Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 13, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Bill wants to label the figures in his document with captions. He knows that Word can create figure captions, but it always seems to number them. Bill doesn't want to include a number; he just wants the caption that he specifies for the figure. So he wonders if there is a way to turn off the figure caption numbering.
Word, indeed, does not allow you to turn off caption numbering and still use the automatic captioning feature. You can, however, use the feature to add numbered captions and later edit each caption to remove the numbers.
This is probably more work than you want to do, however. A quicker way is to just add your own captions to each figure manually. Type the caption (you'd have to do that in the captioning feature anyway) and then use either the built-in Caption style or your own custom style to control how the caption looks. If you need a way to refer to the caption in your main text, you can then define a bookmark that encompasses the caption and reference that bookmark in the text.
One of the benefits of using the automatic captioning feature, of course, is that your captions can be gathered together by Word and placed in a table of figures. This can't be done quite as easily if you use your own manual captions. However, if you are careful to use a single style to format your captions, you can modify the way that Word pulls together the TOF to make sure that all paragraphs with that particular style are included. (How you do this has been covered in other WordTips.)
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (8421) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!
Word can automatically add captions to various elements of your document, such as tables or figures. Here's how to ...
Discover MoreWhen using the captioning capabilities of Word, you aren't limited to the three default caption labels provided in the ...
Discover MoreWhen you add captions to elements in your document, Word allows you to modify how those captions are formatted. Here's ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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.
Comments