How to add captions to images in Google Docs
It's easy to add an image to your document in Google Docs, but including a caption is another story. Until Google adds a captioning feature to Docs, here are some ways to create and add captions to your photos.
Depending on your preference, the number of frames and whether you want to caption each frame in a unique way, there are four ways to do this. You can add embedded text, create a drawing, use a table, or try an add-on.
In this section:
Caption your image using inline text
The easiest option is to use an inline format for your image and add the text below the image. This assumes that you have already inserted your image.
Select the image and click "Online" in the toolbar.
Place your cursor under the image and type the caption text. You can then select the text and format its size, alignment, and style using the top toolbar.
Caption your image using a drawing
Although the above method of adding a caption works quite well, it does not keep the caption with the image. So if you plan to move things around in your document, you might like the Draw option better. For this option, you will start without the image in your document.
Place your cursor in the document where you want your image and caption. Then click Insert> Drawing> New from the menu.
Click the "Image" button in the toolbar and upload, search or add the URL of the image.
Once your image is in the drawing, click on "Text Box" on the toolbar.
Draw the text box, then enter your caption. You can format your text with the font options in the toolbar if you want. You can then drag the text box to position it evenly with your image.
Click on “Save and Close”. Your image (with its caption) will appear in your document. You can then move it anywhere you want and the caption will stay with the image.
If you need to edit the legend, select the drawing and click "Edit" in the toolbar.
Caption your image using a table
Another easy way to keep your caption with your image is to place both in a table, with the caption in the cell below the image. You can then remove the table border to make the table appear invisible.
Place your cursor in the document where you want the image and caption. Click Insert> Table from the menu and choose a "1 x 2" table. This gives you a one-column table with two cells.
In the top cell, insert your image. If you already have the image in your document, you can drag it into the cell.
In the cell below the image, enter your caption. You can select the text and use the toolbar to format it, just like you can with any other text in your document.
Right click on the table and choose "Table Properties" or click Format> Table> Table Properties from the menu.
At the top left under Table border, select "0pt" from the drop-down list for the border size and click "OK".
You will now have an invisible table containing your image and your caption. Like the drawing option above, this keeps your caption with your image if you decide to move it.
Caption your image using an add-on
Another way to caption images in your document is to use a Google Docs add-on. The add-on we'll be using is called Caption Maker, which adds captions to all of your stuff at once. This is a good option if you don't need specific text for each image. For example, if the images can be labeled Image 1, Image 2, etc.
It's easy to use the add-on once you install it from Google Workspace Marketplace. Click Add-ons> Caption Maker> Start from the menu.
In the sidebar that appears, you can make some customizations if you want. For example, you can click "Show options" to format captions, and you can check the box to caption your tables as well.
When you are ready to insert your captions, click “Closed Caption”. You will then see all the images in your document labeled with numbered captions.
Hopefully, an image caption feature is something Google will add to Google Docs later. But in the meantime, try one or more of these four methods for whichever you prefer.
