4 Ways to Add Captions to Images in Google Docs

Key Takeaways 

• Using the Drawing panel is an easy way of captioning an image.
• If you will repeatedly have to capture images, you should use a dedicated third-party tool for more convenience.

Method 1: Use the Drawing Panel

Using the Drawing panel is probably the most effective way of captioning images in Google Docs. Here’s how to use it.

Step 1: Open your Google Docs document > click Insert > navigate to Drawing > + New.

Step 2: In the Drawing panel, use the Image option from the toolbar to add the image of your choice.

Step 3: Once added, click Text box and draw the box below the image. In the text box, write your caption and format it as you see fit. You can also resize and change the text box’s position.

Step 4: Lastly, click on the Save and Close button, and the image will be added to Google Docs with a caption.

Once added, you can easily change the caption by selecting the image and choosing the Edit option.

Method 2: Using In-Line Text Tool

If you’re looking for a faster way to caption images, use the In-line text tool in Google Docs. Here’s how.

Step 1: Open your Google Docs document and insert the image you want to caption.

Step 2: Select the image and choose In-line text from the available toolbar.

Step 3: Place your cursor below the image and write a caption.

That’s it. The caption has been added to the image. Of course, you can edit and format the text like any other text in Google Docs.

Method 3: Using the Table Feature

Another way to caption images in Google Docs is by inserting a table in Google Docs. It’s a straightforward method that gives you more options than the above methods. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Launch your Google Docs document and insert the image you want to caption.

Step 2: Now, open the Insert menu > go to Table > select 1 x 2 as the Grid size.

Step 3: Drag and drop the image in the table’s first cell and enter the caption in the second row.

That’s it. The image has been added with a caption in Google Docs.

If you prefer, you can also change the Table by right-clicking anywhere on the table and selecting Table Properties.

For instance, you can remove the borders by setting the Table border width to 0pt.

You can also tweak the cell’s background color, alignment, and more from the Table properties window.

Method 4: Using an Add-ons

If your work requires you to caption images often, using a dedicated add-on might be a good idea after all. Unfortunately, only a handful of add-ons are available for captioning photos on Google Docs. Out of those, Caption Maker is a popular choice. Here’s how to use it to caption images in Google Docs.

Step 1: Click Extensions > navigate Add-ons > Get add-ons.

Step 2: Search for Caption Maker, click on it, and click Install.

Step 3: Now, insert the image into your Google Docs document. Then, click the Extensions menu at the top > select Caption Maker > Start.

Step 4: Click the Show options button in the Caption Maker panel.

Step 5: Under Format, enter the caption text in the New field. Next, you can choose caption placements, format, and numbering. There are also some visual settings that you can tweak to change the text’s font, size, and color.

Step 4: Lastly, click on the Captionize button at the bottom.