How to Add a Table of Contents in Word

Here is how to add a table of contents in Word: apply Heading 1, Heading 2 and Heading 3 styles to your section titles, click where the table should go, then open References → Table of Contents and pick an automatic style. Word builds the list from your headings, adds page numbers and keeps the entries clickable. When you edit the document, use Update Table to refresh it.

How Does Word Build a Table of Contents?

Word builds a table of contents from heading styles, not from bold or large text. Every paragraph styled as Heading 1, Heading 2 or Heading 3 becomes an entry, indented by level, with the page number it sits on.

This is cause and effect worth understanding before you start. If a section title is just bold 16-point text, Word has no way of knowing it is a heading, so it will be missing from the table. If you apply a heading style to a line that is not a heading, it will appear in the table when you don't want it to. Get the styles right and inserting the table takes seconds.

The automatic table is also a Word field, a piece of content Word generates and can refresh. That is why it does not change by itself as you type, and why you need to update it before you share or print the file.

How Do You Add a Table of Contents in Word on Windows?

The steps are the same in Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, Word 2021 and older desktop versions on Windows.

1. Select your first section title, then go to Home → Styles and click Heading 1. Repeat for every main section.
2. Apply Heading 2 to sub-sections and Heading 3 to anything one level further down.
3. Click where you want the table, usually on a blank page after the title page. Insert a page break with Insert → Page Break if you want it on its own page.
4. Go to References → Table of Contents.
5. Choose Automatic Table 1 or Automatic Table 2. The only difference is the title shown above the list.
6. Hold Ctrl and click any entry to check that it jumps to the right heading.

Avoid the Manual Table option in the same menu; Microsoft's own guide to inserting a table of contents recommends the automatic styles for this reason. It inserts placeholder text that you type yourself, so Word cannot fill it in from your headings or update it later.

How Do You Insert a Table of Contents in Word for Mac and Word for the Web?

Word for Mac uses the same ribbon path as Windows: apply heading styles from the Home tab, place the cursor, then choose References → Table of Contents and pick an automatic style.

Word for the web has changed over time. Microsoft's current guidance shows the same References → Table of Contents command in the browser, while older help pages said the web version could only update an existing table. If you don't see the insert option in your browser, open the file in the desktop Word app, insert the table there, save, and carry on in the browser.

How Do You Update the Table of Contents in Word?

To update the table of contents in Word, go to References → Update Table, choose an option and click OK. Word then rereads your headings and recalculates the page numbers.

1. Click anywhere inside the table of contents.
2. Select References → Update Table. On Windows you can also right-click the table and choose Update Field.
3. Pick Update page numbers only if you have only added or removed text, or Update entire table if you have renamed, added or deleted headings.
4. Click OK.

Choose Update entire table when in doubt. As Microsoft's update a table of contents page explains, the page-numbers-only option ignores heading text changes, so a renamed section keeps its old name in the list. One exception: if you typed formatting directly into the table (a different font on one line, say), a full update replaces it with the style's formatting. Change the TOC styles instead so your edits survive.

To refresh every field in a long report at once on Windows, including cross-references and captions, press Ctrl + A and then F9.

How Do You Customise or Remove a Table of Contents?

You customise a table of contents with References → Table of Contents → Custom Table of Contents. The dialog lets you change how many heading levels appear, whether page numbers are right-aligned, and the tab leader (the dotted line between the entry and the number).

• Show fewer or more levels: change the Show levels value. Set it to 2 for a short list, or 4 if you use Heading 4.
• Change the look of entries: click Modify and edit the TOC 1, TOC 2 and TOC 3 styles. This keeps formatting intact when you update.
• Remove it: go to References → Table of Contents → Remove Table of Contents.

Long documents often mix a table of contents with section breaks, for example to restart page numbering after the contents page. If a stray break is upsetting your layout, our guide on how to delete a section break in Word walks through removing it safely.

Why Is My Table of Contents Missing Headings or Showing Wrong Page Numbers?

Missing headings usually mean those lines are not using a heading style. Wrong page numbers mean the table has not been updated since the last edit.

• A heading is missing: select it, apply Heading 1, 2 or 3, then run Update entire table.
• A deep heading is missing: it may be Heading 4 while the table only shows three levels. Raise Show levels in Custom Table of Contents.
• Body text appears in the table: that paragraph has a heading style or an outline level. Set it back to Normal.
• Grey shading over the table: that is field shading on screen only. It does not print.

A Common Mistake We See

The most common problem is a document built from a template or pasted from another file, where the "headings" are custom styles that only look like Heading 1. Word ignores them, so the table comes out half empty. The fix is to select one of those titles, right-click Heading 1 in the Styles gallery and choose Update Heading 1 to Match Selection, then apply Heading 1 to the rest. You keep the look and gain a working table.

The other thing we hear about is a missing References tab or greyed-out commands. That can point to an unactivated or reduced-functionality copy of Office rather than a Word setting. If that is your situation, our comparison of Office and Microsoft 365 explains whether a one-time purchase or a subscription suits you better.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I add a table of contents in Word automatically?

Apply heading styles to your titles, click where the table should go, and choose References → Table of Contents → Automatic Table 1 or Automatic Table 2. Word fills in every heading and its page number for you. Avoid the Manual Table option, because it uses placeholder text that Word cannot update.

How do I update the table of contents in Word?

Click inside the table, go to References → Update Table, choose Update entire table and click OK. This picks up renamed headings as well as new page numbers. On Windows, right-clicking the table and choosing Update Field opens the same choice. Do this before you save a final copy or a PDF.

Why doesn't my table of contents update automatically?

The table is a field, and Word recalculates it when you ask it to rather than as you type. That design stops the list from jumping around while you write. Get into the habit of running Update Table as the last step before sharing or exporting the document.

Can I make the table of contents entries clickable?

Automatic tables are clickable already. In Word for Windows, hold Ctrl and click an entry to jump to that heading. When you save as PDF from desktop Word, the entries normally stay clickable in the PDF as well.

How do I add only Heading 1 and Heading 2 to the table?

Open References → Table of Contents → Custom Table of Contents and set Show levels to 2. Click OK and confirm that you want to replace the existing table. Heading 3 and lower will drop out of the list but remain in the document unchanged.

Does Word for the web support a table of contents?

Yes, Word for the web can show and update a table of contents, and current versions also offer References → Table of Contents to insert one. Options are more limited than the desktop app, so for custom levels, tab leaders or style changes, open the file in desktop Word.

Conclusion

Learning how to add a table of contents in Word really comes down to two habits: use heading styles for every section title, and update the table before you share the file. Everything else, from custom levels to clickable entries, builds on that. If you need a full desktop copy of Word, our Microsoft Office collection includes one-time-purchase options such as Office 2024 Professional Plus, delivered instantly by email with support for activation.

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