Numbered labels in word

Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Sequentially Numbered Labels.

If you work in a business where you need to sequentially number items, you might be wondering if there is a way you can use Word to create the labels for you. Word has many ways you can implement some type of numbering in your documents. For instance, you can use different fields for numbering, or use numbered lists, the captioning feature, or you can use mail merging. While all of these features (and more) use some type of numbering in them, they are not all well suited to creating labels.

Perhaps the easiest way to set up labels that have sequential numbers is to use the Envelopes and Labels capability of Word in concert with the SEQ field. Simply follow these steps:

1. Use the Envelopes and Labels option from the Tools menu to create a sheet of blank labels.
2. In the top-left label, type the word Exhibit, followed by a space.
3. Press Ctrl+F9. Word inserts a pair of field braces in the label.
4. Type SEQ and a space.
5. Type a name for this sequence of numbers, such as «exhibit» (without the quote marks).
6. Press F9. The field is collapsed and a number appears in your label.
7. Format the contents of this first label any way you desire.
8. Copy the first label by selecting it and pressing Ctrl+C.
9. Select each of the other labels in the first row in turn, and press Ctrl+V. You should now have a complete row of the labels.
10. Select the other, blank rows of labels and delete them.
11. Select the entire first row of labels and press Ctrl+C.
12. Press the right arrow, which should place your insertion point immediately after (beneath) the first row of labels.
13. Press Ctrl+V to paste a new row of labels. You should now have two rows of labels, correctly formatted. (Don’t worry yet that they have the same numbers on them.)
14. Press Ctrl+V for each additional row of labels you want. You want enough rows of labels to meet your entire needs. Thus, if you need a total of 125 labels, and you can get 3 labels per line, you should end up with 42 rows of labels.
15. Press Ctrl+A to select everything in the document.
16. Press F9. This updates all the fields in what you selected. All your numbering should now be correct.

If you prefer to not use the SEQ field to create the labels, you can also create them doing a mail merge. Conceptually, you only need to do the following:

1. Create an Excel worksheet that has as many numbers in it as you need. For instance, if you need 175 labels, you would place a title in cell A1 (such as «Number») and the 175 numbers you need in cells A2 through A176. Make sure you save the workbook.
2. In Word, choose Mail Merge from the Tools menu. This displays the Mail Merge Helper dialog box.
3. Go through the steps of creating a new document consisting of labels and specifying your data source (the worksheet you created in step 1).
4. Create the sample label so that it has the word Exhibit followed by a merge field that represents the number being pulled from the Excel worksheet. Make sure the label contents are formatted the way you need them.
5. Merge the information to a new document. You should now have a document that has all your labels in it, and you can print them as desired.

Of course, there are third-party solutions that are available for creating sequentially numbered labels. One that comes highly recommended by several WordTips subscribers is Bates Labels from Payne Consulting (http://www.payneconsulting.com). This free Word template allows you to easily create as many labels as you need for a specific purpose.

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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…

Each table should be referenced in the document content. Typically, tables have a number and a title, which are referenced. Microsoft Word offers functionality to create automatically updated numbers for figures, tables, and equations. The numbers and titles, created using the Captions functionality, are used to cross-reference tables in a document and create a List of Tables.

The word Table and a number identify a table then follows the caption. A caption is a short block of text that explain table contents without referring to the document content:

See more about creating numbers and captions for figures: images, pictures, charts, etc., creating captions for equations, and creating captions for photographs.

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

Insert a caption for tables

To add automatically updated numbers and a title (caption) for a table, select it by:

• Selecting all rows or columns of the table one by one, or
• Moving the mouse over the table until you see the table selection icons in the upper-left corner of the table and clicking it:

  

  Note: You can also click on the table selection icon in the bottom-right corner for the same effect. See how to select table elements for more details.

After selecting a table, do one of the following:

• On the References tab, in the Captions group, click the Insert Caption button:

  

• Right-click on the selection and select the Insert Caption… in the popup menu:

  

In the Caption dialog box:

Select the label and its position

• Under Options:
  • From the Label dropdown list, select the item type you need:

    

    • Table,
    • Equation – see how to create captions for equations,
    • Figure (selected by default) — see how to create captions for figures,
    • Another label (in this example, My Caption) was created using the New Label… button (see how to create a new label below).

    Note: Remember that each type of object you labeled will be numbered sequentially within its group.

  • From the Position dropdown list, select one of the options:

    

    • Above selected item (selected by default for the Table label), or
    • Below selected item (selected by default for the Figure label).

    Note: The captions for tables are usually located above the tables.

Exclude label from caption

• Select the Exclude label from caption check box if you don’t need to add the label to the caption:

  

  Some requirements recommend using the lowercase word table instead of the automatically added Table in Word cross-references.

  The option Exclude label from caption hides the label from being displayed in cross-references or a List of Tables.

  For example:

  • When you insert a cross-reference with the selected option Entire captions or Only label and number (see more details how to use cross-references in Word), Word adds the capitalized label and number, as you see in the Caption field of the Caption dialog box. E.g., “are listed in Table 3” or “are listed in Table 3 Number of articles by statuses and products”.
  • All captions, created with selected option Exclude label from caption, Word adds in cross-references as their numbers without the labels. Type the word table (as required) and insert a reference to a caption (e.g., “are listed in table 3”).

Add a new label

• Click the New Label… button to create a new label:

  

  In the New Label dialog box, type a new label name:

  

Note: See also how to delete a custom label.

Modify caption numbering

• Click the Numbering… button if you want to change any of the numbering options:

  

  In the Caption Numbering dialog box:

  

  • In the Format dropdown list, select the numbering format you need (some requirements recommend using Latin capital letters instead of numbers for tables):

  

  • Select the Include chapter number check box to include the chapter number in the caption number. After selecting this option, two more options will be unlocked:
    • From the Chapter starts with style dropdown list, select the heading level you need to include in the caption:

      

    • In the Use separator dropdown list, select the punctuation you need to insert between the chapter number and the table number:

      

    • At the bottom of the dialog box, see how your choices will look in the Examples section. E.g., Table 2.3” means the third table in chapter 2.
    • Click the OK button.

Add a title

• To add the text of your caption, click after the table number and enter the text. E.g.:

  

Notes:

1. There are several standard requirements for table titles:
   • Chicago style recommends using the table title in line with the label and number. E.g.:

     

   • In opposite, APA (American Psychological Association) and MLA (Modern Language Association) styles recommend using the table title with one double-spaced line below the table number (see how to adjust line spacing). E.g.:

     

     To create such a title, don’t type any text in the Caption field, leave it, then do the following:

     1. Create a caption without a title.
     2. Position cursor after a caption number and add a new line (by pressing Shift+Enter) in which type of title you need.

        Note: You can press Enter and create a new paragraph instead of a new line. See how to create a List of Tables (Table of Figures) for more details.

     3. Format the caption to adjust line spacing (see how to change caption line spacing).
   • In addition, MLA style recommends using a hanging indent to the second line of long titles. E.g.:

     
2. Word offers very helpful functionality to create a text that can be displayed in a List of Tables instead of a caption text. See how to create a Table of Contents Entry.
3. For most requirements, the number and the title should be without an ending period. If you need a period after a number, type it in the Caption field.
4. If a table spans more than one page, the first page of that table should have a complete caption; the subsequent pages should have an abbreviated caption consisting of a label, a number, and the word Continued. E.g., “Table 3. Continued”.

Using an AutoCaption

See Adding captions with AutoCaption.

Group a table and its caption

According to all requirements, a table (or its part) with its caption should appear on the same page. Word adds captions for tables as a regular paragraph with selected Keep with next option. See how to keep lines and paragraphs together for more details.

See also how to keep a table row on one page and keep a table on one page of a Word document.

Edit or modify a caption

Microsoft Word adds numbers in captions as fields.

You can show all fields in a document with a gray background, see how to turn on or turn off highlighting of fields in a Word document.

• Labels:

  If needed, you can change the label. Word for Microsoft 365 will update the reference if available. In this case, Word will not create a new label and a separate numbering. Be careful!

• Numbers:

  DO NOT edit caption numbers! If you change a number:

  • In some cases, Word will update it, and you will lose your changes,
  • Otherwise, the caption number may stop updating automatically.
• Text:

  To add or modify a caption text, click on it and change what you need, like in a regular paragraph.

Do not forget to format a caption according to the requirements you use!

Delete a caption and an unnecessary label

If you need to remove some caption, select the caption paragraph (full line or several lines) and press Delete. Do not forget to update fields in the document!

To remove the unnecessary label, do the following:

   1.   Open the Caption dialog box.

   2.   In the Label dropdown list, select the label you want to remove.

   3.   Click the Delete Label to remove a custom label:

Note: You can’t delete predefined labels: Equation, Figure, and Table.

Update caption numbering

Word automatically updates references and numbering if you insert a new text. However, copying, deleting, or moving context often leads to confusion in the document. After such operations, you have to update all dependencies manually.

To update fields in the document, select the entire document by clicking Ctrl+A, and do one of the following:

• Press F9,
• Right-click on any of the fields and select Update Field in the popup menu:

  

Word will update all fields. You can be sure that the numbering and references are correct.

We strongly recommend checking a document at least visually after changes!

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When you are writing an academic document, make sure that you label tables and figures correctly. This is paramount; incorrectly labelled tables and figures can cost you vital marks!

If you can’t work out how to do this, or if you are worried about it, you can always get it checked by a professional. However, if you want to learn how to do it yourself, read on!

How to Label Tables

Tables usually need to have a label positioned above the table itself. Number tables sequentially (i.e. ‘Table 1’, ‘Table 2’, etc.) and make sure the label explains exactly what data the table presents.

For example, if the first table in your document contains information about commuting by bicycle in Melbourne during 2014, you might label it:

Table 1: Daily Commutes Made by Bicycle in Melbourne, 2014.

How to Label Figures

Figures and graphs usually need to have a label positioned below the figure or graph. As with tables, make sure to number the figures in your document sequentially and to use labels that explain the data clearly and accurately.

How to Insert a Label in Microsoft Word

Labels for tables and figures are known as ‘captions’ or ‘legends’. To insert a caption in Microsoft Word, here is what you need to do:

On a PC

Select the item that needs the caption and go to References > Insert Caption.

Next, the caption menu will appear.

Here, the first part of the caption will be auto-filled. The default is set to ‘Figure’, which can be applied to images and graphs. You can also select a ‘Table’ label from the dropdown menu. These automatically update to the next number, so if two figures have already been captioned this way, the caption box will display ‘Figure 3’.

The rest of the settings can typically remain the same unless you are using a different numbering system.

On a Mac

Select the item that needs the caption and go to Insert > Caption. This will make the caption menu will appear.

The rest of the process is the same as with a PC.

Using the caption function rather than manually writing out labels will make it easier when you come to inserting a table of figures or tables. Good luck!

1. What Multi-level Numbering Looks Like

Often used in the legal profession or in large corporate documents, multilevel numbering creates a logical hierarchy and easy navigation within the document. The headings can also be summarised later on in a table of contents. Here is a simple example:

2. How to Set Up Multilevel Numbering

Here is the correct process:

In general, a label is a sticker with something written on it. People place such stickers with printed information such as addresses on envelopes.

Your label may have one of two addresses—the recipient’s address or the sender’s address. Microsoft Word allows you to create and print such labels.

Here, we will explain the steps necessary for creating and printing labels in Word.

Step #1: Open a Blank Document in Word.

Open Word, and click on New on the left side. The right side shows the icon of a new blank document—click on it to open a new blank document.

Step #2: Open the Envelopes and Labels Dialog

Click on Mailings in the top menu bar, and the ribbon changes to show the mailing menus. Click on Labels to open the Envelopes and Labels dialog.

Step #3: Set Up Recipient/Sender Labels

Within the Envelopes and Labels dialog, click on the Labels tab.

Under Address, you can type in either the recipient’s address or the sender’s address within the box. 

If you have created envelopes earlier, and would like to use the return address (sender’s address) already in your system, click on Use return address and ensure a tick-mark is present within the square box immediately on the left. Word will fill the return address in the Address box. If you do not have a return address in your system, type in the return address.

Step #4: Set Up Number of Prints

Once you are satisfied with the address entry, and want to print only one label on the entire page, click on Full page of the same label under the Print section.

If you want to print several labels on one page, click on Single label and select the number of rows and columns necessary.

Step #5: Set Up Paper Size

Here are some tips to customize and get maximum out of printing labels. :

1. Click on Options to open the Label Options dialog. Under Printer Information, you can select the type of printer—Continuous-feed or Page Printers—and the type of Tray for the Page printers.
2. Several vendors supply sticky papers for printing labels on, and you may select from the Label vendors list—click on the down arrow on the right of Label vendors, and click on the vendor of your choice.
3. Depending on the vendor you have selected, you can choose from their list of products under Product number.
4. Here, you are selecting the size of the paper on which you want to print the labels. For a specific product number, its related information appears on the right side under Label information.
5. For additional settings, click on the Details tab to display the various measurements for printing the label.
6. You can adjust the settings to your preference. Word also allows you to define your own measurements, for which you must click on New Label.
7. Once you are satisfied with the settings, click on OK to exit the dialog. Word will return you to the Envelopes and Labels dialog.

Step #6: Print the Label

Ensure label papers are in your printer and the printer is turned on. Click on Print to start printing your labels.

Conclusion

A neatly printed address label looks good on an envelope and helps prevent wrong delivery. With Word, you can create and print professional-looking labels. Follow our seven-step method to make your task easier.