How to Add Subtitles in iMovie (and Why SRT Won't Import)

iMovie doesn't import SRT files and has no subtitle track. To add subtitles in iMovie, you add a title for each line: on Mac, click Titles above the browser, drag a lower-third style above the clip, type the line and stretch it to match the speech. On iPhone, tap the clip, tap Titles, choose Lower Third and type. For more than a few lines, burn an SRT in elsewhere.

More on this topic: Subtitles and captions, every guide in one place.

Some pages claim iMovie can import SRT. Apple's iMovie User Guide lists video, photos and audio as the things you import, and covers on-screen text only as titles. Here's the titles method, and the two quicker ways most people end up using.

The short answer

iMovie has no SRT import and no caption feature, so subtitles are titles you type yourself. Mac: Titles > drag a lower-third style above the clip > double-click the text and type > drag the title's edges to the line's timing. iPhone: tap the clip > Titles > Lower Third > edit the text. For a whole video, burn an SRT into the exported file with another tool, or upload the SRT to YouTube, Facebook or LinkedIn.

Key takeaways

• iMovie can't read SRT or VTT files; Apple's guide lists only video, photos and audio as importable media.
• On Mac, each subtitle line is a separate title you can place and time on the timeline.
• On iPhone, titles attach to a whole clip, so you often have to split clips to time lines.
• Final Cut Pro, Apple's paid editor, does import SRT captions.
• For long videos, burn captions into the iMovie export or upload the SRT to the platform.

Disclosure: we make QuickVeed and show how to do this in it, along with other ways. Details about other products come from their public pages, checked in October 2026 and linked at the end.

Can you import an SRT file into iMovie?

No, you can't import an SRT file into iMovie. Apple's iMovie User Guide says you can import video, photos and audio, and its only text tool is titles: there's no caption track, no subtitle import and no SRT export. Final Cut Pro is different: its user guide documents File > Import > Closed Captions for SRT, iTT and CEA-608 files.

Checked on 26 October 2026 against Apple's iMovie User Guide for Mac and iPhone and the Final Cut Pro User Guide. If a site tells you to drag an SRT into the iMovie timeline, it won't work: iMovie doesn't read the file.

How do you add subtitles in iMovie on Mac?

You add subtitles on Mac by placing one title per line above the clip and timing it. Following Apple's guide:

1. Open the movie in the timeline and select Titles above the browser.
2. Pick a simple style that sits low on the frame, such as Lower Third, and skim it to preview.
3. Move the playhead to where the first line is spoken and drag the title onto the timeline above the clip (or double-click it to add it at the playhead).
4. In the viewer, double-click the placeholder text and type the line.
5. Use the font controls above the viewer to set the font, size and colour, then click Apply.
6. Drag either edge of the title bar to match when the line starts and ends, or select it, click Clip Information and type a duration.
7. Repeat for the next line. Turn on Snapping in the View menu to line titles up with each other.

Apple notes that some theme and animated titles don't let you change the font, so choose a plain style. To swap a title's style later, move the playhead to it and double-click a new style in the browser; it keeps the original duration. As a rough guide, a subtitle line covers 2 to 4 seconds of speech, so a 3-minute talking video needs somewhere around 50 to 80 titles.

How do you add subtitles in iMovie on iPhone or iPad?

On iPhone you add a title to each clip. Apple's iPhone guide gives these steps:

1. Open the project and tap a clip in the timeline to show the inspector.
2. Tap the Titles button and pick a style.
3. Tap the sample title in the viewer, tap Edit, type the line and tap Done.
4. Tap Style and choose Lower Third, then use Font and Color to make it readable.
5. Under the More button, turn on Full Clip Duration if the line should last the whole clip.

Titles on iPhone belong to a clip, shown by a T icon on it. To change the line partway through a shot, split the clip at that point first, then give each part its own title. That's workable for a short reel with a handful of lines, and slow for anything longer.

What's the fastest way to add subtitles to an iMovie video?

Finish the edit in iMovie, export it, and add the subtitles afterwards. Two routes, depending on where the video is going:

To get an SRT, transcribe the exported video in a subtitle tool, or, if you have the exact script, paste it into the free text to SRT converter (free, runs in your browser and never uploads your file; its timing is estimated, so check it). Then follow how to add subtitles to a YouTube video or how to add captions to Facebook. To put captions in the picture, see how to burn subtitles into a video or how to add subtitles to an MP4.

Burn captions in after the edit is locked. If you trim the video afterwards, every line from that point on will be early or late.

How do you add subtitles to an iMovie export in QuickVeed?

Export the finished movie from iMovie as a video file, then:

1. Open auto subtitles (Captions & subtitles in the sidebar) and upload the video, up to 3 hours long, or pick one from your library.
2. Pick a caption style (11 to choose from) and a position: bottom, middle or top. Untick the captioned-video option if you only want subtitle files.
3. Press Transcribe. Allow about a minute of processing per 10 minutes of video.
4. On the Edit tab, click a time to jump to it, correct the text and save. Saving clears any translations, so edit before you translate.
5. On the Translate tab, tick up to 5 of 32 languages at a time. Each line keeps its timing.
6. On the Download tab, get an SRT, VTT or TXT file per language. On the Burn in tab, make a captioned copy per language; it's saved to your library.

A transcript costs 1.5 credits a minute, rounded up (2 credits for a 1-minute video, 15 for 10 minutes). Each burned-in copy is a credit a minute, 3 at least, for videos up to 30 minutes, and translation usually adds a credit or two per language. For a 5-minute iMovie export, the transcript is 8 credits and a burned-in copy is 5. The burned-in copy keeps one fixed caption position (bottom, middle or top) for the whole video, so it's not a replacement for iMovie titles you want placed shot by shot.

Titles vs burned-in captions vs an SRT: which should you use?

Use iMovie titles for a few lines of on-screen text, such as a quote or a key phrase. For full subtitles, the other two are faster and easier to correct. Open vs closed captions explains the trade-off, and subtitle reading speed covers how long each line should stay on screen.

Frequently asked questions

Does iMovie support SRT files?

No. iMovie imports video, photos and audio only, and has no caption or subtitle track.

Does iMovie have automatic captions?

No. Apple's iMovie guide has no auto caption feature; on-screen text is added as titles you type.

How do I make subtitles last the right time in iMovie?

On Mac, drag the edges of the title bar or set the Duration in Clip Information. On iPhone, split the clip and add a title to each part.

Can I add subtitles in different languages in iMovie?

Only by typing titles in each language, usually in a separate project. Uploading one SRT per language to the platform is much quicker.

What Apple app can import SRT?

Final Cut Pro, with File > Import > Closed Captions. It also takes iTT and CEA-608 files.

Can I export subtitles from iMovie?

No. Titles are burned into the exported video; there's no subtitle file to export.

Try it with your own video

Caption your finished iMovie export in minutes instead of typing every title. Upload the exported MP4, fix the transcript, and download the SRT or a captioned copy. QuickVeed plans start at $18/month, and new accounts get a 14-day trial with 250 credits, no card needed. Sign up or see pricing.

Sources

Competitor details in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products and prices change, so confirm with each vendor before you decide.

• iMovie User Guide (Mac): add titles
• iMovie User Guide (Mac): modify titles
• iMovie User Guide (iPhone): add titles to a movie
• iMovie User Guide (Mac): import media from your Mac
• Final Cut Pro User Guide: import closed captions
• QuickVeed Help: add captions and subtitles