Add captions - Help and How-to - Microsoft Office Online

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Add captions

Applies to: Microsoft Office Word 2003

Do one of the following:

Show Add captions automatically as you insert tables, figures, equations, or other objects

On the Insert menu, point to Reference, and then click Caption.
Click AutoCaption.
In the Add caption when inserting list, select the objects for which you want Microsoft Word to insert captions.
In the Use label list, select an existing label. If the list doesn't provide the correct label, click New Label, type the new label in the Label box, and then click OK.
Select any other options you want.
Click OK.
In your document, insert the object (Insert menu, Object command).
Word automatically adds the appropriate caption and a sequential number whenever you insert one of the objects that you selected in step 3.
If you want to add more text to the caption, click after the caption and type the text you want.

Show Add captions manually to an existing table, figure, equation, or other object

Select the item you want to add a caption to.
On the Insert menu, point to Reference, and then click Caption.
In the Label list, select the label that best describes the object, such as a picture or equation. If the list doesn't provide the correct label, click New Label, type the new label in the Label box, and then click OK.
Select any other options you want.

Note Microsoft Word inserts captions as text, but it inserts the sequential caption number as a field. If your caption looks similar to {SEQ Table \* ARABIC}, Word is displaying field codes (field code: Placeholder text that shows where specified information from your data source will appear; the elements in a field that generate a field's result. The field code includes the field characters, field type, and instructions.) instead of field results (field results: Text or graphics inserted in a document when Microsoft Word carries out a field's instructions. When you print the document or hide field codes, the field results replace the field codes.). To see the field results, press ALT+F9, or right-click the field code and then click Toggle Field Codes on the shortcut menu (shortcut menu: A menu that shows a list of commands relevant to a particular item. To display a shortcut menu, right-click an item or press SHIFT+F10.).