How to Add Captions to a Video on Mac (Offline)

By NUR Technologies · October 25, 2026 · 5 min read

Most people watch videos with the sound off, so captions decide whether your video is understood. Many tools make you upload your footage to a server. This guide shows how to add captions entirely on your Mac.

What macOS gives you for free

Apps like iMovie let you add text titles by hand, one at a time. That works for a few lines, but it is slow for a whole talk, and typing every word and its timing is the hard part. Automatic captions need transcription.

Captions with Offcaps

Offcaps transcribes your video with on-device AI (Spanish, English and more) with timing for every word, shows each caption style on your own video, and exports it.

1. Drop in a videoDrag your video into Offcaps.
2. Let it transcribeThe transcription runs on your Mac with word-level timing.
3. Pick a lookChoose a ready-made style: clean, highlight, box, pop, karaoke or one word. Customize font, colors, outline, box, animation, size and position.
4. ExportSave an MP4 with the captions burned in, or export SRT, VTT or plain text.

Burned-in or a caption file?

• Burned-in captions are part of the picture and look the same on every platform. Good for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
• SRT or VTT is a separate file that a player shows on top. Good when viewers should be able to turn captions off, or when a platform lets you upload them.