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: Changing Existing Captions.

Changing Existing Captions

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 28, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365


Francisco uses automatic captions in his documents. When he set up the captions, they worked great. Now he needs to change all the captions that appear in the document, but he can't find a way to do that using the captioning capabilities of Word. Francisco wonders what is the best way to make the necessary changes to all the captions.

The answer depends on what you want to change about the captions. If you want to change the formatting they use (font, size, alignment, etc.), then you may want to see which style is being used for your captions. (It is probably the Caption style, but you'll want to double-check in your document.) You can make the desired changes in the style properties, and this should then apply to all the captions in the document.

If you want to change some of the text in the captions, you need to modify the fields used to create the captions. (Automatic captions are implemented through the use of fields in the document.) You can change the text in the fields by first displaying the field codes in your document (press Shift+F9). You should be able to see what the field codes look like for your captions; examine one to see how it is constructed, looking specifically for the text you want to change.

Next press Ctrl+H to display the Replace tab of the Find and Replace dialog box. Use the controls in the dialog box to specify the caption text you want to change (from within the field you examined) and what you want the text to be. You can then use the controls to step through all the occurrences of the text and change it, as desired.

There are other things you can change in the fields using this same technique. For instance, you may want to change the numbering of your captions from Arabic to Roman. If you examine the field code used for a caption, it may appear similar to this:

{Seq Figure *\ arabic}

You can easily use the Find and Replace method to change the word "arabic" to "roman." When you are done making the changes, press Alt+F9 to change the field codes back to their results.

If your caption changing needs are a bit more complex (perhaps, for example, you want to change the caption to appear above a figure instead of below it, or vice-versa), then the best bet is to change the settings for automatic captions and then delete all the existing captions. You can then use cut and paste (cut the figure and paste it back in the same position) to force Word to automatically add the caption with the new settings.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13291) 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: Changing Existing 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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Reading a PDF Newsletter on a Cell Phone

Sometimes creating a Word document is just the first step. Often you'll want to then convert it to a PDF file that can be ...

Discover More

Adding Horizontal Lines at the Sides of a Word

Want to add a couple of horizontal lines at the sides of a word? It can be trickier than it sounds, but there are several ...

Discover More

Remembering Commonly Used Workbooks

Want a quick way to access the workbooks you use most often? You can "pin" the workbooks so they can be opened with a click.

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth 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

Automatic Periods after a Caption

Word can automatically add captions to certain elements of your documents, such as figures or tables. You can control ...

Discover More

Deleting Caption Labels

Define a custom label to be used for captions, and you may later want to delete that label. Here's how you can easily ...

Discover More
Subscribe

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.

What is five more than 3?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


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.

Videos
Subscribe

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

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.