How to make a lyric video in CapCut: Auto lyrics, step by step
CapCut can write the lyrics of a song onto your video by itself with its Auto lyrics tool. Here are the steps CapCut publishes for desktop and phone (checked 17 October 2026), what to fix before you export so the lyric video looks official, and when it is quicker to start from the song link instead.
Before you start
- The final master of the song, as a file. Auto lyrics listens to the vocals, so a version with the voice clearly in front works best.
- The official lyrics, in a text note. You will use them to correct what the tool hears.
- A background: the cover art, the music video, or a few shots of the artist.
- The shape of the video: horizontal 16:9 for YouTube, vertical 9:16 for Reels, TikTok and Shorts. All the sizes are in video sizes for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
On desktop, step by step
These are the steps CapCut gives in its own lyric video guides for the desktop editor (checked 17 October 2026):
- Import the song and the background with Import and put them on the timeline.
- Select the clip and go to Captions → Auto lyrics.
- Pick the language of the song and a lyric template, then click Generate lyrics.
- Adjust position, size, font and colors of the text, and add effects if you want.
- Click Export, choose format and resolution, and save the file or share it.
On your phone
In the mobile app the menu names move between versions. Look for Auto lyrics under Captions or Text. Another route is a lyric template: search for one, add your song and replace the text. CapCut's YouTube guide also suggests the manual way: use the text tool to paste each line and set its timing yourself.
Fix it before you export
An automatic transcription is a draft. Before you publish:
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| Every line against the official lyrics | Recognition fails on slang, names, ad-libs and mixed languages |
| Line timing | Each line should appear just as it is sung, not after |
| Lines that are too long | Two short lines read better than one that crosses the screen |
| Safe areas | On TikTok and Reels the buttons and the caption cover the right side and the bottom |
| Credits | Song title, artist and, on YouTube, the lyrics in the description |
If you want the words to light up as they are sung, that is a karaoke style: you can do it in TONTRIA's karaoke and lyric video editor over a video you already have.
The faster way: from the song link
CapCut is a full editor, and it suits you if you like designing every frame. If what you need is the lyric video for a release, the TONTRIA lyric video maker starts from the Spotify or YouTube link: it brings the official cover, finds the synced lyrics or transcribes the singing, and renders the cover as a spinning vinyl, a CD or a floating cover, or puts the lyrics over the music video. You review the lines, paste the official lyrics if you want, and export horizontal for YouTube or vertical for Reels and TikTok.
How the two compare, feature by feature and with prices: CapCut alternative for musicians. Not sure a lyric video is the right format for this song? Read lyric video vs. visualizer vs. music video.