How to Change YouTube Subtitle Language: Step-by-Step Guide for Viewers and Creators

YouTube, the world's premier video-sharing platform, serves a global audience spanning every continent. To enhance accessibility, it supports subtitles in numerous languages, letting you watch videos comfortably in your preferred tongue. In this guide, we'll walk you through changing subtitle languages, adding new ones as a creator, customizing their appearance, and more.

Contents

How to change subtitle language on YouTube videos
How to add another subtitle language to your YouTube video
How to customize subtitles on YouTube
Can YouTube automatically add subtitles?

How to Change Subtitle Language on YouTube Videos

The process is straightforward on desktop, though it requires selecting captions per video. Follow these steps:

1. Open the YouTube video you want to watch in a different language.
2. Click the Settings icon (gear) to the right of the video progress bar.
3. Select Captions/CC.
4. Choose Translate automatically to see available languages.
5. Pick your desired language.

The subtitles will update instantly. Note: The YouTube app's global caption language setting has been unavailable for some time, but you can use these steps in your mobile browser at YouTube.com.

Creators can also add subtitles in additional languages. Here's how:

How to Add Another Subtitle Language to Your YouTube Video

1. Log in to YouTube Studio.
2. Select Subtitles from the left menu.
3. Choose the video.
4. Click Add language and select it.
5. Under Captions, add subtitles.

You can upload an .srt file or enter text manually.

How to Customize Subtitles on YouTube

Tailor caption appearance to your liking with these options:

• Open a YouTube video.
• Click the Settings icon and select Subtitles/CC.
• Click Options.
• Adjust font color, size, background opacity, and more.

On the YouTube mobile app:

• Open the app and tap your profile icon.
• Go to Settings.
• Select Captions.
• Customize font, color, and background.

Can YouTube Automatically Add Subtitles?

Yes, YouTube uses advanced speech recognition and machine learning to auto-generate captions for many videos, though accuracy can vary by audio quality and accents.

Hope this guide makes your YouTube experience seamless!