How to Add Table of Contents in Microsoft Word

When you need to add a table of contents for a document, you usually create one from scratch. Microsoft Word allows you to easily add a table of contents to any part of a document. There is an easy way to add a table of contents in Microsoft Word for Windows and Mac.

How to Add Table of Contents in Microsoft Word for Windows

As part of the Office redesign for Windows 11, Microsoft has revamped the Word app on the desktop. The screenshots below contain the latest Microsoft Word application for Windows. Follow the steps below to insert a table of contents in Microsoft Word on Windows 10 or Windows 11.

Stage 1: Open Microsoft Word application in Windows 10 or Windows 11.

Step 2: Select the document for which you want to add a table of contents.

Stage 3: Select the References tab at the top.

Step 4: Select Contents from the left corner.

Step 5: Click on the header style.

You can add a manual table of contents or choose an automatic one. Word software will pull headings from your document and automatically create one in the table of contents.

If you want to write the titles manually, you can select the third guide table from the list. Since we have already added headers to the document, we continue with the automatic one.

You will see the table of contents appearing with page numbers in the document.

You can add new titles to the document as you continue to work on it. The default table of contents will not automatically update itself here. You need to hover the mouse over the table of contents and select Update Table from a small drop-down menu.

How to Add Table of Contents in Microsoft Word for Mac

The ability to insert a table of contents in Word is also available on Mac. The steps are mostly the same with a slightly different UI. Go through the steps below.

Stage 1: Open Microsoft Word on Mac and select a document.

Step 2: Click References in the menu bar.

Stage 3: Select Table of Contents and expand the menu with the down arrow.

Surprisingly, you can choose from more styles for inserting a table of contents in Microsoft Word for Mac than Windows.

You can choose from Classic, Formal, Modern, Simple or Contemporary. Before inserting a table of contents, make sure you have the cursor in the right place. You can defeat all purpose by adding a table of contents at the bottom.

How to Customize Contents in Microsoft Word

If the default contents style isn’t your cup of tea, you can easily customize it to your liking. Here’s how.

Stage 1: Select References from the Word document and expand the table of contents.

Step 2: Select Custom Table of Contents from the menu.

Stage 3: You can disable page numbers, change the tab leader, customize the formats menu, and more.

You can see the live web table of content previews from the same menu. Users can also disable hyperlinks. Make changes according to your needs and hit OK at the bottom.

You will see an option to update the existing table of contents with a new style. Click Yes and enjoy a new custom table of contents in Microsoft Word.

Delete Contents

If you want to remove the contents from Microsoft Word, you can do so easily with a few clicks.

Stage 1: Open the document for which you want to remove the table of contents.

Step 2: Click on the table of contents and a small context menu will appear.

Stage 3: Click the file icon and select Remove Contents.

About Microsoft Word Apps for iOS and Android

Unlike Google Docs mobile apps, there is no way to add a table of content to a document. There is only one option for controlling document titles in the Word mobile app.

Stage 1: Open the Office app on Android or iPhone.

Microsoft has long replaced the standalone Word, PowerPoint, Excel apps with a single Office app on iPhone and Android.

Step 2: Open a document and tap the three-dot menu in the upper right corner.

Stage 3: Tap on Headings and check the headings in your document.

Simplify Long Word Documents

Adding a table of contents to Microsoft Word is essential, especially if you plan to share the document with others. It makes it easy for others to browse the document without scrolling too much.