Free tool
Add captions to a Zoom recording
To add captions to Zoom recordings in the cloud, turn on Zoom’s audio transcript, which plays as captions behind the CC icon; for a recording saved on your computer, make an SRT with the free generator below and add it wherever you share the video.
- Free
- SRT and VTT
- 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.
Recording meetings every week? NoteOwl records them on your Mac with no bot joining, transcribes them on the device, unlimited, and names every speaker.
How it works
How do you make captions for a Zoom recording you saved?
Drop the video file Zoom saved on your computer onto the generator. It turns the meeting’s speech into captions timed from the file’s first second. Read them through, then download an SRT, or a VTT if the video is going to Vimeo, and upload it alongside the recording.
- 1
Find the local recording
The video file of a meeting Zoom recorded to your computer, as it is or after trimming.
- 2
Drop it here
Meetings run long: the first 30 minutes of each file are captioned, and the preview lists every caption.
- 3
Download SRT or VTT
Both carry the same captions. YouTube and Google Drive take either; Vimeo recommends WebVTT.
Can you add an SRT file to a Zoom recording?
No. Zoom’s help describes no way to add your own caption file to a cloud recording or a Clip. Cloud recordings can get Zoom’s audio transcript instead. For a recording saved on your computer, the captions travel with the video to wherever you share it.
- Cloud recording
- Captions Zoom makesThe audio transcript, when Create audio transcript is on: a VTT file listed with the recording, shown with the CC icon
- Where your own captions goZoom’s help documents no caption-file upload
- Local recording
- Captions Zoom makesNone: the audio transcript is for cloud recordings only
- Where your own captions goWith the video on YouTube, Vimeo or Google Drive, or burned into the picture
| Recording | Captions Zoom makes | Where your own captions go |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud recording | The audio transcript, when Create audio transcript is on: a VTT file listed with the recording, shown with the CC icon | Zoom’s help documents no caption-file upload |
| Local recording | None: the audio transcript is for cloud recordings only | With the video on YouTube, Vimeo or Google Drive, or burned into the picture |
How do you turn on Zoom’s audio transcript?
In Zoom’s Settings, open Recording, turn on Create audio transcript under Advanced cloud recording settings, and save. Zoom’s help says it needs a Pro, Business, Education, or Enterprise account with cloud recording enabled, and it doesn’t apply to local recordings.
- 1
Wait for processing
When the transcript is ready, Zoom lists it as a separate VTT file with the recorded meeting.
- 2
Open the recording
In the web portal, go to Recordings & Transcripts, the Cloud recordings tab, then the meeting’s name and its thumbnail.
- 3
Show the captions
The transcript is built into the video but hidden by default. Click the CC icon to show it.
- 4
Fix a phrase
Use the pencil icon to correct a line Zoom misheard.
How do you caption a local Zoom recording?
Make the captions here from the video file, then upload the video and the SRT together where people will watch. YouTube, Vimeo and Google Drive all take a caption file for a video. For a recording you send as a file, put the captions into the picture instead.
Local recordings are the ones Zoom doesn’t caption, so this is how to add captions to Zoom recordings saved on a computer. For one you email or hand over as a file, burn them into the video, so the words go wherever the file goes.
YouTube
In YouTube Studio, choose Subtitles, then the video, ADD LANGUAGE, and ADD under Subtitles. Pick Upload file, then With timing, and choose the SRT.
Vimeo
Open the video from your Library, select Languages, then the + button. Upload the file, set its language and type, and toggle it on.
Google Drive
On a computer, right-click the video, then File information > Manage caption tracks, Add new caption tracks and Select file. Choose a language and name, then Upload.
Will the captions stay in sync if you trim the recording?
Only if you make them from the trimmed file. Each caption’s time counts from the first second of the file you drop in, so cutting the opening small talk afterwards would make every caption late. Caption the final cut, or move the whole file with the subtitle shifter.
A meeting longer than 30 minutes is captioned up to that point. Split the recording, caption each part, then join the files with the subtitle merger: its One after the other option moves the second part’s times to where that part starts.
The generator writes the words only, never who said them. To mark speakers, add names in the subtitle editor before uploading. Want to read the meeting rather than watch it? Meeting recording to text gives a transcript with times.
Can you record meetings and get transcripts with speaker names?
Yes, with NoteOwl on your Mac. It records meetings with no bot joining the call and transcribes them with on-device AI models, unlimited, labelling each speaker. For a recording you import, such as a local Zoom file, it saves an SRT with every speaker’s name.
FAQ
Questions about captions for Zoom recordings
Why don’t I see captions on my Zoom recording?
Zoom’s captions come from its audio transcript, which is made only for cloud recordings, only when Create audio transcript is turned on, and only once processing has finished. It is hidden until you click the CC icon. A recording saved on your computer gets none.
Can I edit Zoom’s transcript?
Yes. Open the cloud recording from Recordings & Transcripts in the web portal and use the pencil icon to correct a phrase.
Which Zoom accounts get the audio transcript?
Zoom’s help names Pro, Business, Education and Enterprise accounts with cloud recording enabled. It isn’t made for local recordings, whatever the account.
Should I upload an SRT or a VTT?
Either works for YouTube and Google Drive. Vimeo takes both but recommends WebVTT. The generator gives you both from the same captions, so download whichever each site prefers.
Does the generator name the people in the meeting?
No. Each caption holds only what was said. Add names by hand before uploading, or use NoteOwl on a Mac, which labels speakers and writes their names into its SRT files.
Is the meeting recording uploaded?
No, the video file stays on your computer. Small pieces of its sound are sent to a cloud AI transcription service, which transcribes and discards them; the captions are assembled in the page, and NoteOwl stores neither the recording nor the text.
Can it caption a meeting longer than the limit?
The first 30 minutes of each file are captioned, 3 files a day. Split a longer meeting into parts, caption each one, and join the files, or transcribe the whole meeting with NoteOwl on a Mac.
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 Google DriveMake an SRT and add it to a video in Google Drive with Manage caption tracks, on a computer
- Subtitles for PowerPointMake a WebVTT caption file and insert it into a video on a slide: Playback > Insert Captions on Windows and Mac, Edit Captions on the web
- Subtitles for VLCMake an SRT for any video and load it in VLC with Add Subtitle File, or name it like the video so VLC finds it
- Subtitles for QuickTime PlayerQuickTime Player won’t open an SRT beside a video: make one here, then play it in VLC or put a subtitle track inside the movie
The same in other tools
Related
- Meeting recording to textMeeting transcription free in your browser: drop in a Zoom, Teams, Google Meet or Webex recording and get a transcript with times; only the sound is sent, nothing is stored
- AI meeting notes without a botHow NoteOwl records calls from your Mac with no bot joining, and what you get when the call ends
- Subtitle generatorTurn a recording into an SRT subtitle file with timecodes and speaker names, on your Mac
Meeting captions with speaker names, 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
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