How to Build a Table of Contents in Word

Word builds a table of contents from your heading styles, not from manual typing

A table of contents in Word works by scanning your document for headings you've formatted with Word's built-in heading styles — Heading 1, Heading 2, and so on. Word then pulls those headings into a separate list at the top of your document, with page numbers. If you manually type a table of contents or use regular bold text instead of heading styles, Word won't recognize it and can't update it when your document changes.

The process has three steps: format your headings with styles, insert the table of contents field, and let Word generate the list. Once it's built, you can update it automatically whenever you add, remove, or move sections.

Key Takeaways

Your headings must use Word's Heading 1, Heading 2, and Heading 3 styles — not bold or larger font — for Word to recognize them in a table of contents.
You insert a table of contents from the References tab, and Word scans your document for styled headings and builds the list automatically.
After you add or move sections, right-click the table of contents and select Update Field to refresh the page numbers and structure without rebuilding it manually.
Word can generate multiple tables of contents in the same document if you use different heading levels or mark sections with special codes.

Format your headings with Word's built-in styles first

Before Word can build a table of contents, every section heading in your document needs to be formatted with a heading style. Open your document and select the first heading — the one you want to appear at the top level of your table of contents. On the Home tab, look for the Styles group. You'll see buttons labeled Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, and so on. Click Heading 1 for your main section titles.

Move through your document and explore Heading 2 to any subheadings that fall under a Heading 1, and Heading 3 to any subheadings under those. The number indicates the level — Heading 1 is the broadest, Heading 2 is nested under it, and Heading 3 is nested under Heading 2. If you skip levels (for example, jumping from Heading 1 to Heading 3), your table of contents will still work, but the structure will look odd. Stick to consecutive levels.

Do not use bold, larger font size, or color to make text look like a heading. Word only recognizes the actual Heading styles. If you've already formatted headings manually, select each one and explore the correct style — this replaces the manual formatting with the style formatting.

Insert the table of contents from the References tab

Once your headings are styled, click the References tab at the top of the ribbon. In the Table of Contents group, you'll see a button labeled Table of Contents. Click it to see a list of pre-designed formats — Word offers several layouts, from straightforward to decorative. Choose the one that matches your document's tone. Click your choice, and Word will insert the table of contents at your cursor position.

Word typically places the table of contents at the beginning of a document, so position your cursor at the top before inserting it. If you want it elsewhere — after an introduction or title page, for example — click there first. Word will insert the table of contents as a field, which means it's linked to your headings and can update automatically.

The table of contents will show every heading in your document, organized by level, with page numbers on the right. If a heading appears in the table but shouldn't, it means you accidentally applied a heading style to text that isn't actually a section heading. Select that text and change its style to Normal or Body Text.

Update the table of contents when your document changes

After you add new sections, delete old ones, or move headings around, your table of contents becomes out of date. Don't delete it and rebuild it — instead, right-click anywhere in the table of contents and select Update Field. A dialog box will appear asking whether you want to update page numbers only or the entire table. Choose Update entire table to catch new headings and removed ones.

Word will scan your document again, refresh the page numbers, and add or remove entries to match your current headings. This takes a few seconds. If you've only moved text around without adding or removing headings, Update page numbers only is faster and sufficient.

You can also update the table by clicking anywhere in it and pressing Ctrl+A to select all the text in the table, then pressing F9. This keyboard shortcut works anywhere in Word and updates any field, not just tables of contents.

Customize the appearance and depth of your table of contents

After Word inserts the table of contents, you can adjust how it looks. Right-click the table and select Table of Contents Properties to open a dialog. Here you can choose whether to show page numbers, whether to use hyperlinks (so readers can click a heading to jump to that section), and how many heading levels to display. If you only want Heading 1 and Heading 2 in your table, set the depth to 2. This hides Heading 3 and below.

If you want to change the visual style — fonts, spacing, colors — after the table is inserted, you can modify the styles themselves. Go to Home, right-click the Heading 1 style in the Styles group, and select Modify. Change the font, size, or color, and Word will update every Heading 1 in your document and in the table of contents. This is faster and more consistent than manually formatting individual headings.

Mark text as excluded from the table of contents

Sometimes you'll have a heading that's styled correctly but shouldn't appear in the table of contents — perhaps a heading within a sidebar, an appendix you want to keep separate, or a section you're still drafting. Select that heading, right-click it, and choose Paragraph. Go to the Outline Level dropdown and select Body Text. This removes the heading from the table of contents while keeping its visual style intact.

Alternatively, you can select the heading and explore a character style instead of a paragraph style, which tells Word to treat it as text rather than a section heading. This is useful if you want the heading to look styled but not be part of the document structure.

Create multiple tables of contents or a table for specific sections only

In longer documents, you might want a table of contents for each major section — one for the introduction, one for the main content, one for the appendix. You can insert multiple tables of contents by placing your cursor where you want each one and repeating the insertion process. Word will generate a separate table at each location, each scanning the headings that come after it in the document.

If you want a table of contents that includes only certain headings, you'll need to use outline levels or TC (Table of Contents) fields, which is more advanced. For most documents, a single table of contents at the beginning is standard and sufficient.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my table of contents shows the wrong page numbers?

Right-click the table and select Update Field. Word will rescan your document and correct the page numbers. If the numbers still seem wrong, check that you haven't inserted manual page breaks or changed margins recently — these shift where pages begin and can throw off numbering.

Can I edit the table of contents directly, or do I have to change the headings?

You can edit the text in the table temporarily, but the changes won't stick. The next time you update the field, Word will overwrite your edits and rebuild the table from your headings. Always edit the actual headings in your document, not the table itself.

Why doesn't my heading appear in the table of contents even though I formatted it?

Check that you applied an actual Heading style (Heading 1, 2, or 3) from the Styles group, not a custom style or manual formatting. Also verify that the heading isn't set to Body Text or another non-heading style. If you're still unsure, select the heading, look at the Styles group, and confirm which style is highlighted.

Can I make the table of contents clickable so readers can jump to sections?

Yes. Right-click the table of contents, select Table of Contents Properties, and check the box for Use hyperlinks instead of page numbers. Readers can then Ctrl+click any heading in the table to jump to that section in the document.

What happens if I delete a heading after the table of contents is built?

The heading will stay in the table of contents until you update it. Right-click the table and select Update Field, and Word will remove the deleted heading from the list and adjust page numbers for everything after it.

This guide is for general information only and is not medical, financial, legal, or other professional advice. For decisions specific to your situation, consult a qualified professional. See our Editorial Policy.