Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Automatically Adding Captions.

Automatically Adding Captions

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 9, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365

Captions are often used in magazine and book publishing around specific items, such as figures or tables. For instance, you may want to include a caption for all your tables that says "Table" and then a number for the table, as in "Table 3." Word can automate this task for you by adding captions whenever you insert a table or some other object in your document.

To configure Word so it automatically adds captions, follow these steps:

Display the References tab of the ribbon.
Click the Insert Caption tool in the Captions group. Word displays the Caption dialog box.
Click on the AutoCaption button. Word displays the AutoCaption dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The AutoCaption dialog box.

Search through the list of objects, placing a checkmark beside the one with which you want Word to automatically use captions. For instance, choose Microsoft Word Table if you want a caption associated with your tables.
Using the Use Label drop-down list, specify the word you want to appear at the beginning of the caption.
Using the Position drop-down list, specify where you want the caption to appear in relation to the object.
Click on OK.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13182) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Automatically Adding Captions.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Rounding to the Nearest Half Dollar

When working with financial data, it's easy to round values to the nearest dollar. What if you want them rounded to the ...

Discover More

Non-printing Page Borders

With your page border in place, you might be surprised if you don't see one side of the border (or all sides) print out ...

Discover More

Incorrect In-Use Message

If you try to open a workbook that someone else has open, Excel lets you know of the conflict. What if Excel tells you, ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Repeating Table Captions with Modifications

Captions can be a great addition to items in your document such as figures and tables. If you want modifications in those ...

Discover More

Changing Existing Captions

Word allows you to automatically create captions for various elements of your document, such as figures and tables. These ...

Discover More

Changing Caption Numbering Styles

Using Word's captioning feature can be a great boon for automatically numbering certain elements in your documents. It ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 7 - 6?

2021-01-11 12:14:41

Jen M.

Thanks, this tip on auto captions was worth its weight in gold. I co-author a lot of lengthy reports, and the other authors don't understand how to format captions. This will save us all a ton of time. I just updated my templates. Thank you!!!

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.