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: Inserting a Cross-Reference to an Item in a List.

Inserting a Cross-Reference to an Item in a List

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 20, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

In past issues of WordTips you learn how to sequentially number elements of your document. Word also allows you to cross-reference to sequentially numbered items. For instance, you could have a cross-reference in text to a specific table or figure. (Tables and figures are often sequentially numbered.) This is done by following these steps:

Select the sequence field you want to cross-reference.
Assign a bookmark to the field.
Position the insertion point where you want the cross-reference to appear.
Press Ctrl+F9 to insert field brackets. Make sure the insertion point stays between the brackets.
Type seq followed by the name of the element you are cross-referencing (these two things are the entire field used as the sequence field in step 1, followed by the bookmark name used in step 2. Thus, if the sequence field you want to cross reference is seq figures and you assigned it a bookmark name of Figures09, then the cross-reference would be seq figures Figures09.)
Press F9 to update the field information. Word replaces the field with the next number in the sequence you have specified.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (780) 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: Inserting a Cross-Reference to an Item in a List.

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

Conditionally Formatting an Entire Row

Need to conditionally highlight an entire row based on the contents of a single cell in each row? This tip explains how ...

Discover More

Executing a Macro After Printing is Done

You can modify Excel's BeforePrint event handler to change how the printing process occurs. Unfortunately, though, Excel ...

Discover More

Changing to a Non-US Date Format

Do you want to specify your months and days differently when displaying dates in your worksheets? This tip looks at how ...

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)

Differences between SEQ and LISTNUM Fields

Word provides several different fields you can use for custom numbering in a document. Two of the most commonly used are ...

Discover More

Quickly Inserting the Date Your Way

Tired of messing with inserting the date and then changing it to a format that is more to your liking? There's a quick ...

Discover More

Entering Calculations in a Form Field

One of the many uses for Word is to create forms that can be easily filled in by other people. This is made possible by ...

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 + 0?

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 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.