---
title: "Add and edit subtitles"
canonical_url: https://docs.zvid.io/docs/editor/subtitles/
source: docs/editor/subtitles.md
content_revision: 6338386a1dd87e4a
---

# Add and edit subtitles

Create word-timed captions that are drawn into your rendered video.

## When to use it

Use subtitles for spoken content or synchronized captions. Use [text elements](https://docs.zvid.io/docs/editor/text/) for titles that are not part of a caption sequence.

## Before you begin

Open a video project. Have a caption file ready if you want to import captions, or use the playhead to add them manually.

## How to import captions

**Navigation:** **Editor → Subtitles → Captions**.

1. Click **import**.
2. Choose an SRT, VTT, ASS/SSA, or Whisper JSON file.
3. Wait for the imported-caption notification.
4. Select a caption to review its text and timing.

![Zvid Subtitles panel showing the Captions import action and Add caption at playhead control.](https://docs.zvid.io/img/dashboard-guide/editor-subtitles.png)

> **Import replaces the caption list**
Importing a file replaces the current inline captions. Applicable imported styles can also update subtitle styling. Save a copy first if you need to keep the old captions; use **Undo** for an unintended local import.

If an imported project already references a subtitle URL, the panel displays that URL with **Load into editor**. Click it to fetch and convert those captions into an editable list. Successful loading replaces the URL reference with inline captions. There is no separate URL-entry form in this panel; see the [subtitle reference](https://docs.zvid.io/docs/structure/subtitle/) for URL-based project JSON.

## How to add and edit a caption

1. Move the playhead to the caption's start.
2. Open **Subtitles** and click **Add caption at playhead**.
3. Select the caption in the list.
4. Set **Start**, **End**, and **Text**.
5. In **Word timings**, adjust each word's text, start, and end as needed.
6. Scrub or play that interval to check synchronization.

Editing **Text** redistributes word timings proportionally. **even retime** redistributes the current words across the caption; review the result before using karaoke or other word-level animations.

## How to split, merge, or delete captions

1. Select a caption.
2. Click **split** to divide it at its midpoint, or **merge ↓** to combine it with the following caption.
3. To shorten long captions in bulk, set **Max words per line**, then click **Split captions**.
4. To remove one caption, click **Delete caption** in its row.

These operations change the project's caption list. **Undo** can reverse local caption edits during the editing session.

## How to style subtitles

1. Expand **Subtitle style**.
2. Choose **Mode** to control how words appear or highlight.
3. Set **Font family**, **Font size (px)**, and **Color**.
4. For modes using active-word styling, set **Active word color**, **Active word background**, and **Word box radius** as applicable.
5. Adjust **Bold**, **Italic**, caption **Background**, **Box padding**, **Box radius**, **Outline width**, and **Outline color**.
6. Set **Position**, **Vertical margin**, **Horizontal margin**, and **Text transform**.
7. Preview the captions over the actual background.

The mode-specific controls appear when relevant. Inspect a rendered output when exact line wrapping, font appearance, or word highlighting matters.

## Troubleshooting

### Caption import fails

**Cause:** The file could not be parsed or contained no recognized captions.

**Solution:** Check the import error notification, confirm the file's format and content, and import it again. For a URL-based project, confirm that the caption URL can be fetched by the browser before using **Load into editor**.

## What happens next

Captions appear in the subtitle lane and on the stage at their scheduled times. [Save](https://docs.zvid.io/docs/editor/projects/), [preview the movie](https://docs.zvid.io/docs/editor/preview/), then [render](https://docs.zvid.io/docs/editor/export/) to verify the finished captions.

## Related documentation

- [Timeline and timing](https://docs.zvid.io/docs/editor/timeline/)
- [Subtitle modes and schema](https://docs.zvid.io/docs/structure/subtitle/)
- [Text elements](https://docs.zvid.io/docs/editor/text/)