Tables & Figures

How to Position Figures in LaTeX

LaTeX treats figures as 'floats' that it positions automatically. You can influence (but not fully control) placement.

Float Specifiers

Use [htbp] to suggest placement:

\begin{figure}[htbp]
% h = here (current position)
% t = top of page
% b = bottom of page
% p = separate page
% ! = override defaults
\end{figure}

Force Position with float Package

Use [H] to force exact position:

\usepackage{float}

\begin{figure}[H]
\centering
\includegraphics{image.png}
\caption{This figure stays exactly here}
\end{figure}

Wrap Text Around Figure

Use wrapfig package for text wrapping:

\usepackage{wrapfig}

\begin{wrapfigure}{r}{0.4\textwidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=0.35\textwidth]{image.png}
\caption{A wrapped figure}
\end{wrapfigure}

Text flows around this figure...

Side by Side Figures

Use subfig or subcaption package:

\usepackage{subcaption}

\begin{figure}[htbp]
\centering
\begin{subfigure}{0.45\textwidth}
  \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig1.png}
  \caption{First}
\end{subfigure}
\hfill
\begin{subfigure}{0.45\textwidth}
  \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{fig2.png}
  \caption{Second}
\end{subfigure}
\caption{Both figures together}
\end{figure}

💡 Tips

•[htbp] tries positions in order: here → top → bottom → page
•Add ! for more aggressive placement: [!htbp]
•Don't fight LaTeX's float placement too much—it usually knows best

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