How to Create and Update a Table of Contents in Microsoft Word

Learn two ways to create a table of contents in Microsoft Word. Plus, learn how to update and delete a table of contents.
These steps are for Word for Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365), Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:48 How to Create a Built-In Table of Contents
2:24 How to Create a Custom Table of Contents
3:47 How to Choose Individual Heading Levels for a Table of Contents
4:53 How to Update a Table of Contents
5:38 How to Delete a Table of Contents
📝 Companion Blog Post/Transcript for this Video
How to Create and Update a Table of Contents in Microsoft Word
erinwrightwriting.com/table-o...
💻 Related Resources
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• How to Use Microsoft Word
Figures and Tables in Microsoft Word (Playlist)
• How to Use Figures & T...
How to Create and Customize Headings in Microsoft Word (Video)
• How to Create and Cust...
How to Cross-Reference Tables and Figures in Microsoft Word (Video)
• How to Cross-Reference...
How to Create and Update a List of Tables or Figures in Microsoft Word (Video)
• How to Create and Upda...
How to Create Bulleted Lists in Microsoft Word (Video)
• How to Create Bulleted...
💻 Please visit my blog at erinwrightwriting.com for more easy-to-follow tips on writing, editing, and document software.
Thank you for watching!
#microsoftword #microsoft365
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All Rights Reserved © 2024 Erin Wright

[@erinwrightwriting]

All the steps shown in this video are listed on my blog at erinwrightwriting.com/table-of-contents-in-microsoft-word/. Thank you for watching!

[@roxbittman]

Your explanations are very clear and easy to remember. I really appreciate you posting these. :)

[@erinwrightwriting]

I'm so glad to hear that! I appreciate your support!

[@margiecallahan3009]

Thank you so much for making the process easy! Done in 20 seconds, whereas other channels had wrong info!

[@erinwrightwriting]

I'm happy to hear that it was an easy process. Thank you for watching!

[@badernabhan4791]

Hello Erin. I’ve watched your tutorial videos and found them very beneficial to guide me through editing my documents.

[@erinwrightwriting]

I'm so happy to hear that. Thank you for watching!

[@gellertgrindelwald4720]

I can't thank you enough for these videos. This channel is a life saver.❤️ Please please please keep up the good work.

[@erinwrightwriting]

I really appreciate your positive feedback! Thank you for watching!

[@stevegeuther]

Thank you for unlocking this mystery!!

[@erinwrightwriting]

You are most welcome. Thank you for watching!

[@renlee9587]

Thanks Erin!

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching!

[@victoriamcintosh5122]

thank you! your steps are so clear and to the point!

[@erinwrightwriting]

I really appreciate your positive feedback! Thank you for watching!

[@ktrinejnnfr5624]

Thank you Erin :)

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching! 😊

[@thepurpleufo]

Erin...thanks so much for this wonderful tutorial.

[@erinwrightwriting]

So nice to hear from you again! I appreciate your kind words!

[@thepurpleufo]

@@erinwrightwriting True fact: No one does these things better than you.

[@erinwrightwriting]

@@thepurpleufo Thank you so much! It means a lot!

[@teamtransition9679]

Thanks had to do the heading thing to get it work

[@erinwrightwriting]

I am glad you did get it to work. Thank you for watching!

[@JavidShah_RD]

Thank you.

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching!

[@mybMee]

thanks again !

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you again!🙂

[@assenort]

Thank you, madam.

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching!

[@asuznjoozhamattom]

Thank you

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching!

[@Dee_Multi_Millionaire]

Hi +Erin Wright. Thank you for the great video.

[@erinwrightwriting]

I really appreciate your positive feedback! Thank you for watching!

[@zt7489]

Hi Erin, Thank you for yet another simple to follow video. I have a question about Table of Contents styles. I'm familiar with Heading 1 being assigned to TOC1, Heading 2 being assigned to TOC2 styles, etc. Can I use the 'Title' style for my TOC1? I have two sections in my document that talk about two similar type machines. At the start of each section I tried using the 'Title' style and assigned them each to a TOC1 level in the 'Table of Contents Options' dialogue box. I then assigned Heading1 to a TOC2 level, and Heading 3 to a TOC4 level, etc. I found after updating the contents page, that the assigned levels have reverted to the Word default and yet the dialogue box allows me to type '1' next to the 'Title' style! If this is not meant to work, what's the best method to easily show the reader that the document is split into two separate parts, pls?

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for this interesting question! The Title style is generally only meant to be used one (as the title of a book, for example). Creating two separate tables of contents is a bit complex. I don't have a tutorial on that topic yet; however, here is a video from Microsoft support that you may find helpful: support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/video-add-multiple-tocs-to-a-document-cf1013fd-4094-4d85-aa64-2abe7fa466a1#:~:text=Then%20go%20to%20the%20INSERT,add%20multiple%20Tables%20of%20Contents. I wish you all the best!

[@zt7489]

@@erinwrightwriting Hi Erin, sorry for the delay. Thank you very much for looking into this for me. I'll give titles a miss in future!

[@sandeepprabhu5533]

Hi Erin, can you please guide me on how to add pre-TOC data to the table of content? Thanks.

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you so much for watching! Can you explain a bit more about the type of data that you want to add?

[@sandeepprabhu5533]

@@erinwrightwriting The drafts that we added before the table of content like, declaration, acknowledgement etc

[@erinwrightwriting]

​@@sandeepprabhu5533 If these extra sections have headings (Heading 2, Heading 3, etc.), they will be automatically added once you update your TOC, even if they appear before the TOC. To update, select the TOC, select "Update Table" and then choose "Update Entire Table" from the dialog box. I wish you all the best with your project!

[@sandeepprabhu5533]

@@erinwrightwriting Thank you.

[@specialk0122]

Hello how do you create hyperlink for the table of content? Not sure if I saw that in your list of videos?

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you so much for watching! When you create a table of contents, the headings in the table should automatically be hyperlinked to the corresponding heading in the document. To follow the hyperlinks, press the CTRL key while selecting the heading in the table.

[@specialk0122]

@@erinwrightwriting ok thanks

[@steveross9719]

Hi Erin, I chanced on your tutorial trying to solve a TOC problem in Word 11. I still can't figure it out. Is it possible to consult with you about this, and if so, how much do you charge for your time?

[@erinwrightwriting]

Hello, Steve. Thank you for watching! I'm not able to provide individual consultation. However, if you can describe your issue in general here, I may be able to point you in the right direction.

[@bratislavpk]

Hello. I have a question about... how to make new word documents by using the numbers from one column from excel table. For example I have 10 rows in excel and in each row a have 6 digits. I want to have 10 new word documents and the name for each should be that 6 digit number. Is it possible?

[@erinwrightwriting]

That is a very interesting question! You can create individual Word documents from parts of Excel spreadsheets. However, as far as I know, it's not possible to simultaneously create and name ten individual Word documents based on Excel rows. However, if I stumble upon a solution, I will be sure to post something about it. I wish you all the best with your project!

[@jeianfreyPadua-zm5ni]

April 16 7:36pm

[@aprol.xd.8280]

Can anyone help me. As i select a style and then try to insert tables of.c i am not getting anything it sais that i am select a style,wich i all ready have.

[@jaylynnemuzik]

I'm having the same issue

[@haritarao9522]

How do you create a table of contents when there is content already in the document? I tried few times, but it would not create table of contents

[@erinwrightwriting]

Thank you for watching my video! If your document already has content, ensure the text you want to appear in the table of content is already formatted with a heading level (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc..) before trying to create the table of contents. If you need information on headings, please see my other tutorial: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZ_QdoeJr5ykb6M. Best of luck!

[@HabzTheMovieGuy]

Skip to @2:03 for location of Table of contents button (its under References).

[@dejenemekonnen5958]

please write all your explanation on screen to understand

[@MarkgabrielCopada]

April,15,2024....9:57pm

[@MsKay287]

April 17, 2024

[@JohnmarcAcerdano]

04/16/2024

[@RedJerichoVersoza]

04/16/24

[@k22732]

Are you AI

[@erinwrightwriting]

Nope, I am a real person. ☺