🧙♂️ | Add Captions to an Imported Video (YouTube, Vimeo)
In addition to creating videos, and uploading video files from your computer, you can also add YouTube Videos to your Studio Library Collections for use in your courses. However, YouTube videos imported into Studio DO NOT come with captions attached, and those must be added back on. Below are the steps to do this.
Note: The only reason you would need to complete these steps (adding YouTube video to Studio) is if you want to add a video quiz, use the comments features, or view insights on the YouTube video. Otherwise, as long as it has accurate captions, you can skip these steps and simple embed a YouTube video directly into a page in your Canvas course.
When you don't own the video
Often, we find great video content on YouTube (or TedX or Vimeo) only to discover the video doesn't have accurate captions! (Remember, auto-generated captions aren't sufficient for accessibility.) But don't despair, we've got a workaround that will allow you to make use of the content while following accessibility guidelines.
Add 4KDownload App to Your Device
4KDownload Links to an external site. is a free app that allows you to download video files from external websites like YouTube. NOTE: The Microsoft Tech Community labeled 4KDownload as "safe and efficient."
Use the link above and then select 4K Video Downloader Plus from the horizontal menu options. Follow the process for adding an application to your computer or phone.
Locate the Desired Video
Open the 4KDownload app on your device. If you already have the URL of your video, copy it onto your mouse clipboard, and use the Paste Link button to begin the download. Otherwise, you can select the desired service icon (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo) to locate the video you want.
4KDownload Help Links to an external site.
Upload to Studio
Once the video is saved to your computer/phone, open your Canvas Studio account and upload the video there. Studio will automatically generate captions. (It may take a few minutes.)
Check/Edit the Studio Captions
Before embedding the video on your Canvas page, be sure to Review and Publish the captions. Because these are auto-generated, you'll need to doublecheck punctuation, capitalization, and word matching to ensure accuracy. Studio is pretty good, though, so you probably won't have much clean-up to do (unless the speaker mumbles or uses obscure terminology ;-)).
What About Copyright?
When using 3rd-party content you haven't purchased, whether it be video or text, you may have questions about what the copyright holder permits you to do. It's always a good idea to review the terms and conditions statement on the platform hosting the content. You might also consider the Fair Use Doctrine Links to an external site.. (Usage may be permissible for educational purposes when specific guidelines are met.)
We recommend including a citation and/or link to the original YouTube version to demonstrate you're not claiming the work as your own, which will also model for students how to use 3rd-party content appropriately.
Finally, consider searching for materials that are openly licensed so as to freely and legally permit a range of re-uses and re-mixes.