Add a right-justified caption (and number) to an equation.

If you just want to number the equation, you can use this method:

To add equation numbers in Microsoft Word, insert an equation, type the equation, then at the end, type # (equation number) followed by Enter, which will format the equation with the number on the right. Here's a more detailed explanation:

• Insert Equation: Go to the "Insert" tab, click on "Equation" (or press Alt + =).
• Type Equation: Type your equation within the equation editor.
• Add Equation Number: After typing the equation, type # (equation number) at the end of the equation.
• Format: Press Enter, and the equation will be formatted with the number on the right side.

The example shows the number in parentheses (which you type in with the number), but I assume you could use brackets or some other punctuation.

Interesting. I can still learn something.

So this:

becomes this after pressing Enter:

(The little | before the 3 is automatically added. It is not a bookmark.)

For automatic numbering you could use a SEQ field instead of the typed number. Such a field could be saved as AutoText and attached to a keyboard shortcut.

This does not use the Caption feature and will not be picked up by a Table of Equations. To me that is giving up a lot.

Here is a temporary link to a document showing the use of the SEQ field in this. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/bhvhw2ejgwmfzsdqqbc1r/deleteme-Equation-Numbering-2025-03-06.docx?rlkey=ng5umabgdrm8sx3tpeb0cupjr&dl=0

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I want to add a caption to an equation, the suggestions by previous "experts" in this forum are wrong. This used to be a very simple operation but it is no longer. Users used to be able to add a caption to an equation that was right justified along the margin at the same horizontal level as the equation by merely clicking "add caption". Now, with Word 365 it is no longer possible. The only options are Figure and Table, ie. below or above. Who ever heard of such stupidity. I do remember that it involves using a special character (*) but no longer can find it after searching all afternoon. Instead there are "genius" suggestions where we input a table, then parse out the formula and caption. Of course I can do this (I do it for figures all the time) but that is hardly the point. I am afraid we are retro-gressing in our software in that we have more and more workarounds for simple tasks.

I do not recall being able to do what you describe with a simple button click. I've been helping others use Word for more than 25 years.

As you note, if you place your equation in the center cell of a three-column-cell, you can move the caption to the right-most cell after it is created.

Here is my writing on captions: Insert a Caption

From that:

For Equation Captions on the same line, see How to Create Captions for Equations.

Especially for Equations, see: Section 7 Captions and cross-references | Microsoft Word for the Social Sciences

That has been the process as long as I remember. I still have Word 97 and Word 2003 on my computer and that is the method for those.