Styling image captions

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Styling image captions

Last updated July 06, 2025 02:20

Customize how image titles and descriptions display.

Captions are text titles and descriptions that add information and context to your images. Captions don’t have their own style tweaks. Instead, they follow the tweaks for other text on your site.

How you style an image’s caption depends on where it is and how it’s set to display. Captions generally display in one of three ways:

• Caption below - The text displays on the page, below the image.
• Caption overlay - The text displays over the image, either at all times or only on hover.
• Lightbox caption overlay - With lightbox enabled, the image appears in a popup when clicked. A caption displays over the image on hover.

This guide covers the style rules for all images on your site that display captions.

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Before you begin

• Fonts and colors have separate tweaks.
• We recommend keeping captions short, especially when the caption overlays an image. Longer captions may get cut off in certain devices and browsers.

In version 7.0:

• It's not possible to add line breaks to image caption titles. You can add line breaks to image description text.
• We use the term “body text” to refer to any text that isn't a heading or meta text, but each template has its own tweak names. For example, in Adirondack, the tweak that controls the body text font is called Text. In Skye, it’s called Body. To learn more, visit Styling text.
• Some templates only have one tweak that controls all header colors or all header fonts. In those cases, captions that follow specific header styles (like Heading 3) will follow the general header tweak.

If you’re having difficulty styling captions on a 7.0 site, we recommend experimenting on a test page:

1. Create a layout page in the Not linked section of your navigation.
2. Add a text block that contains heading 1, heading 2, heading 3, and body text (You’ll need at least four lines of text).
3. Use site styles to give each of these a distinct font and color.
4. Look at your caption to see how it’s changed.

Gallery section

Version 7.0 doesn't support gallery sections. Use a gallery page instead.

Images in gallery sections support descriptions, which display when the Captions toggle is turned on in the section editor.

In all layouts:

• Font - Follows Paragraphs
• Color - Follows Paragraph: Medium
• Size - Not adjustable
• Caption alignment - Not adjustable

Keep in mind:

• Image descriptions don't support line breaks.
• Captions appear under each image in all Grid layouts and Slideshow: Simple and Full layouts. In the Slideshow: Reel layout, captions only appear under the center image.
• Captions don't appear in lightbox view.

Image block

In Fluid Engine sections, you'll use a text block to add text adjacent to or overlaying an image block instead of adding a caption.

In the classic editor, most image block layouts support a title and subtitle with their own style settings. How you style these captions depends on which version of Squarespace your site is on.

• Version 7.1
• Version 7.0

Tip: Image blocks added to Fluid Engine sections don't have built-in layout options. Instead of adding a caption to an image block, use a text block to add text adjacent to or overlaying an image block.

In the classic editor, image blocks using the Inline layout can display captions below the image, as an overlay, or as a lightbox overlay.

On page sections using the classic editor, you can select formatting for the caption text in the text toolbar. In other classic editor areas, like blog posts, review the style rules for different caption options below.

Caption below

For captions that display below the inline image block:

• Font - Follows Paragraphs
• Color - Follows Texttweaks for the set text type under Colors
• Size - Follows Paragraph 2

Caption overlay

For captions that display over the inline image block at all times or on hover:

• Font - Follows Paragraphs
• Color - Always white
• Size - Follows Paragraph 2

Lightbox overlay

For captions that display over the inline image block while in a lightbox pop-up:

• Font & Size - Not possible to customize
• Color - Always white

For the Inline layout, captions can display below the image, as an overlay, or as a lightbox overlay. Review styles rules for each below.

Caption below

In most templates, for captions that display below the inline image block:

• Font - Follows body text
• Color - Follows body text
• Size - Not adjustable

There are exceptions in these template families:

Caption overlay

In most templates, for captions that display over the inline image block when it's displaying on the page:

• Font - Follows body text
• Color - Always gray
• Size - Not adjustable

There are exceptions in these template families:

Lightbox overlay

In most templates, for captions that display over the inline image block while in a lightbox pop-up:

• Font - Follows body text
• Color - Always white
• Size - Not adjustable

There are exceptions in these template families:

Summary block

The summary block supports captions for all its designs (Wall, List, Carousel, Grid).

How you style the summary block caption depends on which version of Squarespace your site is on.

• Version 7.1
• Version 7.0

In all summary block designs:

• Title size - Follows Paragraph 2
• Description size and Meta size - Not adjustable
• Font - Follows Paragraphs
• Color - Follows Summary Block tweaks under Colors

In all templates:

• Title size, Description size, and Meta size - Not adjustable
• Description font - Follows body text
• Description color - Follows body text
• Title color - Varies by template, see the list below

In most templates:

• Meta 1 and 2 font - Follows body text
• Meta 1 and 2 color - Follows body text
• Title font - Follows body text

There are exceptions in these template families:

Instagram block

The Instagram block supports captions for the Slideshow and Stacked designs, and in the Grid design when viewed in a lightbox.

How you adjust the caption text depends on which version of Squarespace your site is on.

• Version 7.1
• Version 7.0

Stacked

Stacked captions below each image:

• Font - Follows Paragraphs
• Color - Follows Paragraph: Medium
• Size - Follows Paragraph 2

Slideshow

Slideshow captions display as an overlay, either at all times or on hover:

• Font - Follows Paragraphs
• Color - Always white
• Size - Not adjustable

Grid

Grid captions display in the lightbox overlay:

• Font - Follows Fonts
• Color - Always white
• Size - Not adjustable

Stacked

Stacked captions below each image. In all templates:

• Font - Follows body text
• Color - Follows body text
• Size - Follows body text

Slideshow

Slideshow captions display as an overlay, either at all times or on hover. In all templates:

• Font - Follows body text
• Color - Always white
• Size - Not adjustable

Grid

Grid captions display in the lightbox overlay. In most templates:

• Font - Follows body text
• Color - Always white
• Size - Follows body text

Exceptions

The caption font and caption size aren't adjustable in these template families:

• Adirondack
• Bedford
• Pacific

Grid gallery block

How you adjust grid gallery block caption text depends on which version of Squarespace your site is on.

• Version 7.1
• Version 7.0

In version 7.1 you can only add gallery blocks to blog posts, product items, and individual events.

Grid gallery block titles can display below the image. Titles and descriptions display in the lightbox overlay.

Title below

For titles that display below grid gallery block images:

• Font - Follows Paragraphs
• Color - Follows Paragraph: Medium under Colors
• Size - Not adjustable

Lightbox overlay

For captions that display over grid gallery block images while in a lightbox popup:

• Title font - Follows Headings
• Title color - Always white
• Title size - Not adjustable
• Description font - Follows Fonts
• Description color - Always white
• Description size - Not adjustable

Grid gallery block titles can display below the image. Titles and descriptions display in the lightbox overlay.

Title below

In all templates, for titles that display below grid gallery block images:

• Font - Follows body text
• Color - Follows body text
• Size - Not adjustable

Lightbox overlay

In most templates, for captions that display over grid gallery block images while in a lightbox pop-up:

• Title font - Follows Heading 1
• Title color - Always white
• Title size - Follows body text
• Description font - Follows body text
• Description color - Always white
• Description size - Follows body text

There are exceptions in these template families:

Tip: In some templates, the Title color tweak also affects blog post titles. To ensure visibility, your Title color should be different than your site's background color.

Slideshow gallery block

How you adjust slideshow gallery block caption text depends on which version of Squarespace your site is on.

• Version 7.1
• Version 7.0

In version 7.1 you can only add gallery blocks to blog posts, product items, and individual events.

Slideshow gallery block captions can only display as an overlay. For captions that display over the slideshow gallery block:

• Title font - Follows Paragraphs
• Title color - Always white
• Title size - Not adjustable
• Description font - Follows Paragraphs
• Description color - Always white
• Description size - Not adjustable

Slideshow gallery block captions can only display as an overlay. In most templates, for captions that display over the slideshow gallery block:

• Title font - Follows body text
• Title color - Always white
• Title size - Not adjustable
• Description font - Follows body text
• Description color - Always white
• Description size - Not adjustable

In the Skye family:

• Title font - Follows body text
• Description font - Follows the Image & gallery block captions tweak

Stack gallery block

How you adjust stack gallery block caption text depends on which version of Squarespace your site is on.

• Version 7.1
• Version 7.0

In version 7.1 you can only add gallery blocks to blog posts, product items, and individual events.

Stack gallery block captions can only display below the image:

• Title font - Follows Headings
• Title color - Follows Heading (Medium)
• Title size - Follows Heading 3
• Description font - Follows Paragraphs
• Description color - Follows Paragraph (Medium)
• Description size - Follows Paragraph 2

Stack gallery block captions can only display below the image. In most templates:

• Title font - Follows Heading 3
• Title color - Follows Heading 3
• Title size - Follows Heading 3
• Description font - Follows body text
• Description color - Follows body text
• Description size - Follows body text

Tip: Enable Custom headings in site styles to style Galapagos headers.

In the Skye family:

• Title color - Follows the Body gallery block title tweak
• Description font - Follows the Image & gallery block captions tweak
• Description color - Follows the Image & gallery block captions tweak
• Description size - Follows the Image & gallery block captions tweak

Carousel gallery block

In version 7.1 you can only add gallery blocks to blog posts, product items, and individual events.

Carousel gallery blocks don’t display captions.

Gallery page

Version 7.1 doesn't support gallery pages. Use a gallery section instead.

Every template on version 7.0 has a built-in gallery page. Many templates have a unique gallery page, while others use the standard gallery page, which can display either as a slideshow or grid.

Unique gallery pages

These template families have unique (template specific) gallery pages. Use the links below to learn about each template's gallery page. If your template isn't listed here, it has a standard gallery page.

• Flatiron
• Forte
• Ishimoto
• Momentum
• Montauk
• Supply
• Tremont
• Wells
• Wexley

Standard gallery pages

In most templates with standard gallery pages:

Grid format:

• Title font - Follows Heading 1
• Title color - Always white
• Title size - Follows body text
• Description font - Follows body text
• Description color - Always white
• Description size - Follows body text

Slideshow format:

• Title font - Follows body text
• Title color - Always white
• Title size - Not adjustable
• Description font - Follows body text
• Description color - Always gray
• Description size - Not adjustable

Note: The body text tweak adjusts the space between the title and description

There are exceptions in these template families:

Project pages

Version 7.1 doesn't support project pages. Use a gallery section instead.

The project page is a template-specific portfolio layout, available in the York family (Artesia, Flores, Harris, Jasper, Jones, Lange, Shibori, York). On project pages, the image title and description text display on the page beside or below the image.

Use the tweaks in the Project: fonts section of site styles to style the text of your image title and descriptions. You can also scale the fonts to control how they display.

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Styling image captions