Open captions vs closed captions
Last updated 2026-10-20
Open captions are burned into the video picture, so every viewer sees them and nobody can turn them off. Closed captions are a separate text track that viewers switch on or off in the player. Both can meet accessibility rules. Choose open captions for social video watched with the sound off. Choose closed captions for viewer control, broadcast delivery or caption files you can correct later.
What open and closed captions are
Both show the words people speak, and the sounds that matter, as text. The difference is where the text lives.
W3C, the web standards body, explains it this way. Most captions are closed captions that viewers can hide or show. Open captions are always displayed and cannot be turned off.
Closed captions are stored apart from the video, usually in a caption file. WebVTT is the most common format on the web, with SRT and TTML also in use. Open captions have no file. They are drawn into the picture like any other text on screen, so changing one later means exporting the video again.
When to use which
The rule is simple. If you own the look and the video goes to a social feed, burn the captions in. If someone else needs to switch, replace or translate them, ship a caption file.
Accessibility alone does not decide it. W3C lists both providing open captions and providing closed captions as ways to meet the WCAG captions requirement for prerecorded video.
| Situation | Better choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Reels, TikTok or Shorts where captions are part of the style | Open | You control the font, color and timing, and it looks the same on every platform. |
| Viewers who watch with the sound off | Open | The words are always on screen, so nobody has to find a setting. |
| Courses, training or workplace video | Closed | Viewers can turn them on or off, and you keep a caption file to correct and reuse. |
| Television and broadcast delivery | Closed | FCC rules for TV closed captioning require captions that are accurate, synchronous, complete and properly placed. |
| Video you will translate or revise later | Closed | You edit a text file, not the picture. |
Platform auto-captions and one common mistake
Platforms can make closed captions for you. Instagram uses speech recognition to create closed captions for reels, and in the Instagram app you switch them with Enable closed captions under More options when you share. YouTube also creates automatic captions, in the video's default language only.
W3C warns that automatic captions are not enough on their own unless someone confirms they are fully accurate. One missing word can reverse a meaning. W3C also lists captions for prerecorded video with audio as a WCAG Level A requirement.
The common mistake is burning in your own captions and leaving the platform's captions on. Viewers then see two sets of words stacked on the picture. Turn the platform's captions off when yours are burned in.
How to add closed captions to a video
You need a caption file, or a platform that makes one. On YouTube, open YouTube Studio, choose Subtitles from the left menu, select the video, click ADD LANGUAGE, then click ADD under Subtitles. You can upload a file, auto-sync a transcript or type the captions in.
YouTube accepts SRT and WebVTT files, among others, so any tool that exports one will work. On Instagram, use the Enable closed captions switch in the app, described above.
Which kind Woven makes
Woven makes open captions. They are burned into the exported MP4, and every viewer sees them.
Woven cannot export a caption file, such as SRT or VTT, and it cannot add a closed-caption track. If you need closed captions, make the file in another tool or use the platform's own captions.
Add open captions in Woven
Woven Video is an AI video editor for Mac. It transcribes the speech in your clips, draws captions onto the video in five styles and exports an MP4 with the captions burned in. Captions use Woven credits. Captioning audio Woven has already transcribed costs nothing for those seconds.
Ask in chat
- Add captions to this video in the Highlight style.
- Fix the spelling of the name in the third caption.
- Move the captions up so they sit in the middle of the frame.
Or do it by hand
- 1Import the video. Click Add, choose Video and pick your file, or drag it onto the timeline.
- 2Generate captions. Click Add, then Generate captions. Woven transcribes the speech and places the captions on the Captions track.
- 3Pick a look. Select a caption, open the Style tab and choose a Caption style: Highlight, Subtitle, Word by word, Word in place or Progressive reveal.
- 4Fix and place. Correct any word by hand or by asking in chat, and drag the captions where you want them on the canvas.
- 5Export. Click Export and choose 1080p or 1440p. The captions are drawn into the video frames of the MP4.
Common questions
Open captions are captions burned into the video image. Every viewer sees them, and they cannot be turned off.
Closed captions are a separate text track that the viewer can turn on or off in the player. They are usually stored in a caption file such as WebVTT or SRT.
Neither wins everywhere, and both can meet accessibility rules. Open captions suit social video that must read with the sound off. Closed captions suit broadcast, viewer control and any video you may need to correct or translate.
Upload a caption file or generate captions on the platform that hosts the video. In YouTube Studio, go to Subtitles, select the video, add a language and choose upload, auto-sync or type manually.
No. Woven burns captions into the exported MP4. It does not export a caption file or a closed-caption track.
Yes. Instagram can create closed captions from speech, and you turn them on or off with Enable closed captions when you share a reel from the app.
Sources
- W3C Web Accessibility Initiative: Captions/Subtitles, checked October 19, 2026
- W3C: Understanding Success Criterion 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded), checked October 19, 2026
- FCC: Closed Captioning on Television, checked October 19, 2026
- Instagram Help Center: Manage closed captions for your reels on Instagram, checked October 19, 2026
- YouTube Help: Add subtitles & captions, checked October 19, 2026
- YouTube Help: Supported subtitle and closed caption files, checked October 19, 2026
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