Text Box Anchors

Are you pasting the text box into a first page header, perhaps? That would certainly explain the observations you describe.

What is the purpose of the Text Box?  I would avoid using them, particularly if the text wrapping is not set to "In-line-with-text" as with any other setting, they appear to be a prime cause of mis-matched xml tag errors.

What is the purpose of the Text Box?  I would avoid using them, particularly if the text wrapping is not set to "In-line-with-text" as with any other setting, they appear to be a prime cause of mis-matched xml tag errors.

I'm using the text box to add a description to photos inserted into word (2 per page).  I've globally adjusted every photo to be the same size and just need to place a description on them.  I've done this for years but for some reason in 2016 I can't get the box to not anchor itself to the upper left corner of the first page of the doc.  If we are supposed to avoid text boxes then why are they in word?  Like I said, I've used word for a long time and this is the first time I've ever had an anchor issue.  I set it to "In Line with Text" which worked okay unless I want the box toward the bottom of the photo and not the top.  I went ahead and finished what I was doing but had to insert a text box each time to each page rather than being able to simply copy / paste and edit the text.  Would be really cool if you could label the photo automatically somehow using the Description from the properties of the photo.  That would eliminate the need for a text box all together.  

You do not need a text box for that purpose.

I have been using Word since Version 1.0 for DOS and the ONLY time that I use text boxes is if I want two or more of them and I want the text to flow from one to the next and in that case, the text boxes are ALWAYS inserted with the text wrapping set to in-line with text.

If you want to keep the picture and its description (caption?) together, the picture should be inserted so that it is in-line with text and the description can be:

• In the same paragraph as the picture with the paragraph formatted so that the lines are kept together
• in a separate paragraph either before or after the picture with the first paragraph being formatted to be kept with the next
• into the cell of a table with the row set so that it cannot break across the page.  This option can be used if you want text in the document to wrap around the table by setting that option in the Table Properties dialog.

What are the Text Wrapping and positioning options set for the text box in question? Something in the settings must cause the box to appear on top of an existing box.

That said, I agree with Doug that adding caption text to a graphic which is "In line with text" will be easier to manage. You can always wrap a frame around both paragraph is you want (basic) positioning. (Use the Insert Horizontal Frame command which can be added to the Quick Access Toolbar.)

What are the Text Wrapping and positioning options set for the text box in question? Something in the settings must cause the box to appear on top of an existing box.

That said, I agree with Doug that adding caption text to a graphic which is "In line with text" will be easier to manage. You can always wrap a frame around both paragraph is you want (basic) positioning. (Use the Insert Horizontal Frame command which can be added to the Quick Access Toolbar.)

Thanks Doug and Stefan,

I've tried all the above and got it done.  I also learned a few things while searching around in the "Layout" tab for Position, Text Wrapping and Size that I hadn't seen and used before.  I have checked / unchecked, messed with Horizontal and Vertical (Alignment, Book layout, Absolute, and Relative) in all positions to see what each of them do.  None of them remove the box from it's anchor.  

I did use the "In Line with Text" to set up all my captions for each photo.  I don't have any paragraphs in the doc - all I have are photos for an appendix to be inserted into a report.  Typically, I could always create a text box, uncheck the lock anchor and set the wrapping to "In Front of Text" and the box would cut and paste to each page as I needed.  

Thanks for your responses.