recommends WebVTT. The generator saves both, with VTT as the first button.
Why do accented letters look wrong in my Vimeo captions?
The file is most likely not UTF-8. Vimeo asks for caption files encoded in UTF-8 so special characters display correctly. Files saved here are UTF-8; if you edit one, save it in that encoding again.
Why won’t Vimeo upload my caption file?
Check its name and its first line. Vimeo turns away a file named like one already on the video, so rename it. Its specs also say a WebVTT file must begin with WEBVTT, and an SRT with the number of its first caption.
Can I add captions in more than one language?
Upload a separate file for each language, choosing the language from the dropdown beside its name. The generator writes the language spoken in the video and doesn’t translate, so make the other languages with a subtitle translator first.
How long can my video be?
The generator captions up to 30 minutes of each file and 3 files a day, without an account. A longer video gets captions for its first 30 minutes.
Does NoteOwl keep my video?
No. The video file never leaves your device. The page sends brief snippets of its audio to a cloud AI transcription service, which returns the words and throws the snippets away; the WebVTT file is assembled in your browser and nothing is saved.
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 LinkedInMake an SRT and attach it as the caption file when you post a video on LinkedIn from a computer
- Subtitles for FacebookMake an SRT already named the way Facebook requires (video.en_US.srt) and upload it to a video or Reel
- Subtitles for X (Twitter)Make an SRT and upload it with Upload caption file (.srt) when you post a video on X from the web
- Subtitles for Zoom recordingsMake subtitles for a Zoom recording and add them where the recording is shared
Related
- VTT generatorMake a WebVTT caption file from a video or recording free in your browser, for web players and course platforms; nothing is stored
- SRT to VTT converterConvert SRT to VTT, VTT to SRT, or either to clean text with each speaker’s lines merged, in your browser; Zoom and Teams transcripts work
- Subtitle generatorTurn a recording into an SRT subtitle file with timecodes and speaker names, on your Mac
Speaker-named captions, made 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
Last updated