Different Table Captions on Multiple Pages

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 13, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Chuck has some long tables in his documents, and he would like the table caption to be different for the second and subsequent pages on which the table occurs. For instance, he would like to have the caption on the first page of the table be something like "Table 1 Results" and for the other pages be something like "Table 1 Results (continued)".

The short answer is that Word doesn't allow you to have different captions when the table extends to multiple pages. One obvious solution is to break your table into two—one part for the first page and another for subsequent pages. You could then add multiple captions for the tables. This will only work if your page layout is static (you won't be adding any more text before the table). It can also mess up any "table of tables" that you may add to your document, as you would have two captions for what is essentially the same table.

Another possible workaround is to follow these general steps:

Put the continuation text (such as "continued" within parentheses) into the caption.
Anchor an opaque text box or a drawing rectangle to the paragraph immediately preceding the table and lock the anchor in place. (You need the anchor to remain outside the table, locked to that preceding paragraph.)
Drag the text box or rectangle over the continuation text in the caption and size it to cover only that text. This will hide the text on the first page of the table but not on subsequent pages.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (3417) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

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

Controlling the Display of Chart Axes in Microsoft Graph

When you create a chart in Microsoft Graph, you might now want to see one or both of the axes included by default. Here's ...

Discover More

Drawing a Table

There are several ways you can add tables to a document, but one of the most unique (and perhaps most fun) is to simply ...

Discover More

Adjusting Text Pitch

Want to adjust the pitch of your text? The answer depends on what, exactly, is meant by "pitch." This tip looks at the ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (menu)

Jumping to the Ends of Table Rows

Need to jump from one end of a table row to another? Word provides a couple of handy shortcuts that can make this type of ...

Discover More

Resizing Table Columns with the Mouse

Once a table is inserted in your document, you can use the mouse to adjust the width of columns. The effect the mouse ...

Discover More

Formatting an ASCII Table with Tabs

If you get a document from a coworker that has tabs used to line up tabular information, you might want to change that ...

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 less than 6?

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.