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: Automatically Adding Captions.

Automatically Adding Captions

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 1, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

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:

Choose Insert | Caption or Insert | Reference | Caption, depending on your version of Word. 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 (891) 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: 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

Selective Formatting in Searches

Need to search for text that has different formatting within the search term? Word can't handle something this complex, ...

Discover More

Turning Off Screen Updating

Want a quick way to speed up your macros? All you need to do is to stop Excel from updating the screen while the macro is ...

Discover More

Jumping to a Range

Need a quick way to jump to a particular part of your worksheet? You can do it by using the Go To dialog box.

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 (menu)

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

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

Deleting Caption Labels

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 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 four minus 0?

2020-04-16 06:26:05

Pratik Kataria

Hello Sir,
How can I auto caption for images that I am copy-pasting in a batch?

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.