How to do list of tables in word

Word can generate a list of all the tables in a document. Like a Table of Contents, this list of tables or Table of tables can include page references or links to each table.

A Table of tables can be useful for creating a proper appendix or reference within more formal documentation. It can be handy to have a list of all the tables used in a document either for publication or just for ‘in-house’ reference use during writing.

Before you can add a Table of tables to your document, you must add captions to all the tables in your document, as described in Adding Captions in Word.   Yes, there is an alternative way making the list from styles but captions works better because each table gets a individual label.

Two Tables in Word

Before we begin, lets try to sort out a linguistic mess.  Word has two features both called ‘tables’.

Table – a list of captions etc within a document e.g.  Table of Contents, Table of Figures etc.

table – a grid of boxes or cells placed in a Word document from Insert | Table.

Normally the two are separate and it’s clear from the context which one we’re talking about.

For this article we’ll try to make it clear which ‘table’ we’re talking about by using the term ‘list’ but mostly with a capital letter ‘Table’ for the list and lower case ‘table’ for the grid.  E.g.  a Table of tables.

Slightly less confused? Good, let’s get on with it.

Making a simple Table of tables

Once you have some tables captioned in the document you can make a reference Table of them.

Click where you want the Table to appear (most likely as an appendix or close to your Table of Contents).

Go to References | Captions | Insert Table of Figures (yes, ‘Figures’) to bring up the “Table of Figures” dialog.

First thing to do is change the Caption Label from Figures to table.  And lo! you have a Table of tables!

The “Print Preview” and “Web Preview” panes show how the Table will appear. By default, page numbers are displayed and aligned to the right, although you can change this by deselecting the appropriate checkboxes.

The “Tab leader” dropdown changes what appears between the text and the right-aligned page numbers.

“Use hyperlinks instead of page numbers” for the web preview gives you a clickable table with links to each table in the Word document.

Table Formats

The “Formats” drop-down list directly affects the appearance of the Table of tables. The available options are:

• From template
• Classic
• Distinctive
• Centered
• Formal
• Simple

Select a format to see how it will look in the preview panes.   Most people use ‘From template’ because that will match the font etc in the current document or template.

To design a custom Table of tables layout, select “From template” and click the “Modify” button to create your own style.

When you are happy with the layout, click “OK” to build your Table of tables. Word will search for the captions, sort them by number, and display the Table of tables in the document.

Word déjà vu

If all this seems familiar, that’s because it’s almost exactly the same as the ‘Table of Contents’  and Table of Figure options. In fact, a Table of tables uses the same underlying Word technology as Table of Contents (the {TOC } field).

All Word’s Table of Contents options
Four Word tricks to shrink a Table of Contents
Table of Contents basics in Word

Back to top button

Depending on the selected type of objects (captions label), the list generated by Table of Figures may contain:

• List of figures (see How to create automatic numbers and captions for figures: images, pictures):

  

• List of tables (see How to create automatic numbers and titles for tables):

  

• List of custom objects, labeled in the Caption functionality as a separate item. E.g., a List of photographs (see How to insert numbers, captions, and cutlines for photographs):

  

Note: See how to transform captions and titles for including or excluding different text parts to the Table of Figures.

Prepare items for a List of Tables or Figures

Before starting a Table of Figures functionality in Word, ensure that all visual objects have captions (or at least style you will use for creating a list). These allow Word to recognize and include them in the appropriate list.

You can create a list of objects and add a caption to the missed object later. Don’t forget to update caption numbering and already created lists!

Create a List of Figures or Tables in Word

To create a list of some objects in a Word document, position the cursor to insert the list. Then, on the Reference tab, in the Captions group, click the Insert Table of Figures button:

In the Table of Figures dialog box, on the Table of Figures tab (is displayed by default, all other tabs are grayed):

• In the General section (we recommend starting from this section because its options can change the selected parameters in other sections):
  • From the Format dropdown list, select a visual format:

    

    • From template is based on the styles established in the current template
    • Classic
    • Distinctive
    • Centered
    • Formal
    • Simple

    Note: Choose any proposed formats and see how the new list will look in the Print Preview section. E.g., the Formal format:

    
  • From the Caption label dropdown list, select the type of items you want to include in the Table of Figures:

    

    • (none)
    • Figure (selected by default) – see how to create captions for figures,
    • Equation – see how to create captions for equations,
    • Table – see how to create captions for tables,
    • Any other label (in this example, My Caption, Photo) was created using the New Label… button of the Caption dialog box. E.g., see how to create captions for photographs.

    Note: There is no option for listing different labels in that list, such as figures and tables together. See how to create a list of all captions in the document below.

  • Ensure that the Include label and number check box is selected if you want the label (i.e., Figure or Table) and the number to be included in the list. E.g.:
    • With the selected Include label and number check box, the list displays the entire captions:

    

    • With unselected Include label and number check box, the list displays only text from captions:

    

See all the changes and choices in the Print Preview and Web Preview sections:

• In the Print Preview section (all changes in that section can be changed by the selected options in the General section):
  • Clear the Show page numbers check box if you prefer to hide page numbers from the list:

    

    If you deselect this option, all other options in the Print Preview section will disappear.

  • Clear the Right align page numbers check box to display page numbers right after items text:

    

    If you deselect this option, you can’t choose the tab leader for page numbers.

  • From the Tab leader dropdown list, select the tab leader you need. You can select dots, dashes, or lines that appear before the page numbers:

    
• In the Web Preview section (shows how your list will look if you convert your Word file to a web page):
  • Clear the Use hyperlinks instead of page numbers check box if you prefer to see the same view as in Print Preview:

  

Create a list for the style or Table entry fields

In the Table of Figures dialog box, on the Table of Figures tab:

• Click the Options… button to use styles and Table entry fields for the Table of Figures instead of caption labels:

  

  In the Table of Figures Options dialog box:

  • Select the Style from the dropdown list (check box will be selected automatically) to add all text with the selected style in a Table of Figures:

    

    Note: The Style dropdown list contains all styles already used in the Word document.

    So, Word creates a list of all text blocks in a document with that style. E.g., if you select the Caption style, you will see all captions in a List:

    

    Note: You can create a custom style for some titles or blocks of text and include them in the list. See some examples below.

  • Select the Table entry fields check box to insert Table of Contents entries (see how to create and use the Table of Contents Entries):

    

    For example, if you have the table titles in the separate line of the label and number, you can create the Table entry fields for such tables:

  

  ***

  

  So, the List of Table will display specified titles:

  

  Note: The issue of this example can also be solved using the transformation of the captions and titles.

Customize the Table of Figures style

In the Table of Figures dialog box, on the Table of Figures tab:

• Click the Modify… button to modify a predefined style for a Table for Figures.

  In the Style dialog box:

  • In the Styles list, is selected a style that Word will use for a created Table,
  • In the Preview field, check how the style looks,
  • Under Preview, the main options for the style are listed:

    
  • Click the Modify… button to change the style.

  In the Modify Style dialog box, make changes you need, then click the OK button:

  

  For example, the Table of Figures with double spacing and indentation for the long captions:

  

  See how to customize the Table of Figure style for more details.

Add a title to the custom Table of Figures

After inserting a new Table of Figures, manually type a title above the list. E.g.:

Attention! We highly recommend checking the formatting requirements, accepted by your college, university, company, or established on the project, etc. For example:

See also how to customize the Table of Figures style.

Empty Table of Figures or Table of Tables

After creating a Table of Figures, Word can create a message “No table of figures entries found”:

The leading cause for this message is that Word could not find the text with the Caption style for the selected caption label (e.g., Figures, Tables, etc.).

To solve that problem, check the style for items captions such as figures and tables which you want to be displayed in the Table of Figures.

Don’t forget to update captions and any related items in a document!

Update a List of Tables or Figures

Microsoft Word inserts Table of Figures as a field:

So, you can change the TOC field using switches.

Word will not automatically update any Table of Figures after adding, deleting, or modifying included items and pages. To manually update them, follow the next steps:

   1.   Click on the list and do one of the following:

• On the References tab, in the Captions group, click the Update Table button:

  

  Note: Only if your cursor is positioned on any of the generated Tables (Table of Figures, Table of Content, etc.), that button is not grayed.

• Right-click the list and select Update Field from the shortcut menu:

  

   2.   In the Update Table of Figures dialog box, select elements you need to update:

We recommend selecting the Update entire table option always.

   3.   Click the OK button to start updating.

Note: See how to turn on or turn off highlighting of fields in a Word document to display all fields in a document with a gray background.

Edit an existing Table of Figures or Table of Tables

If you need to modify an existing Table of Figures, you can:

• Delete existing Table of Figures and create a new one,
• Edit an existing field.

To edit the existing Table of Figures, follow the next steps:

   1.   Do one of the following:

• Click anywhere on the Table, then on the References tab, in the Captions group, click the Insert Table of Figures button.
• Select all the lines of the Table, then right-click on the selection and choose Edit Field… in the popup menu:

  

In the Field dialog box, click the Table of Contents… button:

Note: The button is visible only if you have selected all the existing Table of Figures lines.

   2.   In the Table of Figures dialog box, on the Table of Figures tab, select the options you need.

Be careful! Word opens the Table of Figures dialog box with default options. All the options selected for the existing Table disappear.

Delete a Table of Figures

To delete a List of Figures (List of Tables, or List of any objects), select all the lines of a Table of Figures and press Delete.

How do I insert a list of figures and tables in Word?

How do I edit a list of tables in Word?

On the Insert menu, click Index and Tables, and then click the Table of Figures tab. Click Options, and then select the Style check box. On the Style pop-up menu, click the style name that is used for the figure captions, and then click OK. In the Formats box, click From template, and then click Modify.

How do I change the font of a list of tables?

Select the Home tab in the ribbon (see figure 1). Select all or part of the table title or figure caption text that you want to change. Use the options in the Font and Paragraph groups to select new style options, just as you would regular body text.

How do I generate a list of figures?

What is a list of figures?

The list of figures identifies the titles and locations of visuals (figures, drawings, photos, maps) in administrative or research documents. Articles in periodicals do not use lists of figures. Figures concentrate information in unusual ways and show critical details, configurations, and evidence.

Where do you put a list of figures?

The List of illustrations will come after the Contents page (on a separate page) and before the Introduction. This page should list the name of each figure of illustration that is included in the body of your dissertation or thesis and then give the number of the page that it appears on.

What comes first list of tables or list of figures?

If even one numbered table or figure appears in your manuscript, then a List of Tables and/or a List of Figures must be included in your manuscript following the Table of Contents. If both are used, arrange the List of Tables before the List of Figures.

What is a list of figures and tables?

A List of Figures and/or a List of Tables will show all of the graphics, equations, and tables in a document.

How do I align a list of figures in Word?

Click anywhere inside the list. From the Numbering dropdown (in the Paragraph group), choose Define New Number Format (at the bottom). In the resulting dialog, change the Alignment setting from Left to Right, as shown in Figure G. Click OK to see the newly aligned list shown in Figure H.

Do I need a list of figures?

APA doesn’t require you to include a list of tables or a list of figures. However, it is advisable to do so if your text is long enough to feature a table of contents and it includes a lot of tables and/or figures.

What does a table of figures look like?

A table of figures is a list, sorted by page number, of the captions pulled from figures, images, or tables in your document. It’s like a table of contents, but it’s a table of anything to which you can add a caption.

How do I align page numbers in Word table of contents?

Go to References > Table of Contents. Select Custom table of contents. Use the settings to show, hide, and align page numbers, add or change the tab leader, set formats, and specify how many levels of headings to show.

How do I align the dots in a table of contents in Word?

How do I insert a table of contents in Word without page numbers?

In your document, create a table of contents, or use an existing table. Position the cursor at the location within the document where you want to put the TOC. Select the References tab. In the Table of Contents group, select Table of Contents, and then select Custom Table of Contents from the list.

How do you center a table of contents in Word?

How do you center a table on a page?

How do you center a table vertically in Word?

How do you center a column heading horizontally and vertically?

Horizontal centering is quite simple. All you need to do is position the insertion point somewhere within the text and then click on the Center button on the Home tab of the ribbon or press Ctrl+E. Centering text vertically is almost as easy: Position the insertion point within the cell you want to vertically center.

How do you center text vertically and horizontally in a table?

If you want to center the text in Word tables both horizontally and vertically, you should select all the text at first as well. Then right-click the selected text and choose Table Properties… Switch to Cell tab and choose Center in Vertical alignment. Hit OK to implement it.

Follow these steps…

(1) Give all your tables a caption.
(2) Click your cursor at where you’d like to place your List of Tables.
Its traditional location in a technical document is right after the Table of Contents (if any) and after the “List of Figures” (if any).
(3) Select the References tab from the main menu. Then click Insert Table of Figures to display the Table of Figures dialog box:

(4) Clear the “Use hyperlinks instead of page numbers” check-box if you do not want to jump to a HTML destination accidentally.
(5) Select the “Show page numbers” check-box. Select the “Right align page numbers” check-box. Select a Tab Leader from the drop-down list.
(6) Select “Table” from the Caption Label drop-down list to display table captions in the Print Preview box. Then select the related “Include name and number” check-box:

(7) Select a template from the Formats drop-down list.
(8) Click OK to display your List of Tables at where your cursor is.

To create a combined list of tables and figures

How do you create a Table of Contents from a list?

Create the table of contents

1. Click where you want to insert the table of contents – usually near the beginning of a document.
2. Click References > Table of Contents and then choose an Automatic Table of Contents style from the list.

How do you create an automatic Table of Contents in Word 2007?

Insert your own TOC

1. Click in the empty space you created at the beginning of the document.
2. Go to the References tab > Table of Contents group.
3. Click the Table of Contents button.
4. Click Insert Table of Contents.
5. Change the settings on the Table of Contents window to suit your style, then click OK.

How do you create an automatic Table of Contents in Word?

If you have used Heading styles in your document, creating an automatic table of contents is easy.

1. Place your cursor where you want your table of contents to be.
2. On the References Ribbon, in the Table of Contents Group, click on the arrow next to the Table of Contents icon, and select Custom Table of Contents.

1. After the table of contents, click where you want to insert the list.
2. In the Insert menu, pull down to Index and Tables.
3. Click Table of Figures.
4. Check Include label and number, Show page numbers, Right align page numbers.
5. Click Options.
6. Click OK.
7. Click OK.

How do I format Table of Contents in Word?

Format or customize a table of contents

1. Go to References > Table of Contents.
2. Select Custom table of contents.
3. Use the settings to show, hide, and align page numbers, add or change the tab leader, set formats, and specify how many levels of headings to show. For more info, see Custom table of contents .

How do I link headings to Table of Contents in Word?

Add the link

1. Select the text or object you want to use as a hyperlink.
2. Right-click and then click Hyperlink .
3. Under Link to, click Place in This Document.
4. In the list, select the heading or bookmark that you want to link to.

How do I create a multilevel Table of Contents in Word?

Multilevel Listing

1. Highlight the first main title.
2. Find the Paragraph group on the HOME tab in the Ribbon.
3. Click the Multilevel List button in the group.
4. Select the style from the List Library options.

How do you make table of contents?

How to Create a Table of Contents in an Existing Word Document. 1. Click on the location in your document where you want the table of contents to appear, in order to place the cursor focus on that spot. 2. Select ‘Index and Tables…’ from the ‘Insert’ menu. 3. Click on the ‘Table of Contents’ tab. 4. Select your desired options in the dialog box.

How do you edit table of contents in Microsoft Word?

Editing a table of contents. To edit an existing table of contents: Right-click anywhere in the TOC. From the pop-up menu, choose Edit Index/Table. The Insert Index/Table dialog box opens and you can edit and save the table as described in the previous section. If you cannot click in the table of contents,…

How do I update the table of contents in Microsoft Word?

Fortunately, updating it is simple. To update a table of contents in a Microsoft Word document: Click on the References tab and from the Table of Contents group, click Update Table: In the dialog box that appears, choose to update page numbers only or update the entire table and then click OK:

What is automatic table of contents?

Automatic Table of Contents. Any long page of content with distinct and well marked up content can benefit from a table to contents. A table of contents provides a quick way to jump down the page to the desired section. Of course you can create a table of contents manually, but it may be smart to build it dynamically on-the-fly with JavaScript.