Appendix in LaTeX: \appendix, Numbering and the appendix Package

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}

\begin{document}
\tableofcontents

\section{Introduction}
Main text. The proof is in Appendix~\ref{app:proofs}.

\appendix
\numberwithin{equation}{section}

\section{Proofs}\label{app:proofs}     % numbered A
\begin{equation} a^2 + b^2 = c^2 \end{equation}   % (A.1)

\section{Additional Data}            % numbered B
\end{document}

An appendix in LaTeX takes one command. \appendix marks the point where the appendices start, and every \section or \chapter after it is lettered instead of numbered. Everything else — an “Appendices” heading in the table of contents, the word “Appendix” in article headings, equations numbered (A.1), a single unnumbered appendix — is a matter of a few settings or the appendix package. This guide shows each, for article, report and book, and fixes the errors that come up along the way.

The \appendix Command

\appendix is a switch, not an environment: it resets the section (or chapter) counter and changes its numbering to capital letters. It does not print anything itself. What happens next depends on the class:

Appendix in a report or book

\documentclass{report}
\usepackage{amsmath}

\begin{document}
\tableofcontents

\chapter{Introduction}
\begin{equation} E = mc^2 \end{equation}        % (1.1)

\chapter{Results}
See Appendix~\ref{app:data} for the raw data.

\appendix
\chapter{Raw Data}\label{app:data}          % "Appendix A  Raw Data"
\section{Measurements}                       % A.1
\begin{equation} F = ma \end{equation}         % (A.1)

\chapter{Code Listings}                      % "Appendix B  Code Listings"
\end{document}

In report and book, sections inside an appendix chapter are numbered A.1, A.2, and equations, figures and tables are already numbered per chapter, so they become (A.1) without extra work. A bibliography placed after the appendices uses an unnumbered chapter and is not lettered.

The appendix Package: \begin{appendices}

The appendix package adds an appendices environment and options for the parts that \appendix leaves out. Put the appendices inside the environment instead of after \appendix:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[toc,page,title,titletoc]{appendix}

\begin{document}
\tableofcontents

\section{Introduction}
Main text.

\begin{appendices}
\section{Proofs}               % heading: "Appendix A  Proofs"
Proof of the main theorem.

\section{Survey Questions}     % heading: "Appendix B  Survey Questions"
The full questionnaire.
\end{appendices}
\end{document}

For appendices at the end of each chapter of a thesis, the package also provides subappendices: used inside a chapter, its sections are numbered 2.A, 2.B. The headings “Appendices” come from \appendixtocname and \appendixpagename, which you can redefine like \appendixname.

Appendix in the Table of Contents

Lettered appendices made with \section or \chapter appear in the table of contents automatically. The usual adjustments are an “Appendices” line above them (the package's toc option) and the word “Appendix” in each entry (titletoc). For a single appendix without a letter, use a starred heading and add the entry by hand:

\documentclass{article}

\begin{document}
\tableofcontents

\section{Introduction}
Main text.

\section*{Appendix}
\addcontentsline{toc}{section}{Appendix}
The one appendix, unnumbered, but listed in the contents.
\end{document}

More on adjusting entries, depth and titles in the table of contents guide.

Numbering Equations, Figures and Tables in the Appendix

In an article, equations, figures and tables are numbered through the whole document, so the first equation in appendix A might be (14). Most style guides want (A.1) instead. Tie the counters to the section right after \appendix:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}

\begin{document}
\section{Main Result}
\begin{equation} x + y = z \end{equation}           % (1)

\appendix
\numberwithin{equation}{section}       % equations (A.1), (A.2), ...
\counterwithin{figure}{section}        % figures A.1, A.2, ...
\counterwithin{table}{section}         % tables A.1, A.2, ...

\section{Derivations}
\begin{equation} x = z - y \end{equation}           % (A.1)
\begin{table}[h]
  \centering
  \begin{tabular}{cc} 1 & 2 \end{tabular}
  \caption{Numbered A.1.}
\end{table}
\end{document}

\numberwithin comes from amsmath; \counterwithin is built into LaTeX. Placed after \appendix, they only affect the appendices and the main text keeps its numbering. For theorem numbering in appendices, see theorems and proofs, and for equation numbers in general equation numbering.

Referencing and Renaming the Appendix

Label an appendix like any section and refer to it with Appendix~\ref{app:proofs}, which prints “Appendix A”. With the cleveref package, \Cref{app:proofs} after \appendix writes the word itself. To change the word “Appendix” (in report and book headings, and with the package's title option), redefine \appendixname:

\documentclass{report}
\usepackage[english]{babel}
\addto\captionsenglish{\renewcommand{\appendixname}{Supplement}}

\begin{document}
\chapter{Introduction}
Details are in Supplement~\ref{app:extra}.

\appendix
\chapter{Extra Material}\label{app:extra}   % "Supplement A"
\end{document}

Without babel, a plain \renewcommand{\appendixname}{Supplement} in the preamble is enough. With babel, the \addto\captionsenglish wrapper is needed because babel sets the name again at \begin{document}.

Common Errors and Fixes

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I add an appendix in LaTeX?

Write \appendix after the main text, then start each appendix with \section (in article) or \chapter (in report and book) as usual. From that point the numbering switches to letters: sections become A, B, C and chapters become Appendix A, Appendix B. \appendix is a command, not an environment, so it has no \end.

How do I add the appendix to the table of contents?

Appendix sections and chapters made with \section and \chapter after \appendix appear in the table of contents automatically, as A, B and so on. For an “Appendices” heading in the contents, load \usepackage[toc]{appendix} and wrap the appendices in \begin{appendices} … \end{appendices}; add titletoc to show the word Appendix before each entry.

How do I get “Appendix A” instead of just “A” in an article?

In the article class, \appendix only changes the numbers to letters. Load the appendix package with the title option, \usepackage[title]{appendix}, and put the sections inside \begin{appendices} … \end{appendices}; the headings then read “Appendix A”. The titletoc option does the same in the table of contents. In report and book, chapters already say “Appendix A”.

How do I number equations as (A.1) in the appendix?

In an article, equations keep counting from the main text. Write \numberwithin{equation}{section} (from amsmath) right after \appendix, and equations in appendix A become (A.1), (A.2). Do the same for figures and tables with \counterwithin{figure}{section}. In report and book, equations are already numbered by chapter, so they become (A.1) automatically.

How do I add a single appendix without a letter?

Use an unnumbered heading and add it to the table of contents by hand: \section*{Appendix} followed by \addcontentsline{toc}{section}{Appendix}. Do not use \appendix in that case, since a lone lettered “A” looks odd when there is no B.

How do I rename the appendix in LaTeX?

Redefine \appendixname, which is “Appendix” in English: \renewcommand{\appendixname}{Supplement}. When babel is loaded, put the change in \addto\captionsenglish{…} so babel does not reset it. The appendix package also provides \appendixtocname and \appendixpagename for the “Appendices” headings.

Next Steps

• Sections and Chapters – Headings, numbering and starred sections
• Table of Contents – Entries, depth and custom titles
• Equation Numbering – \numberwithin, \tag and labels
• Bibliography Examples – References before or after the appendix
• Two Columns in LaTeX – twocolumn, multicol and table spans
• Learn LaTeX: Tutorial for Beginners – The basics, from the first document up

Free LaTeX Tools

• LaTeX Preview – Compile an appendix and check the numbering
• AI LaTeX Generator – Generate LaTeX from text descriptions
• LaTeX Symbols Reference – Browse math operators and special characters