How to Add Text to a GIF (Meme Captions)

To add text to a GIF, open Add Text to GIF, add the GIF, and type the Top text, the Bottom text, or both. Choose the Font — Impact (meme) for the classic look — the colours and Outline, and tick CAPITAL LETTERS and Bold if you like. To show the caption on only some frames, set From frame and To frame. Press Add text & make GIF and download it.

Caption a GIF step by step

1. Open Add Text to GIF.
2. Add the GIF (or an animated WebP or PNG).
3. Type the Top text and/or Bottom text.
4. Choose the Font: Impact (meme), Arial Black, Arial, Georgia, Comic Sans or Courier.
5. Set the Size (px) — leave it at 0 to fit the width automatically.
6. Choose the Text colour, the Outline colour and thickness, CAPITAL LETTERS and Bold.
7. Optionally limit the caption with From frame and To frame.
8. Press Add text & make GIF, check it, and download it.

The classic meme style

White Impact, in CAPITAL LETTERS, with a black Outline: readable on any background, light or dark, still or moving. Top text sets up the joke; bottom text delivers it.

Captions that appear at the right moment

Timing makes reaction GIFs funnier. Use From frame and To frame to:

• Hold back the punchline until the last frames, when the reaction happens.
• Label two halves differently — run the tool twice, once for each range.
• Avoid covering a part of the GIF where something important happens.

Play the preview and note the frame numbers where you want the caption to start and end.

Readability tips

• Keep it short — five or six words per line; text is wrapped to fit.
• Outline always for text on moving backgrounds.
• Mind phone screens — captions should be readable when the GIF is shown small in a chat.
• Fonts come from your device: Impact is on Windows and Mac; other systems use the nearest bold font. The text is drawn into the GIF, so viewers see exactly what you see.

Caption ideas

• Reaction + label: "Me checking my bank account after the weekend".
• Before/after: top text for the setup, bottom text for the twist.
• Instructions: "Click here" over a screen-recording GIF.
• Greetings: "Happy Friday!" on a dancing GIF for the team chat.

Make the GIF fit first

Trim the GIF to the moment that matters with Cut GIF before captioning — fewer frames, smaller file, better joke. If the captioned GIF is too large for where you're posting, shrink it with the GIF Compressor.

Text without a GIF

To make moving text on a plain background — "SALE", "Welcome", a name with a neon glow — use the Animated Text GIF generator instead.

Captions on videos and pictures

• On a video: Add Text to Video — with timing for each caption.
• On a still picture: the Meme Generator.

Privacy

The caption is drawn onto every frame in your browser; your GIF is never uploaded.

Frequently asked questions

Will the text show in WhatsApp, Discord and email?

Yes — it's part of the picture, so it shows everywhere the GIF plays.

Can I add text in the middle of the GIF?

The tool places captions at the top and bottom, meme-style. For a caption anywhere, use Add Text to Video on a video version, then convert back with Video to GIF.

Can I use emoji in the caption?

Emoji are drawn with your device's emoji font, which works on most phones and computers.