When you refer to a particular figure in your document, rather than typing in “Figure 2”, you can use a cross-reference, so if the figure number changes, the in-text reference will also change. This will also work to reference page numbers of headings and so on.
- Put your cursor where you want the reference to be. On the References Ribbon, in the Captions Group, click the Cross-reference () icon.
- Select the type of item you are referencing from the Reference type pulldown.
- For figures, select Only Label and Number from the Insert reference to: pulldown, unless you want the entire caption to appear in the text.
- Select the item you want to reference from the For which caption: section.
- Click Insert and close the Cross-reference dialog box.
When your caption number changes, you can update the in-text references by right-clicking the in-text reference and selecting Update field.
