How to Insert Figures Into a Table of Contents in Word

To include figures in a Word document’s navigation pages, use References > Insert Caption to caption each image, then choose References > Insert Table of Figures to create a numbered figure list. If you also want that list named in the main table of contents, give its heading a built-in heading style and update the table of contents; Word normally does not put individual figure captions in the main contents automatically.

Understand the difference between a contents page and a figure list

Word’s standard table of contents is built from headings, such as Heading 1 and Heading 2. It is intended to show the structure of a document: chapters, sections, and subsections. A figure caption is different. It identifies an image, chart, map, or other illustration, often with a number and explanatory text. Word does not treat a caption as a section heading by default.

For that reason, a document with illustrations commonly has two related reference tools:

Table of contents: lists the document’s headings and their page numbers.
Table of figures: lists captioned figures and their page numbers. It may be called a list of figures in a thesis or report template.

For example, a report might have “Methods” and “Results” in its contents, followed by a separate “List of Figures” containing “Figure 1. Study area,” “Figure 2. Survey locations,” and their page numbers. This is usually clearer than mixing every image caption into the same list as the report’s main sections.

Add captions to the figures first

A generated figure list depends on Word’s caption fields. Typing “Figure 1” manually may look right, but Word may not recognize that text as a caption when it builds the list. Add captions with Word’s caption command instead. The steps below refer to Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows; the References tab and caption features are also available in desktop Word for Mac, although the ribbon arrangement and dialog appearance can differ slightly.

Click the image, chart, or other figure that needs a caption.
Open References > Insert Caption.
In the Caption dialog, select the Figure label. If it is not available, use New Label to create it.
Choose the caption position, such as above or below the selected item.
Type descriptive wording after Word’s inserted number, then select OK.

A caption might read “Figure 1. Map of the study area.” Word inserts the number as a field, so later changes can renumber figures. Keep the caption text in the same paragraph as the number. Add a separate caption to every figure that should appear in the list; an image with no Word caption will not be included just because it is on the page.

For documents with several kinds of visual material, use labels consistently. You might use “Figure” for photographs and diagrams and a separate label such as “Chart” only if your required style guide calls for it. Word creates a separate list for each selected caption label.

Generate a table of figures

After captioning the figures, place the cursor where the list should appear. In a long report, this is often after the main table of contents and before the first chapter, but follow the document’s required format. Type a heading such as “List of Figures” on its own line, then insert the list beneath it.

Click below the heading at the point where the entries should start.
Choose References > Insert Table of Figures.
In the dialog, confirm that Figure is selected in the caption-label list.
Choose a layout and decide whether to show page numbers and right-align them. Select a tab leader, such as dots, if you want a line of dots between each caption and its page number.
Select OK to insert the generated list.

The wording and settings available in the dialog can vary a little between Word releases, but the key choice is the caption label. If you created captions using a custom label, select that label instead of Figure. The table of figures is a field-generated result, not a manually maintained set of entries: its wording and page numbers are drawn from the captions in the document.

Put the figure-list heading in the main table of contents

If your goal is to make readers find the list of figures from the main contents page, format the words “List of Figures” as a heading. Select that heading and choose a suitable style from Home > Styles, such as Heading 1 or Heading 2, based on the document’s hierarchy and the way its other front-matter headings are formatted. Then update the main contents using References > Update Table, or right-click the existing table and choose Update Field. Select the option to update the entire table if Word asks.

Applying a heading style to the list’s title adds that title to the contents; it does not add every figure caption. This is usually the desired result: the contents has one entry for “List of Figures,” while the separate figure list has the individual entries and page numbers.

If a document specification explicitly requires every figure caption to appear in the main contents, use a distinct paragraph style for captions rather than changing all captions to Heading 1 or Heading 2. In Word for Windows, open References > Table of Contents > Custom Table of Contents, select Options, and assign a TOC level to the custom style. The precise settings dialog may look different on Mac. This approach can make the main contents long and visually busy, so use it only when the required format calls for it.

Update the lists after editing

Adding pages, revising text, or inserting images can change pagination and numbering. Word does not always refresh every generated list immediately as you edit. Before sharing or printing, update both the main table of contents and the table of figures. Right-click each generated list and choose Update Field. For a table of figures, choose the option to update the entire table if you changed captions or added or removed figures; a page-number-only update is suitable only when the entries themselves are already correct.

On Windows, you can also select the document’s contents with Ctrl+A and press F9 to update fields, but this may update other fields too, and fields in certain areas such as text boxes may need separate attention. Check the result rather than assuming every item refreshed. On Mac, use the contextual Update Field command where available; keyboard function-key behavior can depend on the Mac’s settings. When editing in a shared document, updating fields may change page numbers for everyone, so it is sensible to do a final update once the layout is stable.

Fix common figure-list problems

If the list is empty, incomplete, or showing incorrect page numbers, check the source captions before rebuilding the list. Common causes include manually typed numbering, a mismatched caption label, captions located inside a layout element Word does not detect as expected, or a list that has not been updated since changes were made.

A figure is missing: Confirm that it has a caption inserted through References > Insert Caption and that the caption uses the label selected for the list.
The number is wrong: Update the table of figures and check whether captions were typed manually or copied in a way that removed their fields.
The page number is out of date: Right-click the list, choose Update Field, and update the entire table.
The caption text is cut off or unhelpful: Edit the caption paragraph itself, then update the list so its entry reflects the revised text.
The list contains an unwanted caption: Check that the unwanted paragraph uses the same caption label. If it should not be listed, do not use that label for it.

Also check whether a figure and its caption have become separated across pages. That is primarily a layout issue, not a table-of-figures setting. Adjust paragraph pagination settings or the placement of the image and caption, then update the lists after the layout settles. Avoid correcting a bad page number by typing over it in the generated list: the next field update can replace that manual change.

Choose a layout that suits the document

For a short document with only a few illustrations, a separate figure list may be unnecessary unless a school, publisher, client, or workplace template requires one. A cross-reference in the text, such as “see Figure 3,” can help readers locate a particular image without adding another front-matter page. In a thesis, technical report, or illustrated manual, a dedicated list is more useful because readers may want to locate images independently of the chapters.

Keep captions concise enough to scan, but specific enough to identify the content. “Figure 4. Results” is less informative than “Figure 4. Monthly rainfall at the three monitoring sites.” Use a consistent punctuation and capitalization pattern throughout. If a long caption makes the list difficult to read, check your institution’s or publisher’s rules before shortening it: some styles expect the full caption in the list, while others allow a shorter list entry.

Use Word’s built-in list formatting and tab leaders rather than inserting repeated spaces or dots by hand. The generated page numbers will then align more reliably, including after edits. If you are working from a supplied template, preserve its existing styles and list settings where possible; changing the underlying styles may affect other headings or captions across the document.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put figures directly into the Word table of contents?
Yes, but the usual approach is to put a “List of Figures” heading in the main contents and put individual figure entries in a separate table of figures. To list every caption in the main contents, configure a custom table of contents to include a dedicated caption style.

Why does Word not include my image in the table of figures?
Word builds the list from caption fields, not from images alone. Add a caption with References > Insert Caption, use the same caption label selected in the table-of-figures settings, and update the generated list.

How do I add “List of Figures” to the table of contents?
Apply an appropriate heading style to the “List of Figures” title, then update the main table of contents. If it still does not appear, check whether that contents table is configured to include the heading level you applied.

Can I create a list of tables as well?
Yes. Insert captions using the Table label, then choose References > Insert Table of Figures and select Table as the caption label. Word can generate a separate list for each label.

Do I need to update the table of figures after moving an image?
Yes. After moving or adding figures, update the table, preferably with the entire-table option if the captions or their order changed. Review the page numbers and entries before distributing the document.

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Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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