Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Formatting Captions.

Formatting Captions

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 2, 2018)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


12

Word includes a captioning feature that allows you to manually or automatically add captions in your document. These captions are typically placed with tables or other objects (such as figures) to identify them. For instance, you might have a caption such as "Figure 2" that appears below a figure.

When you use the captioning feature, Word automatically formats the caption using the Caption style. By default, the Caption style uses the same typeface as your Normal style, except it is bold. If you want to use a different set of attributes for your captions, all you need to do is change the Caption style. Follow these steps if you are using Word 97 or Word 2000:

  1. Choose the Style option from the Format menu. Word displays the Style dialog box.
  2. In the list of Styles, choose the Caption style.
  3. Click on Modify. Word displays the Modify Style dialog box.
  4. Click on Format and choose the portion of the style you want to change. The options available through the Format button utilize dialog boxes with which you are already familiar.
  5. Click on OK to save your modifications.
  6. Click on Close to dismiss the Style dialog box.

If you are using Word 2002 or Word 2003, you should instead follow these steps:

  1. Select Styles and Formatting from the Format menu. Word displays the Styles and Formatting task pane.
  2. In the task pane, scroll through the list of styles until you see the Caption style.
  3. Move the mouse pointer over the style name and then click on the down-arrow at the right side of the style name.
  4. Click on Modify. The Modify Style dialog box appears. (See Figure 1.)
  5. Figure 1. The Modify Style dialog box.

  6. Click on Format and choose the portion of the style you want to change. The options available through the Format button utilize dialog boxes with which you are already familiar.
  7. Click on OK to save your modifications.
  8. Close the Styles and Formatting task pane.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (623) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Formatting 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

Table Borders not Stored in AutoText

Many people create tables and store those tables in AutoText entries for later use. If the formatting of those tables ...

Discover More

Showing Elapsed Time in a Graph

Working with elapsed times can be a bit tricky in some situations. One such situation involves the displaying of elapsed ...

Discover More

Sorting ZIP Codes

Sorting ZIP Codes can be painless, provided all the codes are formatted the same. Here's how to do the sorting if you ...

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 (menu)

Adding Captions

Need to add a caption after a document element such as a figure or table? You can add and format one manually, or you can ...

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

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
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 six more than 3?

2019-05-16 03:16:49

Eivind Kofod

Dear Allen,
Thanks for your newsletter, which I have enjoyed for a very long time.
There is one question, however, which I cannot find here or on the net:
All captions are by default formatted as style 'Caption". This style accepts an above or below feature for different labels. Ok, that is fine, but I have twlo scenarios to solve:
1: Different clients have different formats. How can I tell Word that in this document, I want to use Caption A and in an other, I want to use style Caption B if I have defined these two styles based on 'Caption'?
2: I need to have a Table Caption Style and Figure Caption Style as I have the label above tables but below figures. That requires styles that give extra space before the Table Caption but after the figure caption.

How do I automatically link these new caption styles to the caption label?


2018-06-17 22:51:13

Tim Norton

Is it possible to only bold the reference type and number but not the description?
EG: [bold]Figure 1.[/bold] my descriptive text

Also when I do this manually, the inserted reference to the figure is bold. Can i stop that?


2016-05-13 13:05:45

Faisal Shakib Ahmed

Hi David,


I need to use different captions for my technical writing. For example, the caption " Figure 1" must be center spaced but the caption " Table : 1" must be aligned left. Whenever , Itry to make a separate , it chnages the whole in one style. I would really appreciate if you help me in this matter.

Thank you


2016-01-31 17:37:27

Judy Kunz

I use Word 2007 and it was recently reinstalled. Now I find that if I insert a caption the caption is the size of the whole page not the picture it is intended for. How can I fix this?


2015-12-14 10:13:14

Davis Smith

Hi Allen,

I've been getting your WordTips for a number of years now and they've been quite helpful. I'm a technical writer using Word 2013 in Office Professional Plus 2013. My automatic caption default text is "Figure 1 Figure x," or "Figure 1 Table x," where the "x" is the incremental caption number.

I would appreciate it if you could tell me how to edit the default text for a caption to get rid of the initial "Figure 1."

Thanks,
Davis


2015-09-22 21:16:33

David Parris

The cross-reference inserted in the text does not use an unbreakable space, so that Figure and 2.4 can wrap to separate lines.
How can I edit the captions??


2015-01-25 20:57:47

VS

Hello,

Thanks kindly for your wonderful help. YOu have saved me tons of time, whilst I try to beat a deadline to submit my PhD thesis!

Thanks - heartfelt!


2014-07-15 07:53:26

RDM

How I edit captions in Word 2013


2014-06-13 17:34:20

RITA

I add captions to our documents that are detailing the figure or photographs inserted into our document. However, I would like two different styles, the # (Photograph 1) in Bold and the description in italics unbold. Anyway to add two different styles without having to go back thru manually and changing one of them. In some reports we have 200 photogrpahs so that gets rather timeconsuming. Also, when I update the table of photoraphs, I would like it to keep this same format...possible??


2014-04-18 16:01:57

Mike Virostko

Hello Allan,

I am creating a new template that I would like styles with different names than Microsoft. I have fine, until the I work with captions (Table, Figure). I want the automated numbering, just a different style name the "Caption". Can seem to find a way to do this. Or is this the microsoft way or the highway?

Thanks.


2013-09-30 08:21:59

awyatt

CB,

Look at the top-right of any page on this site. Under the section entitled "This Site" you'll see how to get to a whole website of tips that work with Word 2007.

-Allen


2013-09-30 04:53:54

CB

Good morning,

I really appreciate what you do with your site and I would like to find updated tips for word 2007.

Thank you,
Claudio


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon 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.