Quickly Update and Renumber Figures in a Word Document
by Avantix Learning Team | Updated May 13, 2021
Applies to: Microsoft® Word® 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 or 365 (Windows)
If you have inserted figure numbers for images or drawings in a Microsoft Word document, you can update them throughout the document and the figures will renumber automatically. This is helpful if you have moved or inserted new images. In order to renumber figures, the figure titles and numbers must be inserted as captions (using the References tab in the Ribbon). Since captions are fields, they can be updated in a couple of steps.
Recommended article: How to Insert Built-in and Custom Fields in Microsoft Word
Updating figure numbers in a Word document
To update all figure numbers (caption fields) in a Word document:
- Click in the body of the Word document.
- Press Ctrl + A to select all.
- Press F9 (some users may need to press Fn + F9).
You can insert figure captions and table captions. If you select all and update, both figure and table captions will be renumbered if the images or tables have been moved.
Subscribe to get more articles like this one
Did you find this article helpful? If you would like to receive new articles, join our email list.
More resources
How to Insert Cross-References in Word
How to Insert a Watermark in Word (Like DRAFT)
How to Superscipt or Subscript in Word (with Shortcuts)
5 Ways to Insert or Type the Square Root Symbol in Word (√)
How to Create a Table of Contents in Word (Insert, Format and Update a TOC)
Related courses
Microsoft Word: Intermediate / Advanced
Microsoft Excel: Intermediate / Advanced
Microsoft PowerPoint: Intermediate / Advanced
Microsoft Word: Long Documents Master Class
Microsoft Word: Styles, Templates and Tables of Contents
Microsoft Word: Designing Dynamic Word Documents Using Fields
Our instructor-led courses are delivered in virtual classroom format or at our downtown Toronto location at 18 King Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (some in-person classroom courses may also be delivered at an alternate downtown Toronto location). Contact us at info@avantixlearning.ca if you'd like to arrange custom instructor-led virtual classroom or onsite training on a date that's convenient for you.
Copyright 2025 Avantix® Learning
You may also like
How to Insert or Type I with an Accent Mark in Word (Í, í, Ì, ì, Î, î, Ï, or ï)
You can insert or type i with an accent mark in Word using built-in tools or keyboard shortcuts (including Alt code shortcuts). The letter i can be inserted with an accent in both upper or lower case. The following are common accented characters that you can insert or type in Word in upper or lower case: grave (Ì or ì), acute (Í or í), circumflex (Î or î) and umlaut (Ï or ï).
How to Insert or Type A with an Accent Mark in Word (À, Á, Â, Ä, à, á, â, or ä)
You can insert or type a with an accent mark in Word using built-in tools or keyboard shortcuts (including Alt code shortcuts). The letter a can be inserted with an accent in both upper or lower case. The following are common accented characters that you can insert or type in Word in upper or lower case: grave (À or à), acute (Á or á), circumflex (Â or â) and umlaut (Ä or ä).
10 Word Shortcuts to Select Text Using a Keyboard
You can use several shortcuts in Word to select text in your documents using only your keyboard. When you select text, it will typically be highlighted in grey. After you select text, you can cut, copy, or delete the selected text or apply character or paragraph formatting.
Microsoft, the Microsoft logo, Microsoft Office and related Microsoft applications and logos are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in Canada, US and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of the registered owners.
Avantix Learning |18 King Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 1C4 | Contact us at info@avantixlearning.ca
