As shown in this tutorial, you can quickly create a list of tables or figures in Microsoft Word if you used Word’s caption tool to number your tables and figures. (See “How to Insert Figure Captions in Microsoft Word” for step-by-step instructions on using the caption tool.)
We will also look at how to update the list as you add, move, or delete tables or figures.
Terminology Note: This tutorial uses the terms list of tables and list of figures, which are common terms in the publishing industry. However, Word refers to a list of tables or figures as a table of figures.
This tutorial is also available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.
Watch more than 200 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.
The images below are from Word in Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365). The steps are the same in Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013. However, your interface may look different in those older versions of the software.
Remember that these steps will only work if you used Word’s caption tool to number your tables or figures before creating the list.
- Insert your cursor where you want to place your list.
- Select the References tab in the ribbon.
- Select Insert Table of Figures from the Captions group.
- Select a visual style from the Formats menu in the Table of Figures dialog box. (The From Template option is based on the styles established in your current template.)
- Select Figure or Table from the Caption label menu. (There is no option for listing figures and tables together.)
- Ensure that Include label and number is checked if you want the label (i.e., Figure or Table) and the number to be included in the list. (Recommended)
- (Optional Step) Select additional options concerning page numbers and the tab leaders, which are the dots, dashes, or lines that appear before the page numbers.
Pro Tip: The Web Preview section shows how your list will look if you convert your Word file to a web page.
- Select the OK button.
- Manually type a title above your list.
- Save your file to save your changes.
The next section shows how to update a list of tables or figures.
How to Update a List of Tables or Figures
Word will not automatically update your list as you add or delete tables or figures. Instead, you can manually trigger updates, as necessary.
- Right-click the list and select Update Field from the shortcut menu.
- Select Update entire table from the Update Table of Figures dialog box.
- Select the OK button.
Your updates should appear immediately.
- Save your file to save your changes.
Important Note: Word’s caption tool, which inserts table titles and figure captions, will automatically number new tables and figures as you add titles and captions (e.g., Table 1, Table 2, Table 3). However, Word will not automatically update the numbering if you move or delete tables or figures.
See “How to Update Table and Figure Numbers in Microsoft Word” to learn how to force an update after moving or deleting a table or figure.
Related Resources
How to Create and Customize Charts in Microsoft Word
How to Insert and Modify Images in Microsoft Word
Three Ways to Insert Tables in Microsoft Word
How to Change the Style of Table Titles and Figure Captions in Microsoft Word
How to Cross-Reference Tables and Figures in Microsoft Word
How to Reference Tables and Figures in Text
Updated December 14, 2022
When you add several tables and figures or any other objects in your report, it is a best practice to create a list of tables and figures or lists of other objects in the report’s preface. In academic writing, this is a must-have section of your report. Like the table of contents, you can also generate a list of tables and figures or any other objects in Microsoft Word.
Table of Contents
Step 01: Add captions to tables and figures
The lists of tables and figures or lists of any other objects are generated from the captions you added for those objects in your report. If you haven’t added captions yet, you can learn how to add captions in Microsoft Word fro the following post.
How to add Captions in Microsoft Word
Step 02: Insert list of tables and figures
After you add a few captions to tables or figures in your document, you generate a list of those objects.
To generate a list of tables and figures or any other objects;
- Place the cursor where you want to add the list.
- Go to the References tab
- Click Insert Table of Figures in the Caption group
- In the Table of the Figures dialog box select the relevant Caption Label (Table, Figure, & Equation, etc…)
- Do the necessary formatting using the available options in the Table of Figures dialog box,
- Click OK.
The following animation demonstrates the above steps for creating a list of tables and figures.
Updating the lists
You need to update these lists in order to include the tables and figures or other objects you added later in the report. To update these lists,
- Click anywhere in the middle of the list to be updated
- Go to the References tab
- In the Caption group, click Update Table
- In the Update Table of Figures dialog box select the Update Entire Table option
- Click OK.
Highlights
- Before adding a list of tables in your Word document, you need to add captions to them.
- You can add a list of tables in Word from the references ribbon.
- The method of adding a list of tables in an MS Word document is the same as adding a list of Figures.
Working on a report and want to add a list of tables to it? If you want to know how to add list of tables in Word, read this article.
If you are searching how do I automatically insert a list of tables in word, here is the answer. This is a quick guide on how to insert a list of tables in MS word documents.
If your Microsoft Word document has many tables and figures in the appendices, you need to create a separate list of tables and figures in it. This how-to will make creating lists of tables less time-consuming.
Before adding a list of tables in a Word document, make sure you have given appropriate captions to them. But if you haven’t, follow the below steps to add captions to tables.
Firstly, click on the table and then click on REFERENCES.
Then in the REFERENCES tab, click on the Insert caption.
Repeat this process for all the tables in your Word document. After captioning all the tables, you are ready to insert a list of tables into it.
Steps To Insert List Of Tables In Word
- Type the heading List of Tables, assign the Heading 1 style, and click where you want to insert the list.
- Click on REFERENCES and then click List of figures.
- In the resulting dialog, choose Table from the Caption Label dropdown.
- Uncheck the Use Hyperlinks Instead Of Page Numbers option.
- Click OK.
You will see that the list of tables has been added successfully.
How To Update List of tables In Word
If you add, delete, change, or move captions, use Update Table so the list of tables reflects your changes.
- Click on the list of tables in your document. This will highlight the entire list.
- Click References > Update Table.
- Note: Update Table becomes an option only when you click the table of figures in your document. You can also press F9 to modify your list of tables.
- Select an Update in the in the Update Table of Figures dialog box.
- Select Update page numbers if you need to adjust the page numbers.
- Select Update entire table if you have moved tables or altered captions.
- Click OK.
Back to top button
Tigerod
-
#1
I have several objects in my word doc that were imported from a pdf. I have
captioned these as tables and they are automatically numbered correctly
throughout the document, but the List of Tables misses them, even after
updating. For what it’s worth, when the captions were created, they showed
up as text boxes.
I’m sure there’s a setting I should change to get the List to pick up these
other tables, but I can’t find it. Can you help?
Thanks,
Rod
(using Word 2002, SP3)
Advertisements
Suzanne S. Barnhill
-
#2
Captions in text boxes can’t be «seen» by Word. Either convert the text
boxes to frames or pull the captions out and delete the text boxes.
Advertisements
Tigerod
-
#3
Thank you, Suzanne. I cut and pasted the captions from each text box into
normal text. The numbering stayed OK and the list of tables now sees each
one.
tommy
-
#1
MS Word 2007 (in 2003 compatibility mode)
I have a single table which is not added to list of tables when I update the
list of tables.
I can not add a reference to it either.
I captioned it like all other tables in the document.
When I try to add a reference to it the list of tables goes:
Table 15: …
Table 16: …
Table 18: …
Table 19: …
Is there any way to force word to reset the above list? It seems like it
just doesn’t know the table exists.
That particular table was added with MS Word 2003 on a computer I know
longer have access to. Now I am stuck using a computer with MS Word 2007. I
did add a new table today with the MS 2007 version of word (but that table is
way away from this one index wise and many pages away in the doc).
This all started when my inserted cross references for tables began showing
«Table 1717» or «Table 1718» instead of «Table 17». I deleted Table 17’s
caption at that time and reinserted it. That is when Word lost all knowledge
of that table.
Advertisements
grammatim
-
#2
This might work. Copy the caption for Table 16 (the whole paragraph)
to the Clipboard, select the entire caption of Table 17 (the whole
paragraph) and Paste the 16 caption there. The number should say 17;
don’t go anywhere near the label «Table 17» and edit the text to how
it should read — and then maybe it’ll turn up in the ToC.
(Maybe some vital character in the cross-reference field got lost, or
maybe creating it in a different way from the others caused something
different to be put in. This solution should get the «same» thing in
instead.)
tommy
-
#3
Thanks. That worked.
Of course, I should not have had to do that! MS Word drives me crazy.
Tommy
Advertisements
grammatim
-
#4
Thanks. That worked.
Yay!Of course, I should not have had to do that! MS Word drives me crazy.
Well, you did switch versions in the middle of the horse.
Or something like that.
Any chance of getting to continue to work in Word2003? From what I’ve
been reading here for six months, the only advantage 2007 has over
2003 is the bibliography resource (and even that doesn’t seem to work
as advertised), which most users will never have any use for, while
all the innovations seem to have been change for the sake of change,
not well thought through, and not well executed.