When your YouTube subtitle fonts are too small, too difficult to read, or just poorly placed, you can lose views and miss the chance to increase your watch time. That's because your viewers may skip parts of the video or leave early when the text doesn't guide them clearly. In this article, we'll explore the 5 best text style options and some tips to pick the right one for your content.
What font does YouTube use for subtitles
When you're watching videos on YouTube, the subtitles usually show up in a clean, easy-to-read font. By default, YouTube uses Roboto for its subtitles. It doesn't distract you from the video and works well on different screen sizes.
The platform also supports Arial, Sans-serif, Lato, Impact, and other fonts.
YouTube gives you a few options to adjust and even change the font style. Simply play a video, click the "Settings" icon, and choose "Subtitles/CC". Now, click "Options" and tweak a few things. For size, you get to choose from small to extra-large, depending on what is comfortable for your eyes. You can change the font style to Monospaced, Casual, Cursive, Small Caps, and more. Besides that, YouTube offers options to set the background color, opacity, and character edge style.
What is the best font for subtitles on YouTube
Open Sans
One best option for YouTube subtitle font is Open Sans, which belongs to the humanist sans serif category and was designed for digital use. The font holds up well in different screen sizes and lighting, especially in long YouTube videos with lots of talking.
Montserrat
Julieta Ulanovsky designed Montserrat to bring a bit of modern city style into fonts. It has wider shapes and thicker lines compared to Lato or Open Sans. Due to this, Montserrat is quite easy to read and works better when videos don't have fast-moving visuals in the background.
Noto Sans
Noto Sans is a versatile, highly readable font designed by Google to support multiple languages seamlessly. Its balanced letter spacing and clean lines make it an excellent choice for YouTube subtitles font, especially for creators with an international audience. The font's simplicity ensures clarity on both small mobile screens and large desktop displays.
Roboto
Roboto is a modern sans-serif typeface developed by Google for the Android system. It combines mechanical structure with friendly curves and has compact letter spacing, which makes it well-suited for videos where screen space is limited. Roboto performs well on both HD and mobile displays, making it a popular subtitle choice for tech and news-focused YouTube channels that need both modern aesthetics and readability.
Pontano Sans
Pontano Sans is a modern sans serif font with a balanced, airy design, making it a solid choice for YouTube subtitles. Its clean lines and moderate spacing enhance readability on mobile and desktop screens, especially in lifestyle or tutorial videos where a calm, unobtrusive font supports clear communication.
How to get custom subtitle fonts on YouTube with CapCut Web
CapCut Web offers an "AI captions" magic tool that instantly transcribes your videos to text and lets you overlay subtitles in different preset font styles. You can easily edit the subtitles, translate them to another language, highlight keywords, and even use AI to add text templates, stickers, emojis, and sound effects to your captions. Not only that, but it also gives you the option to automatically style your subtitles with fonts that match your video's vibe.
A quick guide to using CapCut Web for custom YouTube subtitle fonts
To get started with CapCut Web, click the link below and go through these quick steps:
- STEP 1
- Upload your video
To start, simply sign up for CapCut Web using the above link and open the "AI captions" tool.
Now, choose the video's spoken language or let the tool auto-detect it after uploading. You can then click "Upload video" from your device or from space. Make sure your video is under 20 minutes.
- STEP 2
- Select a good subtitle font for YouTube
After your video opens in the workspace, go through the font styles under the "Style" tab to find the right one that goes well with your theme. You can also click "Try it" next to "Style captions with AI" so the tool can automatically select a font type from the presets and overlay the subtitles on your video.
Under the "Subtitles" tab, you can edit or delete the captions, translate them to another language, and highlight the keywords.
- STEP 3
- Export the video
Finally, click "Edit more" to open your video in the advanced video editing space and tweak its details, or hit "Export" to download it, share it on social accounts, or send it for review.
Key characteristics of CapCut Web's AI caption generator
- One-click subtitles generation
The AI captions tool in CapCut Web listens to the audio in your uploaded videos, transcribes it to text, and overlays it on your video. You don't have to type anything. It adds timestamps and lines, so you get subtitles that follow the pace of your video naturally.
- Preset caption templates
You get hundreds of font styles, which are categorized into trending, glow, aesthetic, monoline, multiline, basic, word, and frame. Each template gives your captions a different mood, such as casual, serious, or playful.
- Style captions with AI
CapCut Web provides a smart tool that uses AI to automatically select a suitable subtitle style based on the vibe and theme of your video. This way, your captions blend in with the pace and message of your content.
- Quick subtitle translation
If you work with viewers from other regions, the AI captions tool gives you the option to change the subtitle language and update the text instantly. It's fast and saves time, especially for creators who post in more than one language.
- Advanced caption boost
With just one click, you can improve captions with stickers, text templates, and sound effects. These extras work well for vlog-style videos, reels, or anything that calls for more energy in the subtitles.
How to pick the best fonts for subtitles on YouTube
- Use simple fonts: When overlaying subtitles on your YouTube videos, make sure to use simple fonts because they carry the words clearly from frame to frame and don't draw attention away from what's going on in your clip. Tools like CapCut Web offer a clean selection of subtitle-friendly fonts that work well across different video types.
- Keep the font readable: The readability of the best fonts for YouTube subtitles depends on size, spacing, and line thickness. Thin fonts with too much decoration often disappear against moving backgrounds. You can go for medium-weight fonts that have thicker strokes and enough space between letters. CapCut Web also provides intuitive font sizing and spacing controls to keep your subtitles crisp and easy to follow.
- Avoid flashy styles: If you use fancy font styles, they can slow down reading during YouTube video playback. So, it's recommended to go for a clearer font that stays neutral in the background so the viewer can stay connected from one line to the next and easily focus on the story.
- Stay consistent throughout the video: Switching fonts or styles mid-video can distract viewers and disrupt their reading flow. Pick one clean font and stick to it across the entire video. Consistency helps build visual rhythm and enhances viewer retention.
Conclusion
In this article, we've discussed the 5 best YouTube subtitle fonts that you can use on your videos for better readability and engagement. We've also explored the steps to get custom captions on your clips using CapCut Web. It gives you quick editing options, preset styles, and auto-translation for a better subtitle setup. So, if you want captions that look clean and are easy to follow, sign up for CapCut Web today.
FAQs
- 1
- What is the best subtitle font generator for YouTube videos?
CapCut Web is the best subtitle font generator for YouTube videos. Its AI captions tool auto-generates subtitles, applies preset styles, and even picks a subtitle font that fits your video's tone. You get to edit, translate, and style everything right in your browser.
- 2
- What is the best font size for YouTube subtitles?
CapCut Web makes it easy to choose the best subtitle font size—typically between 16px to 28px, depending on your video resolution. You can add a clean subtitle style, adjust its position, and let the tool automatically optimize size and spacing based on your video layout to ensure readability.
- 3
- What is the best subtitle font file for YouTube?
CapCut Web offers a faster and simpler way to style and add subtitles without needing to upload any subtitle files. Instead of dealing with format types like Scenarist Closed Caption (.scc), you can generate captions quickly, customize the font, spacing, and layout, and export your video with hardcoded subtitles directly in the browser.
