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: Changing Caption Numbering Styles.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 15, 2014)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
If you use the captioning feature of Word, you can automatically number all your captions. For instance, all your tables and figures could be numbered using consecutive numbers. In addition, Word allows you to specify how you want the numbers to appear in the caption. To change numbering styles for your captions, follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Caption dialog box.
Figure 2. The Caption Numbering dialog box.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (624) 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: Changing Caption Numbering Styles.
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!
Define a label to be used in a caption, and you may later want to delete that label. Here's how you can easily make the ...
Discover MoreEver want to use Word's automatic figure captioning feature, without the numbering? While there isn't a way to make this ...
Discover MoreNeed 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 MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2017-02-10 06:32:24
GeordieLad
Hi Erika,
Unless I'm missing something, the logical way, surely, is to use Find and Replace. Inputting Fig. in Find and Figure in Replace and then selecting Replace all should achieve the desired result.
2017-02-10 03:09:22
Erika
In my thesis there are 77 figures that read as "Fig. x" under each figure. I would like to change all figure captions to read "Figure x" (instead of Fig.).
How can I make this universal change throughout the document?
2014-08-27 16:03:50
SE_2000
Any suggestions on how to create a figure title with the number in brackets as show below?
Figure [3]: High Level
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.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
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:
Comments