# Change figure numbering for appendix

I want to "reset" the figure counting in my document when the appendix starts, and follow a different pattern than 1, 2, 3... Specifically, I want figures in the appendix to start with A.1, A.2 onward, instead of continuing on from the main document. How can I do this?

\documentclass[twoside]{article}

\usepackage{graphicx,dblfloatfix}

\usepackage{titlesec}% Allows customization of titles
\titleformat{\section}[block]{\large\scshape\centering{\Roman{section}.}}{}{1em}{} % Change the look of the section titles

\begin{document}

\section{Introduction}
\subsection{Problem description}
Blah blah
\begin{figure}[!htb]
\centering
\includegraphics{decon}
\caption{Call this figure 1.}
\label{fig1}
\end{figure}
\appendix
\section{Figures}

\begin{figure}[!htb]
\centering
\includegraphics{decon}
\caption{Call this figure A.1.}
\label{figa1}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure}[!htb]
\centering
\includegraphics{decon}
\caption{Call this figure A.2.}
\label{figa2}
\end{figure}

\end{document}


## 4 Answers

Redefine \thefigure when your appendices start, and set the figure counter to zero at the beginning of each appendix.

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
\begin{figure}
\centering\rule{1cm}{1cm}
\caption{This is a figure}
\end{figure}
\appendix
\renewcommand\thefigure{\thesection.\arabic{figure}}
\section{A nice appendix}
\setcounter{figure}{0}
\begin{figure}
\centering\rule{1cm}{1cm}
\caption{This is a figure in appendix A}
\end{figure}
\end{document}

• If I understand correctly, this still requires resetting the figure counter with \setcounter{figure}{0} for each section of the Appendix. – akhmed May 14 '15 at 1:12

You can use the chngcntr package which includes the command \counterwithin.

Using this as \counterwithin{figure}{section} changes the figure numbering from that point on so that the section number is included and resets the numbering of figures at the beginning each subsequent section. An example is:

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{chngcntr}

\begin{document}

\section{Introduction}

\subsection{Problem description}

\begin{figure}[htp]
\centering Figure
\caption{Call this figure 1.}
\label{fig1}
\end{figure}

\appendix
\counterwithin{figure}{section}

\section{Figures}

\begin{figure}[htp]
\centering Figure
\caption{Call this figure A.1.}
\label{figa1}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure}[htp]
\centering Figure
\caption{Call this figure A.2.}
\label{figa2}
\end{figure}

\end{document}


• To make this work for tables, you need to also put \counterwithin{table}{section}. – generic_user Nov 22 '13 at 3:06
• With this solution, hyperref links properly to the appendix figure (with the accepted solution, hyperref links to Figure 1 in stead of Figure A.1, etc). – midobal Mar 31 '16 at 13:06
• @midobal are hyperref links the same thing here as cref [from the cleveref package] links? 'Cause these work correctly for me with the accepted solution. – jan-glx Dec 5 '17 at 16:38
• Starts the Appendix and figures with '.1' instead of 'A' for me... – Archie May 2 at 12:20
• @Archie That sounds like you are using a class such as report or book where the top level units are chapters and/or you have used \section*. Adjust the \counterwithin command to your set-up. If you have problems with that, please post a new question. – Andrew Swann May 2 at 13:00

A simple way to prepend an A to your appendix figures and to have the counter reset is to paste the following two lines before your first figure of the appendix.

\renewcommand{\thefigure}{A\arabic{figure}}

\setcounter{figure}{0}


as illustrated here.

• This solution is less general than the others proposed, as it fixed the "appendix number" to A. – Werner Nov 3 '14 at 23:05
• And, obviously, \renewcommand{\thetable}{A.\arabic{table}} and \setcounter{table}{0} (note that I prefer using the dot in the middle, e.g. A.1.. just to say, this solution is no less general than the other twos) – Antonello Aug 17 '16 at 13:41

I added - hbAppendixPrefix to change prefix easily - equation numbering, too

\newcommand{\hbAppendixPrefix}{A}
%
\renewcommand{\thefigure}{\hbAppendixPrefix\arabic{figure}}
\setcounter{figure}{0}
\renewcommand{\thetable}{\hbAppendixPrefix\arabic{table}}
\setcounter{table}{0}
\renewcommand{\theequation}{\hbAppendixPrefix\arabic{equation}}
\setcounter{equation}{0}