Insert and update a table of contents in Word

The table of contents in Word is an automatically generated list that shows page numbers and headings for each section or chapter in your document. The table of contents is a useful tool for longer documents as it simplifies the reader's navigation through the document.

The user can see each heading and page number in the document, and in Word, they can also link directly to each section by pressing Ctrl on the keyboard while clicking on a heading.

For you as the author of the document, Word's table of contents is a time-saving tool, as you can update the table of contents automatically without manually needing to update headings and page numbers after making changes to your text.

1. To add a table of contents to your Word document, click on the References tab in the menu.
2. Click on the Table of contents button. The button is located on the far left in the menu, under the Table of contents section.
3. A list of different table of contents will appear under the button. Choose which type of table of contents you want to use. You can see the difference in appearance and structure of the table of contents in the preview in the list.
4. After clicking on the table of contents that you want in your document, it will be inserted where your cursor was placed.
5. Once you have written the text that should be in the document, it's time to update your table of contents. To do this, right-click on the table of contents and then click on Update table. You need to update the table of contents every time you change the text in your document, as headings and page numbers may have changed. A tip is to update the table of contents the last thing you do before saving the document, so you can be sure that all changes in the text are reflected in the table of contents.
6. After clicking on the Update table button, two options will appear in a box labeled Update table of contents. You can choose the option Update page numbers only if only the page numbering is incorrect. If you choose the option Update entire table, both page numbers and headings will be updated. If you are unsure of what has been updated, you should choose the second option to ensure that the table of contents is accurate.
7. Click on the Ok button to save your selection.