MS Word: change existing captions name

Question

this is my first post, so I would like to say hello :)

I have a very large document, it consists of ~150 captions. I would like to change name of the captions, for example from 'Picture' to 'Pic.' Is there any simple method to do it? I can't imagine changing all of the existing captions and cross-references manualy.

Best regards, Michal

Answer 1

Solution found on Word Tips: https://word.tips.net/T003888_Changing_Existing_Captions.html

"If you want to change some of the text in the captions, you need to modify the fields used to create the captions. (Automatic captions are implemented through the use of fields in the document.) You can change the text in the fields by first displaying the field codes in your document (press Shift+F9). You should be able to see what the field codes look like for your captions; examine one to see how it is constructed, looking specifically for the text you want to change.

Next press Ctrl+H to display the Replace tab of the Find and Replace dialog box. Use the controls in the dialog box to specify the caption text you want to change (from within the field you examined) and what you want the text to be. You can then use the controls to step through all the occurrences of the text and change it, as desired.

There are other things you can change in the fields using this same technique. For instance, you may want to change the numbering of your captions from Arabic to Roman. If you examine the field code used for a caption, it may appear similar to this:

{Seq Figure *\ arabic}

You can easily use the Find and Replace method to change the word "arabic" to "roman." When you are done making the changes, press Alt+F9 to change the field codes back to their results.

If your caption changing needs are a bit more complex (perhaps, for example, you want to change the caption to appear above a figure instead of below it, or vice-versa), then the best bet is to change the settings for automatic captions and then delete all the existing captions. You can then use cut and paste (cut the figure and paste it back in the same position) to force Word to automatically add the caption with the new settings."

Answer 2

Here is the way:

1. Select the caption with a number that has the label that you want to change. For example, if you have "Picture 1", select the entire caption including label, sequence number, and the caption text.

2. On the References tab, in the Captions group, click Insert Caption.

3. In the Label dropdown, select the label that you want or click New Label and add a new one.