How to Create and Update a List of Tables or Figures in Microsoft Word

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.

How to Create a List of Tables or Figures

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.

References tab in Word 365 — Figure 1. References tab

Select Insert Table of Figures from the Captions group.

Insert Table of Figures button in Word 365 — Figure 2. Insert Table of Figures button

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.)

Formats menu in the Table of Figures dialog box in Word 365 — Figure 3. Formats menu

Select Figure or Table from the Caption label menu. (There is no option for listing figures and tables together.)

Caption label menu in the Table of Figures dialog box in Word 365 — Figure 4. Caption label menu

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)

Include label and number option in the Table of Figures dialog box in Word 365 — Figure 5. Include label and number option

(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.

Page number and Tab Leader options in the Table of Figures dialog box in Word 365 — Figure 6. Page number and tab leader options

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.

OK button in the Table of Figures dialog box in Word 365 — Figure 7. Table of Figures 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.

Update Field option in Word 365 — Figure 9. Update Field option

Select Update entire table from the Update Table of Figures dialog box.

Update entire table option in the Update Table of Figures dialog box in Word 365 — Figure 10. Update entire table option

Select the OK button.

OK button in the Update Table of Figures dialog box on Word 365 — Figure 11. Update Table of Figures 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.