# How to add captions to video ads

> Add captions to a Meta video ad by uploading an .srt file or letting Ads Manager generate them. Exact clicks, file names, Hindi codes and a sample file.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-11
- **Category**: Creative
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-guides/how-to-add-captions-to-video-ads

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In Ads Manager, build your video ad, click Edit video, then Captions, and either upload an .srt file or choose Generate automatically. Automatic captions are English only, so for Hindi or any other language, upload your own file (checked 2026-10-20).

## Steps in Ads Manager

1. Start your video ad. In the **Ad creative** section, upload or create the video.
2. Click **Edit video**, then **Captions**.
3. To use your own file, click **Upload captions**, then **Select file**, pick your .srt file and click **Save**.
4. To use automatic captions, select **Generate automatically**. It can take several minutes. Review the captions, edit any wrong line, then click **Save to video**.
5. Finish the ad and publish it.

If your video has no sound, Meta offers only manual captions. Source: [Meta Business Help Center](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/1675722002698686), checked 2026-10-20.

## Name the file correctly

An .srt file is plain text with timed lines. Meta needs the name in this form: `filename.languagecode_countrycode.srt`. If the name is wrong, the captions will not upload.

| Language | File name ending |
|---|---|
| Hindi | .hi_IN.srt |
| English (India) | .en_IN.srt |
| Tamil | .ta_IN.srt |
| Telugu | .te_IN.srt |
| Marathi | .mr_IN.srt |
| Bengali | .bn_IN.srt |

Meta lists the other codes on the same help page.

## A worked example

Say you have a 20-second Diwali offer video called `diwali_offer`. You write the captions in a text file, save it as `diwali_offer.hi_IN.srt` and upload it. The first lines look like this:

```
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000
Chai thandi ho gayi?

2
00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:05,000
Is Diwali, INR 999 mein dekhiye hamari steel flask.
```

Each block has a number, a start and end time, and one or two short lines. A 20-second video might need 8 to 10 blocks.

## Things to know

- **Captions belong to the video, not the ad.** If you use the same video in several ads, the captions show in every one. A change in one ad changes all of them.
- **Meta recommends them.** Its [Ads Guide](https://www.facebook.com/business/ads-guide/video/facebook-feed) marks video captions as optional but recommended for Facebook Feed (checked 2026-10-20).
- **Automatic captions work on Facebook and Instagram only**, and only in English.
- **Burned-in captions are another route.** You add them in your editor, so they are part of the picture. You control the look, but you cannot turn them off or swap the language later.

## Mistakes to avoid

- Skipping a read-through of automatic captions. Check brand names, prices and INR  amounts.
- Writing Hindi in the wrong script for your viewers. Test Devanagari against Roman Hindi.
- Packing three lines into one block. Split them.

For a version in another language, see [how to dub ads into Hindi](/guides/how-to-dub-ads-into-hindi) and [how to make ads in regional Indian languages](/guides/how-to-make-ads-in-regional-indian-languages). Captions also help [Reels ads](/guides/how-to-make-reels-ads), and you can judge their effect with [hook rate and hold rate](/guides/how-to-read-hook-rate-and-hold-rate).

## FAQ

### Can Meta generate Hindi captions automatically?

No. Meta's page says automated captions are only available in English (checked 2026-10-20). Write your own .srt file for Hindi.

### Do captions apply to every ad that uses the same video?

Yes. Captions are added to the video, so every ad that uses it shows them.

### Should I add captions or burn them in?

An .srt file is easier to fix and to translate. Burned-in text gives you full control of the style. Test one against the other.

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