You add text to a TikTok video after recording or uploading the video. Tap Text, type a sentence and drag it to where you want it. Choose lettering that stands out clearly against the background. Then play the entire video to check whether your text remains readable and stays on screen for long enough.
Below, you’ll read the steps, how to make text appear at the right moment and what you can do if something doesn’t work.
How to add text to your TikTok video step by step
You can record a new video or use a video on your phone. Button names and the available options may vary between app versions.
- Record your video or upload it. First choose which footage you want to keep. Then work out the text.
- Tap Text and type your sentence. Tell viewers something that helps them understand the footage. For example, are you filming yourself repotting a plant? You could write: “This is how to tell whether the pot is too small”.
- Choose a font and colour. Make sure the lettering stands out clearly against the background.
- Drag the text to an uncluttered spot. Keep the most important part of your footage clear. So if the plant is the focus, don’t put the text over the roots you want to show.
- Watch the entire video. Also check the final footage. Text that is positioned well at first may later appear over your face.
The TikTok’s explanation of editing posts describes how to add and adjust text.
Showing text on TikTok for a few seconds
Do you want a sentence to appear only at a particular moment? Select the text box and look for an option for duration or timing. The options you see may vary between app versions.
Do you see a timeline? This is a strip showing when something happens in your video. Set the start and end of your text there. Make the sentence appear with the footage it refers to. Remove it before the next explanation begins.
This fictional example shows how you can divide text across a twelve second video about repotting a plant:
| Moment | Example text | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 3 seconds | Is this pot too small? | 3 seconds |
| 3 to 8 seconds | Look at the roots underneath | 5 seconds |
| 8 to 12 seconds | Time for a bigger pot | 4 seconds |
These times are an example, not a fixed reading rule. Read each sentence aloud while playing the video. Does the text disappear before you finish? Shorten the sentence or leave it on screen for longer.
Can’t you find a duration setting? For now, use one sentence that suits the entire video. This prevents several prompts from appearing on screen at once.
Moving, enlarging or deleting text on TikTok
Drag the text box to move it. Adjust its size with two fingers. Move your fingers apart to make the lettering larger and together to make it smaller.
Do you want to change or remove the sentence? Select the text box and view the editing options. The controls may vary between app versions. When deleting, choose the option for the text box, not the entire video.
After making changes, also check the reading time. A longer sentence often takes more time to read. Doesn’t the text fit well? Removing a word sometimes works better than making the lettering smaller.
Editing text in a TikTok draft or posted video
Your video is still a draft
A draft is a saved video that you have not posted yet. Open the draft and see whether you can return to the screen where you edit the video. Try selecting the text box there.
Did you add the text to the video file in another app? Then it is already embedded in the footage. To replace that text, you need the original file or the project from that app.
In the Dutch explanation of adding text and editing drafts you can read more about this here. The controls shown may differ from those in your app version.
Your video has already been posted
Do not assume that you can still change the text in your video after posting it. Editing the description below your post is different from changing the lettering in the footage.
Is there an error on screen? Keep your original video and see whether you still have a draft you can edit. Adjust the text there and watch the video before posting it again. Only delete the existing version once you are sure you still have the material you need.
Text, captions and text to speech on TikTok: what is the difference?
Regular text displays a short message on screen. Captions show what someone says. Text to speech uses a computer voice to read your text aloud.
| Form | What is it? | When do you use it? |
|---|---|---|
| Regular text | Words that you place on screen yourself. | For a title, question or short prompt. |
| Captions | The words someone says, written out on screen. | To follow spoken explanations without sound as well. |
| Text to speech | A computer voice that reads your written text aloud. | When you want a sentence read aloud without recording it yourself. |
A title such as “My new plant” does not replace the captions for your spoken explanation. Are you using automatically generated captions? Check them for incorrect words, especially names.
Do you want to use text to speech? Check whether that option is available for your text. Listen before posting to check whether the voice pronounces the words as you intend.
Making text in your TikTok video easy to read
- Put one message in each text box. For example, write “Only water it when the soil is dry” instead of a whole paragraph about plant care.
- Make the lettering stand out against the footage. White lettering is difficult to read on a white wall. Choose a dark colour or use a background behind the text, if that option is available.
- Leave space along the edges. Buttons and other elements may appear over your video there.
- Pay attention to movement in your video. A calm background may become busy a moment later. Check whether the text is still readable then.
- Also watch without sound. Is it still clear what the text is about?
Your first sentence can simply explain what is visible. For example: “I’m taking this with me for an afternoon walk”. Choose a sentence that matches what you show in the video.
Solving text problems in your TikTok video
The text disappears too quickly or overlaps other text
Check the start and end of each text box, if you can set them. Pay particular attention to when one sentence makes way for the next. Shorten the sentences if there is too much to read at once.
You can no longer select the text
Check whether you opened the editable draft or a video file in which the text is already embedded. Adding new text does not remove the old text. In that case, use the original material.
The editing screen does not load
Do you also see a message about your connection? Then read what you can do if TikTok has no internet connection. Do not delete your draft just because the screen is briefly unresponsive.
You want to find a video with a useful text example
Have you previously seen a video where the text was positioned well? Try to find it again via your TikTok watch history. Note where the text appears and how long you can read it. Use that layout as an example and write your own sentences.
Your video gets few views
Clear text helps your viewer understand the video, but it does not guarantee extra views. Do you want to know why your followers may not see your video? Then read why TikTok may not show your videos to your followers. If you also publish your own content, our TikTok services includes packages for views and followers. The product pages show the available quantities and prices.
