Google Docs builds your table of contents automatically from your headings

A table of contents in Google Docs pulls directly from the headings you have already written in your document. You do not type it manually. Instead, you tell Google Docs to scan your document, find every heading, and create a clickable list at the top. When you update a heading later, the table of contents updates itself.

This works only if you have actually formatted your text as headings — not just made the text bigger or bolder. If your document is one long block of regular text with no heading structure, Google Docs has nothing to pull from.

Key Takeaways

  • Your document must use Google Docs heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) for the table of contents to find anything to list.
  • The table of contents inserts as a clickable list that links to each heading, and updates automatically when you change heading text.
  • You place the table of contents at the beginning of your document, before the content it links to.
  • Readers can click any item in the table of contents to jump directly to that section.

Format your headings before you insert the table of contents

Open your document and look at the text you want to appear in the table of contents. These should be section titles or chapter names — the major divisions of your writing.

Select the first section title. Click the style dropdown at the top left of the toolbar (it usually says "Normal text" or "Body text"). Choose Heading 1 from the list. Repeat this for every major section heading in your document.

If you have subsections under those headings, select those titles and explore Heading 2 to them instead. Google Docs will nest them under the Heading 1 items in your table of contents. You can go deeper with Heading 3, Heading 4, and so on, but most documents only need Heading 1 and Heading 2.

Do not skip this step. A table of contents with no headings formatted will be empty.

Insert the table of contents at the top of your document

Click at the very beginning of your document, before any content. Press Enter a few times to create blank space, then click back to the top line. This is where the table of contents will go.

Go to the menu and click Insert. Scroll down and click Table of contents. Google Docs will show you three style options — choose whichever layout you prefer. The table of contents will appear on the page with all your headings listed and linked.

Google Docs automatically puts the table of contents on its own page in some cases. If it does not, you can add a page break after it by clicking at the end of the table of contents and pressing Ctrl+Enter (or Cmd+Enter on Mac).

Update the table of contents when you change your headings

After you insert the table of contents, you may edit your heading text, add new sections, or delete old ones. The table of contents does not update on its own — you have to tell it to.

Right-click anywhere on the table of contents. Click Refresh. Google Docs will scan your document again and update the list to match your current headings. If you added new headings, they appear. If you deleted headings, they disappear from the table of contents.

You can also click once on the table of contents to select it, then press Ctrl+A (or Cmd+A on Mac) to select all the text in it, and then right-click and choose Refresh. Either method works.

Make your table of contents clickable for readers

By default, the table of contents in Google Docs is already clickable. Readers can hold Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac) and click any item in the table of contents to jump to that section. In a shared document or a published version, this link works the same way.

If you are sharing the document as a PDF or downloading it as a Word file, the links may not work the same way. Test the format you plan to use before you share it with others. If you need the table of contents to work in a different format, you may need to recreate it manually in that program instead.

Delete or move the table of contents if you change your mind

If you decide you do not want a table of contents anymore, click on it once to select the entire thing. Press Delete. The table of contents disappears, but your headings stay formatted as headings — you have not changed the document structure, only removed the list.

You can also move the table of contents to a different page. Click on it, then cut it (Ctrl+X or Cmd+X), click where you want it to go, and paste it (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V). The links will still work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my table of contents is empty?

Your document has no text formatted as headings. Go back through your document and explore Heading 1 or Heading 2 styles to your section titles using the style dropdown in the toolbar. Then right-click the table of contents and click Refresh.

Can I customize how the table of contents looks?

You can choose from three built-in styles when you first insert it. After that, you can change the font, size, or color of the text in the table of contents the same way you would change any other text in your document — select it and use the toolbar. The links will still work.

Do I have to put the table of contents at the beginning?

No. You can place it anywhere in your document. Most writing puts it at the start, but you can insert it in the middle or near the end if that fits your document structure. Readers can still click items to jump to those sections.

What happens if I rename a heading after I create the table of contents?

The table of contents will not update automatically. Right-click on it and click Refresh. Google Docs will scan your document again and show the new heading text in the table of contents.