How do I edit captions in My Media?

After automatic (Machine) captions have been added to a video or audio file, the captions should be reviewed and edited to ensure that they are accurate. The owner of a file or someone with permission to edit it can edit the captions.

For steps to request captions, see:

Note: For course content, instructors may request Professional captions for improved accuracy.

Tip: You may give someone permission to edit captions on a file you own by following the steps to add them to as a Co-Editor.

Go to My Media.

Select My Media from your Global Navigation Menu.

Tip: For details about global navigation, see How do I use the Global Navigation Menu as an instructor? (opens new window) or How do I use the Global Navigation Menu as a student? (opens new window).

Select the file to edit.

In My Media, choose the video or audio file with the captions to edit by selecting its thumbnail or name.

Select Actions, then Edit.

  1. Scroll down on the page under the media player.
  2. Select the Actions menu.
  3. Select Edit.

Select the Captions tab.

Select the Edit Captions button.

Select the captions to edit. (Optional)

Screenshot of Closed Captions Editor page. Graphic link opens modal with larger image. Press Escape to exit modal.

In most cases, there will only be one captions file attached. The Captions menu will display the language of the captions file currently shown on the page followed by a dash and its label in the media player, e.g., English - English [auto] for an automatic captions file that is in English. A video or audio file can have multiple captions files in different languages associated with it.

If your video has multiple captions files attached, select the file to edit from the Captions menu.

Search for and replace terms.

Screenshot of Find and Replace fields. Graphic link opens modal with larger image. Press Escape to exit modal.
  1. Enter text in the Search box, and press Enter or Return on your keyboard to search for specific terms.  Blocks of text in the captions containing that term will be highlighted in yellow.
  2. If the text you entered in the search contains an error that you need to correct in all instances where it appears in the captions, enter the desired replacement in the Replace with box, then select Replace.

Add speakers, if needed.

Select captions and add a speaker.

Screenshot highlighting steps to add speakers. Graphic link opens modal with larger image. Press Escape to exit modal.

If your video or audio file includes multiple speakers, you should identify them as follows:

  1. At each timestamp where the speaker changes and the speaker is not yet indicated, select the checkbox to the left of the caption spoken by that person. For example, if someone named "Mom" is the speaker for two captions in a row, select the checkbox to the left of the first caption. The next time Mom starts to speak after someone else has spoken, select the checkbox corresponding to that caption.
  2. In the Add Speaker text box, enter the person's name.
  3. Select the Add button.

View speakers.

Screenshot with new speaker added. Graphic link opens modal with larger image. Press Escape to exit modal.

The speaker's name will be added in brackets in front of each selected block of text in the captions, e.g.: "[Mom] What is this letter from your school?"

Correct errors.

Screenshot showing text being edited. Graphic link opens modal with larger image. Press Escape to exit modal.

Auto-generated captions need to be edited so they are accurate.

  1. Play the video or audio file to check the timing of the captions (i.e., the text displays at the same time as the words are spoken), and their accuracy.
  2. Select a timestamp to edit it and correct any error in timing.
  3. Select a block of text to edit it. The player on the page will automatically skip to the timestamp in the video or audio file with the selected text. The text shown in the player will update as you edit it.

Save your changes.

Screenshot highlighting the Save button. Graphic link opens modal with larger image. Press Escape to exit modal.
  1. Once you've made all the necessary changes, scroll up near the top of the page and select Save.
  2. In the Save Changes window that pops up, select Yes to confirm saving.

Select Back.

Select the Back link near the top of the page to return to the video or audio file's editing page.

Edit the captions label.

You can remove the "[auto]" indicator from the label to let viewers know that the captions are accurate.

Select the Captions tab.

On the video or audio file's editing page, select the Captions tab.

Select Edit.

A table listing the Language, Label (the text of the option in the media player to display captions), and File type of the captions file will display, along with Actions, which includes buttons you can use to modify the captions file's properties.

Under Actions, select the pencil (Edit) button.

Edit the accuracy and label as needed.

An Edit captions window will pop up.

  1. If you have corrected most or all of the errors in the captions, enter a new estimated percentage for the captions' Accuracy to reflect the improvements.
  2. Edit the Label for the captions, e.g., change it to English.
  3. Select Save.

View edited captions.

Refresh the page and return to the video or audio file. To show the edited captions:

  1. Select the CC button.
  2. Select the label for the captions, e.g., English.
  3. The captions will display centered underneath the video or at the bottom of the audio player for an audio file.