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In PowerPoint for Windows and macOS, and web, you can add closed captions or subtitles to videos and audio files in your presentations. Adding closed captions makes your presentation accessible to a larger audience, including people with hearing disabilities and those who speak languages other than the one in your video.

To read about best practices for accessibility, see Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities

Beginning with version 2016, PowerPoint has a new, simpler format for caption files, called WebVTT. The video player in the following versions of PowerPoint can show those captions when you play the video:

  • PowerPoint 2016

  • PowerPoint 2019

  • PowerPoint 2021

  • PowerPoint for Microsoft 365

The closed captions are stored in a text-based file with a .vtt filename extension. You can create a closed caption file on your own or use a caption-creation tool. To search online for available tools and detailed instructions, type "create vtt file" in your search engine.

For instructions on showing captions when watching a video in these versions of PowerPoint, see Accessibility features in video and audio playback on PowerPoint.

Requirements for this feature

In Office 2016, the availability of the closed-captioning feature depends on the way Microsoft 365 was installed. Closed-captioning is only available for Office 2016 Click-to-Run installations; MSI-based installations don't have closed-captioning features. Read the next section to see whether the feature is available to your installation of PowerPoint 2016.

  1. Open an Office 2016 application.

  2. On the File menu, select Account.

  3. For Office 2016  Click-to-Run installations, you'll have an Update Options button.

    MSI-based installations don't have an Update Options button. You'll only see the About <application name> button.

    Click-to-run installations have an Update Options button on the Account page. MSI-based installations don't have this button.

If you have an MSI-based installation of Office 2016, refer to the Office 2010-2013 tab of this article to see what captioning features are available to you.

Create closed captions

Prepare a text-based caption file with a .vtt filename extension before adding captions. For instructions on how to create the caption file, see Create closed captions for a video.

Add closed captions to a video

You can add captions to presentations that you've recorded with video narration, screen recordings, and any other video (except online videos) that you insert into PowerPoint.

  1. In PowerPoint, in the Normal view, open the slide that has the video that you want to add captions to.

  2. Select the video on the slide.

  3. On the Playback tab, select Insert Captions, and then select Insert Captions.

    Insert captions for a video in PowerPoint.
  4. In the Insert Captions dialog box, select the file or files and then click Insert.

  5. If you need to add more caption files, just repeat the process.

  6. Play the video and check that the captions appear correctly.

Remove closed captions from a video

If you need to edit a closed caption file that is inserted in a video in PowerPoint, you can first remove the file, modify it, and then add it back to the video. Before removing the file from the PowerPoint video, make sure you have the original copy of the closed caption file stored on your PC.

If you have added more than one caption file to a video, the following process removes all caption files assigned to the video.

  1. In PowerPoint, in the Normal view, open the slide that has the video containing the captions.

  2. Select the video on the slide.

  3. On the Playback tab, select Insert Captions, and then select Remove All Captions.

    Remove all captions for a video in PowerPoint.

Additional ways to add closed captions

Beginning with version 2111, you can also insert closed captions from the Accessibility ribbon using the Insert Captions button.

Beginning with version 2208, you can also insert closed captions from the context menu that appears when you right-click on a video.

Tip: If you're using Microsoft 365, you can also show live subtitles, including live translation to another language if you like, of your speech as you present. For more information, refer to Present with real-time, automatic captions or subtitles in PowerPoint.

Add captions to an audio file

Beginning with version 2303, you can insert closed captions for audio in the same way as for video.

Tip: The closed captions will only be displayed on the slide that the audio file is inserted in even if the audio continues playing on other slides because the Play Across Slides setting is on.  

Related topics

Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities

Create closed captions for a video

In PowerPoint 2013 and PowerPoint 2010, and the MSI-based version of PowerPoint 2016, STAMP (the Subtitling text add-in for Microsoft PowerPoint) lets you add closed captions to your video and audio files. If you work with captioned video and audio files that already have Timed Text Markup (TTML) files associated with them, this add-in lets you import them directly into your presentation. If you don’t have a TTML file, you can add captions directly in your presentation by using the STAMP Caption Editor.

Features of the STAMP add-in

The STAMP add-in allows you to:

  • Import captions from a Timed Text Markup (TTML) file to create captions against an audio or video in the presentation.

  • Create and edit closed captions in PowerPoint 2010, 2013, or 2016.

  • Delete your closed captions.

  • Export captions to a TTML file.

  • Turn captions on and off when in presentation mode. Viewers who have this add-in installed can do this also.

  • Use a video/audio playback while editing Timed Text captions.

  • Align captions when they have moved, or if you re-size the video.

  • Import communicative text formatting information from the TTML file, for example: styling, color and alignment.

What do you want to do?

Download and install STAMP

The add-in is designed for PowerPoint 2010, 2013, or 2016, and you must install the correct add-in for your version of Office (32-bit or 64-bit).

Step 1: Confirm your version of Microsoft Office

To check which version of Office you are using, and which installer you should download, do the following:

  1. In PowerPoint, click the File tab.

  2. Click Help.

  3. Under About Microsoft PowerPoint is information about the version of Office that you have installed, including whether it is 32-bit or 64-bit.

Step 2: Download STAMP

After you are sure of the version you need, download the add-in by doing the following:

  1. Go to Subtitling Text Add-in for Microsoft PowerPoint (STAMP).

  2. Choose the correct version for your computer and save the .zip file to your computer.

  3. Extract the files to a folder on your computer.

Step 3: Install STAMP

After you have downloaded the appropriate STAMP file, install it by doing the following:

  1. Go to the folder where you extracted the installation files, and run STAMP Setup (32-bit or 64-bit).msi.

  2. Follow the steps in the installation wizard.

To verify that the add-in installed correctly, do the following:

  1. Open PowerPoint.

  2. Click the File tab, and then click Options.

  3. Click Add-ins, and verify that Sub-titling Text Add-in for Microsoft PowerPoint is listed under Active Application Add-ins.

    PowerPoint Options, Add Ins screen with STAMP add in highlighted

After you have installed the STAMP add-in, you will see new options on the Playback tab in the Audio Tools or Video Tools group when you have an audio or video item selected in your presentation. The ribbon commands are enabled or disabled based on the media item selected and the captions already attached to it.

Keyboard shortcuts

The buttons on the caption editor can be accessed using standard Microsoft Windows Alt + key accelerators.

The following keys have also been assigned to functions in the Caption Editor:

Key

Function

F2

Move back 2 seconds of playback

F3

Set start time of the current caption

F4

Set end time of the current caption

F5

Set focus to caption text for editing

F6 or Insert

Insert new caption at the bottom of grid, and set start time

Delete

Delete current caption

CTRL+P

Start or pause the playback

CTRL+SHIFT+S

Slows the playback speed

CTRL+SHIFT+N

Resumes normal playback speed

CTRL+SHIFT+G

Increases the playback speed

Create new captions using the Caption Editor

Caption editor with callout indicated

1 Play

2 Add caption

3 Set start and end time

4 Add or change caption text

5 Update captions

6 To add new captions to an audio or video in your presentation, do the following:

  1. On the Insert tab, click the Video or Audio menu, and then select the media type and location that you want to insert into your presentation.

    Note: See Add or delete audio in your PowerPoint presentation for more information.

  2. In Audio Tools or Video Tools, click the Playback tab, and then click the Add Captions menu.

  3. Click Create Captions.

    Playback Tab, Add captions menu selected

  4. In the Caption Editor, Click the Play button to start playback of the audio or video.

  5. With the media playing, listen for the dialog that you want to caption, and click New Caption New Caption button to add a caption. The caption will be created with the current media playback time as the Start Time of the caption.

    Clicking Start Time will reset the starting point of the active caption.

  6. You can then do one of the following:

    • Click in the Caption Text field and type the text to appear in the caption; or

    • Click Set End Time Set End Time button to set the caption end time to match the current media playback position. You can also manually enter the end of each caption. If you leave the end time blank, it adjusts to the start time of the following caption.

  7. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to create additional captions.

    You don’t have to create captions in order. To add a new caption between two existing captions, click Sort to put them into time sequence order.

Import captions as a TTML file

If captions for your media have already been created and saved as a TTML file, you can import them into PowerPoint by doing the following:

  1. On the Insert tab, click the Video or Audio menu and then select the media type and location that you want to insert into your presentation.

    See Add or delete audio in your PowerPoint presentation or Insert and play a video file from your computer for more information.

  2. In Audio Tools or Video Tools, click the Playback tab, and then click the Add Captions menu.

  3. Click Captions From File.

    Playback tab, Add Caption button selected.

  4. Browse to the TTML file location, select the file you want to import, and then click Open.

  5. If you want to edit the captions after they have been imported into your presentation, select the Edit Captions check box.

  6. Click OK.

Edit or delete captions in the Caption Editor

When you select media that already has captions added you can edit the captions by doing the following:

  1. On the Playback tab, click Edit Captions.

    Video Tools Playback tab with Edit Captions highlighted

  2. Click in the text area of the caption you want to edit, and then make the necessary changes.

  3. Click Update Captions.

You can delete a caption by doing the following:

  1. On the Playback tab, click Edit Options.

  2. Select the row of the caption you want to remove, and then click Delete Caption.

To see the captions you have entered or modified, switch to Slide Show view of your presentation and then click the audio or video to start it.

Align, show, hide, or remove captions

Align captions if you move or resize your video

If you move or change the size of the video in your presentation, you can realign the closed captions by selecting the video, and then clicking Align Captions on the Playback tab.

Hide or show captions in the presentation

You can hide captions from view in your presentation by selecting the media, and then clicking Hide on the Playback tab.

Hiding captions does not remove them from the presentation.

To display captions that you have previously hidden, select the media, and then click Show on the Playback tab.

Remove captions from the presentation

To completely remove captions from the media in your presentation select the media, and then click Remove on the Playback tab.

Related topics

Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities

Create closed captions for a video

Beginning with version 16.63, PowerPoint for Mac supports closed captions in the WebVTT format. 

The closed captions are stored in a text-based file with a .vtt filename extension. You can create a closed caption file on your own or use a caption creation tool. To search online for available tools and detailed instructions, type "create vtt file" in your search engine.

For instructions on showing captions when watching a video in the supported versions of PowerPoint, refer to the section "Turn on closed captions or subtitles by using the keyboard" in the article Accessibility features in video and audio playback on PowerPoint.

Create closed captions

Prepare a text-based caption file with a .vtt filename extension before adding captions. For instructions on how to create the caption file, refer to Create closed captions for a video.

Add closed captions to a video

You can add captions to presentations that you've recorded with video narration, screen recordings, and any other video (except online videos) that you insert into PowerPoint.

  1. In PowerPoint, in the Normal view, open the slide that has the video that you want to add captions to.

  2. Select the video on the slide.

  3. On the Playback tab, select Insert Captions, and then select Insert Captions.

    Insert captions for a video in PowerPoint.

  4. In the Insert Captions dialog box, browse to your caption file. Select the file or files and then select Insert.

  5. If you need to add more caption files, just repeat the process.

  6. Play the video and check that the captions appear correctly.

Remove closed captions from a video

If you need to edit a closed caption file that is inserted in a video in PowerPoint, you have to first remove the file, modify it, and then add it back to the video. Before removing the file from the PowerPoint video, make sure you have the original copy of the closed caption file stored on your computer.

If you have added more than one caption file to a video, the following process removes all caption files assigned to the video.

  1. In PowerPoint, in the Normal view, open the slide that has the video containing the captions.

  2. Select the video on the slide.

  3. On the Playback tab, select Insert Captions, and then select Remove All Captions.

    Remove all captions for a video in PowerPoint.

Additional ways to add closed captions

You can also insert closed captions from the Accessibility ribbon using the Insert Captions button.

Beginning with version 16.64, you can also insert closed captions from the context menu that appears when you Control-click on a video.

Tip: If you're using Microsoft 365, you can also show live subtitles, including live translation to another language if you like, of your speech as you present. For more information, refer to Present with real-time, automatic captions or subtitles in PowerPoint.

Add captions to an audio file

Beginning with version 16.71, you can insert closed captions for audio in the same way as for video.

Tip: The closed captions will only be displayed on the slide that the audio file is inserted in even if the audio continues playing on other slides because the Play Across Slides setting is on.   

Related topics

Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities

Create closed captions for a video

Beginning with build 16.0.17201.40500, you can insert closed captions for embedded videos in PowerPoint for the web. Closed captions stored in a text-based file in WebVTT format with a .vtt filename extension are supported.

You can create a closed caption file on your own or use a caption-creation tool. To search online for available tools and detailed instructions, type "create vtt file" in your search engine.

For instructions on showing captions when watching a video in these versions of PowerPoint, see Accessibility features in video and audio playback on PowerPoint.

Create closed captions

Prepare a text-based caption file with a .vtt filename extension before adding captions. For instructions on how to create the caption file, see Create closed captions for a video.

Add closed captions to a video

You can add captions to presentations that you've recorded with video narration, screen recordings, and any other video (except online videos) that you insert into PowerPoint.

  1. In PowerPoint, in the Normal view, open the slide that has the video that you want to add captions to.

  2. Select the video on the slide.

  3. On the Video tab, select Insert Captions, and then select Insert Captions.

    Insert captions for a video in PowerPoint
  4. In the Insert Captions dialog, select the file or files and then click Insert.

  5. If you need to add more caption files, just repeat the process.

  6. Play the video and check that the captions appear correctly.

Remove closed captions from a video

If you need to edit a closed caption file that is inserted in a video in PowerPoint, you can first remove the file, modify it, and then add it back to the video. Before removing the file from the PowerPoint video, make sure you have the original copy of the closed caption file stored on your PC.

If you have added more than one caption file to a video, the following process removes all caption files assigned to the video.

  1. In PowerPoint, in the Normal view, open the slide that has the video containing the captions.

  2. Select the video on the slide.

  3. On the Video tab, select Insert Captions, and then select Remove All Captions.

    Remove all captions for a video in PowerPoint

Additional ways to add closed captions

You can also insert closed captions from the Accessibility ribbon using the Insert Captions button.

You can also insert closed captions from the context menu that appears when you right-click on a video.

Tip: If you're using Microsoft 365, you can also show live subtitles, including live translation to another language if you like, of your speech as you present. For more information, refer to Present with real-time, automatic captions or subtitles in PowerPoint.

Related topics

Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities

Create closed captions for a video

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