# What are closed captions?

> Closed captions are a caption track viewers can switch on or off. What they are, which file formats exist (SRT, iTT) and where video ads use them.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-07
- **Category**: Video editing
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-glossary/closed-captions

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Closed captions are captions stored apart from the picture, so a viewer can turn them on or off. They usually come as a caption track or a file such as SRT.

## How editors store them

| Tool | Closed captions |
|---|---|
| Premiere Pro | Export a sidecar file in SubRip (.srt), or embed captions in formats such as QuickTime and MXF OP1a |
| Final Cut Pro | Generate Captions > Closed Captions. Auto captions use the iTT format. File > Export Closed Captions makes an SRT |
| Descript | Subtitle tracks are embedded in video exports. Viewers can switch them on or off where the platform supports it |

Premiere Pro is now called Adobe Premiere. Paths are from each maker's help pages (checked 3 Nov 2026). Final Cut Pro auto captions need a Mac with Apple silicon and are available in U.S. English only.

## A worked example

LinkedIn's help page says video ad captions must be an SRT file in plain text, with no font colours. Its business spec page calls captions optional and names no format.

Say you style your captions in yellow for Reels. For LinkedIn you upload a plain [SRT file](/glossary/srt-file), so the yellow does not carry over. Where you need the style, use [open captions](/glossary/open-captions) instead.

## When to use them

- The platform accepts a caption file and shows its own caption button.
- You want one video that works in several languages, with a file for each.
- You need viewers to switch captions off.

Marxx's [AI video editor](/features/ai-video-editor) imports subtitles from SRT, VTT or ASS and exports captions as SRT or VTT. We make Marxx.

For the full trade-off, see [open captions vs closed captions](/compare/open-captions-vs-closed-captions).

## FAQ

### Are closed captions and subtitles the same?

Not quite. Closed captions often include sound cues such as [music]. Subtitles usually carry the speech only.

### Do Meta ads need closed captions?

Meta lists captions as optional but recommended on Feed, Stories and Reels (checked 3 Nov 2026).

### Which closed caption format should I use?

SRT is the simplest and works on LinkedIn. Final Cut Pro makes iTT for its own closed captions.

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