3 Easy Ways to Add Captions to Instagram Stories in 2024

It is essential to learn how to add captions to Instagram story, as it not only makes it easier to understand the content, but your videos can also capture a wider range of global audiences. While the following sections explain how to add captions on Instagram manually and automatically using the app’s built-in features, this guide also teaches about a more efficient and robust third-party app to do the job more accurately.

Part 1: How to Add Captions to an Instagram Story Automatically on Android/iPhone

Android and iOS share an almost identical Instagram interface. Therefore, if you learn how to get captions on Instagram stories on one platform, you automatically know the process on the other. Also, before proceeding, you must understand that the automatic captioning option might not be available for everyone, especially when you are from a region whose native language is not yet added to IG’s database.

Nevertheless, you can switch your phone’s country to a different one (e.g., UK, US, Australia, etc.) and see how auto-caption generation works on Instagram.

Considering that you are using your smartphone under ideal conditions, the steps given below explain how to put a caption on an IG story automatically:

Note: An iPhone 13 Pro Max is used here for complimenting images.

Step 1: Pick a Video

Launch Instagram, tap your profile picture from the top-left corner, pick a video with vocals, and tap Done from the top-right corner.

Step 2: Add Auto-Captions

Tap the Sticker icon from the top, tap inside the Search box, and search for Captions. Tap the CAPTIONS bar from the results list, and wait while Instagram automatically generates captions for the clip.

Note: The CAPTIONS bar automatically appears in the results list, i.e., without typing anything, if you already used it earlier, and haven’t accessed any other sticker after that.

Click Done from the top-right to go back to the previous screen.

Note: If you cannot find the CAPTIONS bar in the Stickers window, cancel everything, create a new Reel or Post, and try generating auto-captions while publishing. This will add the CAPTIONS bar to the Recent list. You can delete the Reel/Post after publishing. Once done, follow the above procedure to search for the CAPTIONS bar to add auto-generated captions to your Instagram story.

Step 3: Adjust Position and Publish the Story

Tap and hold the text Instagram generated automatically, and drag the caption to adjust its position on the screen. Tap the Publish icon from the bottom-right to publish the story with auto-generated captions on Instagram.

Part 2: How to Add Captions to Instagram Stories Manually

In addition to auto-subtitle generation, Instagram also allows you to manually add captions to stories. This method offers more control over the text you type and how it should appear during the video playback.

You can learn how to add captions in an Instagram story manually by following the steps given below:

Step 1: Select a Video

Use the method explained in Step 1 of the previous section to select and import a video for an Instagram story.

Step 2: Add a Caption to the Story

Tap the Text icon from the top, and type the caption for the video. Optionally, use the Size slider on the left to adjust the font size. You can also choose your favorite font preset from the bottom. In addition, optionally, tap the Animation icon from the top to display animated subtitles. Tap Done from the top-right to finalize the caption.

Step 3: Reposition the Caption and Publish the IG Story

Back on the previous screen, hold and drag the text to adjust its position, and tap the Publish icon from the bottom-right to publish the IG story with the manually added caption.

Part 3: How to Add Subtitles to an Instagram Story with the Best Auto-Subtitle Generator

Instagram’s built-in automatic and manual captioning features have certain limitations, e.g., fewer formatting options, a lesser number of supported languages for auto-subtitle generation, etc. While this could serve the purpose when you have a small group of friends and post IG stories for personal viewing, you can’t rely on these tools if you’re using the platform for business promotion and/or monetization.

This is where an efficient third-party app called HitPaw Edimakor comes into play, which auto-generates captions for Instagram stories accurately within a few seconds. In addition to automatic subtitles creation, Edimakor can also record your computer screen, write scripts, merge videos, etc., making it a full-fledged production and post-production program for amateurs and professionals.

Learning how to add captions to an Instagram story with HitPaw Edimakor is easy, and the step-by-step instructions to do so are given below:

Step 1: Import and Add the Video to Edimakor’s Timeline

Obtain HitPaw Edimakor from the app’s official website and install it on your PC. Launch the program and click Create a video to switch to HitPaw Edimakor’s video editor screen.

Click Import Files, choose and import the video of up to 90 seconds, and drag it to the Timeline at the bottom. Alternatively, you can click Download from the left pane and paste the URL of an already published Instagram story to download it and proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Auto-Generate Subtitles with HitPaw Edimakor

Click the Subtitles button in the standard toolbar, select the video track in the Timeline, click the Selected clip radio button in the Auto Subtitles box if it is not already selected, and click Auto Subtitling. Wait while HitPaw Edimakor auto-generates subtitles for the video and adds them as a new track in the Timeline.

Alternatively, you can click Load Subtitles from the left pane, import an already created subtitles file from your computer, and add it to the Timeline.

Step 3: Adjust the Subtitles’ Appearance and Export the Clip

Select the subtitles track and use the formatting options in the right pane to modify the text appearance. Next, click Export from the upper-right corner, go to the Instagram tab on the Export box, define output preferences, and click Export from the bottom-right.

After this, use your preferred method to transfer the clip to your smartphone and publish it as your IG story.

Part 4: FAQs on Adding Captions to an Instagram Story

Conclusion

Although you may find learning how to add subtitles on an IG story using the app’s built-in features easy, they are not quite flexible when it comes to managing the look and feel of the text. Because of these limitations, professionals and amateurs prefer using a third-party cross-platform tool like HitPaw Edimakor, and this guide would be of great help in learning how to add captions to an Instagram story using the program.