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How To Create A Table of Contents in Word

This document provides a 3-step process for creating a table of contents in Microsoft Word: 1. Apply heading styles to sections in the document to organize the content and allow Word to recognize the structure. 2. Insert the table of contents from the References tab. Word will automatically generate the table based on the heading styles. 3. The table of contents can be easily updated by selecting it and choosing "Update Table" if any content is added or rearranged later.

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shanesha blackhood
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241 views3 pages

How To Create A Table of Contents in Word

This document provides a 3-step process for creating a table of contents in Microsoft Word: 1. Apply heading styles to sections in the document to organize the content and allow Word to recognize the structure. 2. Insert the table of contents from the References tab. Word will automatically generate the table based on the heading styles. 3. The table of contents can be easily updated by selecting it and choosing "Update Table" if any content is added or rearranged later.

Uploaded by

shanesha blackhood
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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11/23/22, 10:52 AM Word Tips: How to Create a Table of Contents in Word

Word Tips
How to Create a Table of Contents in Word

How to create a table of contents in


Word
Imagine you're working with a really long document in Microsoft Word, like an
academic paper or a big report. Depending on the project, it might be dozens or even
hundreds of pages long! When a document is this large, it can be difficult to remember
which page has what information. Fortunately, Word allows you to insert a table of
contents, making it easy to organize and navigate your document.

A table of contents is just like the list of chapters at the beginning of a book. It lists each
section in the document and the page number where that section begins. A really basic
table of contents might look like this:

You could create a table of contents manually—typing the section names and page
numbers—but it would take a lot of work. And if you ever decide to rearrange your
sections or add more information, you'll have to update everything all over again.
However, with the right formatting, Word can create and update a table of contents
automatically.

Step 1: Apply heading styles


If you've already read our Applying and Modifying Styles lesson, you know they're an
easy way to add professional text formatting to different parts of your document. Styles
also serve another important purpose: adding a hidden layer of organization and
structure to your document.

If you apply a heading style, you're telling Word that you've started a new part of your
document. When you insert the table of contents, it will create a section for each
heading. In the table of contents above, each chapter uses a heading style, so there are
four sections.

To apply a heading style, select the text you want to format, then choose the desired
heading in the Styles group on the Home tab.

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11/23/22, 10:52 AM Word Tips: How to Create a Table of Contents in Word

Step 2: Insert the table of contents


Now for the easy part! Once you've applied heading styles, you can insert your table of
contents in just a few clicks. Navigate to the References tab on the Ribbon, then click
the Table of Contents command. Select a built-in table from the menu that appears,
and the table of contents will appear in your document.

Screenshot of Microsoft Word

As you can see in the image below, the table of contents uses the heading styles in your
document to determine where each section begins. Sections that begin with a Heading 2
or Heading 3 style will be nested within a Heading 1 style, much like a multilevel list.

A table of contents also creates links for each section, allowing you to navigate to
different parts of your document. Just hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard and click to go
to any section.

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11/23/22, 10:52 AM Word Tips: How to Create a Table of Contents in Word

Step 3: Update as needed


If you edit or add to your document, it's easy to update the table of contents. Just select
the table of contents, click Update Table, and choose Update Entire Table in the dialog
box that appears. The table of contents will then update to reflect any changes.

No matter how large your document may be, you can see there's nothing complicated
about creating a table of contents. If you want even more control over how your table of
contents appears, check out this tutorial from Microsoft on Taking a Table of Contents
to the Next Level.

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