How to Enable Auto-Generated Captions on Videos and Reels

A large percentage of Instagram users watch videos in public spaces, offices, or quiet environments with their sound turned off. If your videos lack subtitles, viewers are likely to scroll past without engaging.

Fortunately, Instagram offers a built-in Auto-Captions feature that automatically transcribes spoken audio into on-screen text. In this guide, we will cover how to enable auto-captions for your videos and Reels in simple steps.

Why Auto-Captions Are Essential for Your Instagram Reach

Adding subtitles allows users to follow your content even on mute, significantly improving audience watch time (retention rate) across all video formats.

When Instagram’s algorithm detects higher completion rates, it flags your content as high quality and pushes it further on the Explore page and Reels tab. Furthermore, captions make your content accessible to deaf or hard-of-hearing audiences.

Method 1: Enabling Captions When Publishing a Reel

To automatically add subtitles to a new Reel during creation, follow these simple steps:

1. Select Media: Open Instagram, tap the + (Create) button at the bottom, choose Reel, and select your video file.
2. Use the Captions Sticker: On the editing screen, tap the Sticker icon (smiling square) at the top and select the **Captions** sticker to transcribe your speech automatically.
3. Enable via Advanced Settings: Alternatively, on the final sharing screen, scroll down and tap Advanced Settings.
4. Toggle Show Captions: Switch on the Show Captions toggle so Instagram automatically generates subtitles for your viewers.

Method 2: Enabling Auto-Captions for All Viewed Videos

You can also configure your app settings so that any video or Reel you watch on Instagram automatically displays subtitles whenever available.

Go to your profile page, tap the three-line menu in the top-right corner, and select Settings and activity. Tap Accessibility, select **Captions**, and toggle the feature on.