HOW TO: Add a Caption to a Table, Figure, Equation, or Graphic in Word 2002

This article explains how to add a caption to an existing table, figure, equation, graphic, or other item in Microsoft Word 2002.

How to Insert a Caption

To add a caption to a table, equation, figure, or other item, follow these steps:

1. Start Word, and then open the document that you want.
2. Select the item that you want to add a caption to.
3. On the Insert menu, point to Reference, and then click Caption.
4. In the Label list, click the caption label that you want. For example, click Figure.
5. In the Position list, click the location in which to position the caption. For example, click Below selected item.
6. Click OK.
   
   The label is displayed in the position that you specified.
   
   NOTE: The caption is displayed as label 1 by default, where label is the caption label that you select.

How to Modify Caption Labels

1. In Word, point to Reference on the Insert menu, and then click Caption.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To add a label, click New Label. Type the text that you want displayed as a caption, and then click Close.
     
     The label is displayed in the Label list.
     
     -or-
   • To remove a label, select the label that you want to remove in the Label list, and then click Delete Label.
     
     NOTE: You cannot delete the default labels: Equation, Figure, and Table.
3. Click OK.

How to Configure Caption Numbering

1. In Word, point to Reference on the Insert menu, and then click Caption.
2. Click Numbering.
3. In the Format list, click the numbering style that you want. For example, click i, ii, iii, ....
4. To enable section numbering in the caption, follow these steps:
   1. Click to select the Include chapter number check box.
      
      NOTE: To use this feature, you must apply a list style to the document. To do this, click Bullets and Numbering on the Format menu, and then select a list style on the List Styles tab.
   2. In the Chapter starts with style list, click the heading style that you want to use in the document.
   3. In the Use separator list, click the item separator that you want.
5. Click OK twice.

For more information about captions, click Microsoft Word Help on the Help menu, type about captions in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

For more information about how to add captions, click Microsoft Word Help on the Help menu, type add captions in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

For additional information about how to insert a caption, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: