How to Add Caption to Images in Google Docs

Adding captions to images in your Google Docs can enhance your documents by providing context, attribution, and accessibility. Structured markup like captions also helps with SEO by giving search engines more semantic information about your images.

In this article, we will walk through several methods to add captions to images in Google Docs, both on desktop and mobile.

Benefits of Image Captions

Before jumping into the how-to, let’s first cover some of the benefits of adding captions to images:

Provides Context

A caption concisely explains what the image is showing, providing clarity for readers.

Improves Accessibility

Captions make image content accessible for those using screen readers or those with visual impairments.

Enhances SEO

Captions allow search engines to better understand the topic of images, helping them rank higher in image search results.

Gives Attribution

Properly attributing images with captions cites your sources and gives credit to the original creator.

How to Add Captions on Desktop

There are a few methods to add image captions on the desktop version of Google Docs:

Use the Drawing Tool

The drawing tool is the most versatile option, allowing you to create a text box for the caption.

1. Insert your image with Insert > Drawing > New
2. Right-click the image and select Wrap text
3. Click the text box icon in the toolbar and draw a box under the image
4. Type your caption text
5. Customize the text box style if desired
6. Click Save and close when finished

This links the image and caption as one object that can be moved together.

Utilize a Table

Tables allow you to position an image and caption together:

1. Click Insert > Table and create a 1 x 2 table
2. Place the image in the top left cell
3. Type your caption text in the bottom right cell
4. Customize cell margins to overlap the table border
5. Right-click the table and toggle table borders off

Keep in mind the image and caption cannot be edited separately this way.

Use Inline Text

1. Insert your image
2. Click the image and select “Inline image” from the toolbar
3. Press enter and type your caption text directly below the image

While simple, this method makes moving images and captions separately difficult.

Install the Caption Maker Add-On

This add-on tool automates caption insertion:

1. Click Extensions > Add-ons
2. Search for “Caption Maker”
3. Click Install to add the tool
4. Highlight the images to caption
5. Select Captionize to insert numbered captions

The add-on also includes advanced formatting options for your captions.

How to Add Captions on Mobile

On Android and iOS devices, your options are more limited but captions can still be added.

Use Inline Text

This method works the same as on desktop:

1. Insert image
2. Tap the image then select “Inline image”
3. Tap underneath and type caption text

You can’t format the text color or style on mobile.

Insert a Table

Tables can also be inserted but cannot have borders removed on mobile.

1. Tap + then select 1 x 2 table
2. Insert image in top left cell
3. Type caption in bottom right cell

Keep the visible table border in mind when designing around your images.

Formatting Tips

Follow these best practices when formatting your image captions:

• Keep captions concise, ideally a single sentence.
• Use consistent text formatting and style for all captions.
• Place captions directly below images.
• Format the caption text size/color to blend with page style.
• End captions with punctuation, usually a period.

Conclusion

Adding well-formatted captions provides tremendous value to supplement your images in Google Docs.

The drawing tool method gives the most flexibility, allowing integrated images and captions that can be precisely positioned. For mobile editing, simple inline captions are your best bet.

Employ these techniques to enhance clarity, context, accessibility, and SEO for the images in your Google Docs documents.