Open the document for which you want to create a TOC. Be sure the text has styles assigned (see the "Display Styles" tip on this page).
Click the location in the document where you want the TOC to be placed (typically at the beginning or end of a document).
Open the Insert menu and select Reference, Index and Tables to open the Index and Tables dialog box; then select the Table of Contents tab.
Click the down arrow next to the Tab Leader field to select a different leader. Other common choices are Show Page Numbers and Right Align Page Numbers.
INTRODUCTION
You've probably referred to a table of contents (TOC) at the beginning of a book. Word lets you create your own TOCs for reports, projects, and even stories you write. A TOC simply uses Word's styles (see the preceding task) to create a list of headers that refer to page numbers in your document.
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Updating the TOC
The Update Page Numbers Only option in the Update Table of Contents dialog box can be used if you only moved text around; otherwise, it is a good idea to update the entire table.
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Display Styles
To display the styles on the right side of your document in Normal view, open the Tools menu and select Options to open the Options dialog box. Increase the Style Area Width to .7" and click OK.
Click the down arrow next to the Formats field and select a text-appearance option. Then type the number of levels deep the TOC should be in the Show Levels spin box.
Click the OK button to accept Word's default styles as the headers list in the TOC.
If you make a change to the header text or move text around, have Word update the TOC by right-clicking the TOC and selecting Update Field.
The Update Table of Contents dialog box opens; click the Update Entire Table option and click OK. The TOC is automatically updated in your document.
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Creating a TOC with Your Own Styles
If you want to create a TOC using your own styles, click the Options button on the Table of Contents tab and scroll through the Available Styles list in the dialog box that appears. When you find the styles you want, assign them numbers in the TOCLevel area for example, MainHeader = 1, SecondaryHeader = 2, and so on. Click the OK button in both dialog boxes, and the TOC will be created according to your assigned styles.
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Linking to TOC Headers
While reviewing the table of contents, you can quickly link to the location of the header in the document by pressing the Ctrl key and clicking the desired header link.
