How to Create an Automatic Table of Contents in Word? A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a table of contents in a Word document can seem time-consuming, especially when working on a long thesis or book. It’s a problem that just about every student has encountered. Of course, you can create a table of contents in Word manually, copying and pasting each item one by one. However, there’s no denying that this is very time-consuming and labor-intensive, and also carries a significant risk of making mistakes.

Fortunately, Word has a feature that automatically generates a table of contents, saving you time and helping you avoid mistakes. What’s more, an automatically generated table of contents also means you can update it with a single click—if the content or layout of the document changes, you can refresh the table of contents in just a few seconds. In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to do it.

How do I create a table of contents in Word?

First, let’s go over a few tips on how to set things up. The screenshots below are from Microsoft 365, but regardless of which version you’re using, the process for creating a table of contents in Word is the same. The locations of buttons or the names of specific features may vary slightly.

Step 1: Use headings instead of manual formatting

The automatic table of contents only works if you format chapter and section titles as headings (Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, etc.). This tells Word which sections should be included in the table of contents.

Table of Contents in Word – How to Do It?

• Select the chapter title.

• On the Home tab, locate the Styles section.

• Click Heading 1 for main headings, Heading 2 for subheadings, Heading 3 for the next level of headings, and so on.

Step 2: Insert a table of contents in Word

• Place the cursor where you want to insert the table of contents (e.g., at the beginning of the document, after the title page).

• Go to the References (References).

• Click the button Table of Contents (Table of Contents).

• Choose one of the pre-designed table of contents styles (e.g., classic, with bullet points, without bullet points).

Word will automatically generate a table of contents based on the headings—by default, the titles will appear on the left, and the page numbers where each section begins will appear on the right.

Step 3: Update the table of contents in Word

If you later add new chapters or the page numbers change, you won’t have to update the table of contents manually. Let’s say we added a subsection titled “Product Categories at Key-Soft—Not Just Operating Systems, but Also Antivirus Software and Office Suites” to Chapter 3 in the text above. What’s next?

• Click on the table of contents.

• There are two ways to do this. The first option is to right-click on the table of contents and select the Update Table button. The second option is to click the Update Table of Contents button located above the table of contents.

• Select whether you want to update only the page numbers or the entire table of contents in Word.

• All done—the subchapter has been added to the table of contents. See below.

Step 4: Customize the appearance of the table of contents

From this screen, you can also—using the button to the left of the "Update Table of Contents" option (the one with the document icon and downward arrow)—change the appearance of your table of contents using the default options.

You can also manually customize the table of contents to match your document. Simply select a section of text in the table of contents, and a toolbar with basic formatting tools will appear. There, you can change the font, font size, and color of the text, as well as apply italics, bold, or underline.

Keep in mind that you can quickly jump to a specific section from the table of contents. This is especially useful when writing a lengthy report or thesis. Instead of scrolling manually, simply left-click on the chapter you want while holding down the Control key.

Common Problems and Solutions

• The table of contents is empty—make sure you're using headings, not just bold text.

• The table of contents looks strange—check the style and heading level settings. Check the settings in the Custom Table of Contents if you're using it.

• The page numbers have changed, but the table of contents hasn't been updated yet—be sure to click "Update Table of Contents."

• The table of contents takes up too much space – limit the number of heading levels to 2–3.

An alternative way to insert a table of contents: using fields (TOC field)

Word also allows you to insert a table of contents as a TOC field. This is a more advanced method, but it offers the greatest flexibility—though it does require a bit more work and know-how.

Field TOC (short for Table of Contents) in Word is an alternative way to insert a table of contents. Why use it when there’s a Table of Contents button in the References tab?

• Greater flexibility – you can manually enter parameters, such as including only selected heading levels, hiding page numbers, or enabling hyperlinks.

• Advanced customization – lets you control how the table of contents looks and works (for example, you can create a table of contents for custom styles, not just for headings 1–3).

• Working with electronic documents – using switches (e.g., \h or \z), you can create a table of contents in the form of active links, perfect for PDF files or online documents.

• Professional publications – Books, reports, and user manuals often require specialized lists (e.g., lists of tables, illustrations, or appendices), and that’s when a TOC is invaluable.

In short: the Table of Contents button inserts a ready-made template, and TOC gives you full control over what goes in it and how.

How do you do that?

• Place the cursor where you want the table of contents to appear.

• Press Ctrl + F9 (insert field).

• Type the command in parentheses, for example:

{ TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u }

What do the individual parameters mean?

• \o "1-3" – includes headings from level 1 to level 3,

• \h – makes the entries in the list clickable hyperlinks,

• \z – hides page numbers in online mode,

• \u – uses custom styles.

After entering the code, click the Update button.

Then the code will turn into a table of contents.

You already know how to create a table of contents in Word. This feature makes working on longer documents much easier. All you need to do is format your headings, insert a table of contents from the References tab, and update it whenever changes are made. This will give your document a professional look and save you a lot of time.

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This is an investment that pays off in your daily office work, as well as in your studies and home projects. It allows you to take full advantage of the Word features described in this guide—including the creation of an automatic table of contents—and ensures that your document always looks professional.