List of figures not working in Word thesis

Why Word says no entries were found

Word builds a list of figures from caption fields. If captions were typed manually, placed inside text boxes, copied from another file, or styled like normal paragraphs, Word may not recognize them.

• Captions are typed manually instead of inserted as captions.
• The label is inconsistent: Figure, Fig., Figure 1, or a local-language label.
• Captions are inside floating objects or text boxes.
• Captions use normal text instead of Word caption structure.
• The list of figures was inserted before captions existed.

Why a handmade list is risky

A handmade list of figures can look correct on screen. The problem appears when a reviewer clicks it, when page numbers change, or when the PDF is exported. If the list is not linked to real captions, it will not update when figures move.

What to check before submission

• Every figure has a real caption.
• Caption labels are consistent across the thesis.
• The list of figures is not empty.
• The list of figures updates after right-clicking and updating fields.
• Clicking a list entry goes to the correct figure or page.
• The exported PDF still shows the figures and captions.

What about list of tables?

The same problem happens with tables. If tables are not captioned correctly, Word cannot generate a reliable list of tables. This matters for theses that require both "List of Figures" and "List of Tables" before the introduction.

Read the related guide: list of tables not working in Word thesis.