

Taking a Table of Contents to the Next Level If you want even more control over how your table of contents appears, try this Microsoft article on Taking a Table of Contents to the Next Level. Sections that begin with a Heading 2 or Heading 3 style will be nested within a Heading 1 style, much like a multilevel list. To apply a heading style, select the text you want to format, then select the desired heading. In the Styles group on the Home tab, choose the text you want to format before selecting the desired heading. If you've already read our Applying and Modifying Styles lesson, you'll know they're a fast way to add professional text formatting to certain pages of your document. You should know that applying and Modifying Styles is a simple way to add professional text formatting to different portions of your document. You could produce a table of contents by manually typing the section names and page numbers, but it would take a lot of work. The ability to create a table of contents is tucked away in References.When you add a Word table of contents to long documents you're creating in Microsoft Word, it's helpful to readers.
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If you haven’t done it already, open up the Word document that you want to add a table of contents to.

The steps below take you through the process of creating a table of contents in Word: How To Create A Table Of Contents In Word (Desktop Version)Ĭreating a table of contents in Word is a super simple process, although you can customize your table of contents to your heart’s content. Select the version of Word you’re using below for specific instructions to follow: You can edit your table of contents in numerous ways - for example, changing how many levels are shown, changing tab leader style, and editing the format - which I’ll also demonstrate in this post.įirst, here’s a step-by-step demonstration showing how to create a table of contents quickly in a Microsoft Word document. However, it does depend on how the document is structured - because automatic tables rely on the H1s, H2s, and H3s throughout your document as standard. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a table of contents in Word Online:įollow the process above and you should have a table of contents appear in your Word document.

No matter the size of your document, adding a table of contents makes your document look super professional and simple to use. Large Word documents can be exceptionally difficult to navigate, so adding a table of contents can make a massive difference.
