How to Insert a Table of Contents in Word for the Web

To insert a table of contents in Word for the web, first format your section titles with built-in heading styles, then place the cursor where the contents should appear and choose References > Table of Contents. Word builds the list from those headings, so you can update it when the document changes. You will need a document with headings and access to Word in a web browser.

What You’ll Need

A Word document open in Word for the web and permission to edit it.
Section and subsection titles that you can format with Heading styles.
A place near the beginning of the document for the contents list, usually after the title page or introduction.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and choose where the contents will go. Sign in to Microsoft 365, open the document in Word for the web, and click Edit if it is in viewing mode. Click at the start of the document body, after any cover page or title information. Press Enter to make room if necessary, then click the blank paragraph where the contents should begin. Inserting the table at the cursor location matters: Word places it in the document where the insertion point is, not automatically on a new page. If you want it on its own page, insert a page break first using Insert > Page Break, then click on the new page.
Identify the headings that should appear. Review the document and decide which titles belong in the contents. Usually, major sections should be Heading 1, subsections should be Heading 2, and smaller divisions should be Heading 3. The document title itself is generally not a section heading. Keep the levels in order: use Heading 2 under a Heading 1, rather than jumping from Heading 1 straight to Heading 3. A sensible structure might be Heading 1 for each chapter, Heading 2 for topics within a chapter, and Heading 3 only for nested details that readers need to locate.
Apply a built-in heading style to each section title. Select a heading, or click within its paragraph, and go to Home > Styles. Choose Heading 1, Heading 2, or Heading 3 as appropriate. Repeat for every title you want Word to include. The heading may change appearance after you apply a style; that is expected. A heading style does more than make text larger or bold: it marks the paragraph as a structural heading that Word can use for the table of contents and navigation. Applying bold, changing font size, or using a decorative text effect alone does not make a paragraph a heading.
Check that the heading levels make sense. Scroll through the document and verify that each section title has the intended style. For example, a document with three main sections can use Heading 1 for all three, with Heading 2 for subsections under each. Do not assign Heading 1 to ordinary paragraphs just to make them look prominent, because those paragraphs may then appear as entries in the contents. If the heading styles alter the look too much, insert the table first and adjust formatting afterward; preserving the correct style is more important than making every heading look exactly as it did before.
Insert the table of contents. Click at the location chosen in step 1. Open the References tab on the ribbon, select Table of Contents, and choose one of the available automatic table styles. Word inserts a contents list based on the heading styles in the document. The exact names or appearance of the choices can vary as Word for the web updates, but choose an automatic option rather than a manually typed list. If the Table of Contents control is not visible, widen the browser window or check the ribbon overflow menu; a narrow window can hide ribbon commands.
Review the generated entries and links. Check that each intended section appears and that the entries are in the same order as the document. Click an entry to follow its link to that heading. Depending on the current Word for the web layout and display, you may need to hold Ctrl while clicking a link. If a heading is missing, return to the document and apply a Heading style to it. If an unexpected paragraph appears, check whether it has accidentally been assigned a heading style. Correct the source formatting rather than typing over the generated table.
Update the contents after editing. When you add, remove, rename, or move headings, the table may not refresh automatically. Click inside the table and use the Update Table or Update Table of Contents command if Word displays it. If prompted, choose the option to update the entire table so both heading text and page information can be refreshed. If the only change is a page shift, an option to update page numbers may be available. Review the result afterward, especially after moving several sections or adding pages.
Save and check the document in the view readers will use. Word for the web saves changes to OneDrive or SharePoint as you work, but confirm that the save indicator has finished before closing the tab. If page breaks, page numbers, or the table layout are important, use Print Layout or print preview to inspect the paginated version. Word for the web and the desktop application can display page layout differently, so check the document in the version that will be used for final printing or sharing.

Common Mistakes

Formatting headings only by appearance: Bold text or a larger font does not reliably register as a heading. Apply a built-in Heading style through Home > Styles. You can still adjust how headings look, but keep the structural style attached.

Using heading levels inconsistently: If every title is Heading 1, the contents will have no useful hierarchy. Conversely, applying Heading 3 to a title without a parent heading can make the outline confusing. Use Heading 1 for main sections and step down one level at a time.

Typing inside the generated contents: An automatic table is field-based content. Editing an entry directly can be lost the next time you update it. Change the heading in the body of the document, then update the table.

Expecting every kind of title to appear: A document title, caption, or bold introductory phrase may not be included unless it has a heading style. Decide whether it belongs in the contents, then assign the appropriate style only if it should be listed.

Forgetting to refresh after revisions: Adding a section does not guarantee that an existing table immediately reflects it. Update the table after substantial edits and scan the resulting entries for omissions, duplicates, or obsolete titles.

Tips

Use descriptive, concise headings. A reader should be able to tell what a section covers from its entry alone.
Keep heading wording consistent. For example, use action phrases for all procedure headings or topic names for all reference sections.
Use the Navigation pane as a quick structure check. If the headings appear there in the correct order and levels, that is a helpful sign that Word recognizes the document outline.
Insert the contents after you have applied most heading styles. This reduces cleanup, though you can insert it earlier and update it later.
If you are working with a long report, use Heading 1 for major parts and Heading 2 for sections readers are likely to seek. Do not include every minor label if doing so makes the contents difficult to scan.
Keep an untouched copy before making extensive formatting changes to an older document. That gives you a reference for restoring its original appearance if heading styles change the layout more than expected.

Troubleshooting

The Table of Contents command is missing. Confirm that you are editing the document in Word for the web, rather than viewing a preview or opening a file type that is not fully editable. Check the References tab and the ribbon overflow menu, then widen the browser window. If the control is still unavailable, open the document in the desktop Word application and insert the contents there; the desktop ribbon may offer additional controls.

The table appears empty or has only a few entries. The most common cause is that the section titles are not using built-in heading styles. Select each missing title and apply the correct style from Home > Styles. Then click in the table and update it. Also check that the headings are in the main document text and not in a text box, header, or other location Word may not treat like a normal document heading.

An entry is included when it should not be. Click in the unwanted paragraph and inspect its style on the Home tab. If it has Heading 1, Heading 2, or another heading style, change it to Normal or the appropriate non-heading style. Update the table to remove the entry. Avoid changing a real section title to Normal just because you do not like its visual formatting; adjust the heading appearance instead.

The table shows old titles or page information. Click inside the contents and use the update command. Choose a full update after changing heading names or structure. If the web version does not show an update control or the contents remains stale, open the file in desktop Word and update the table there. Page information can also look different between editing and print layouts; use print preview for a final pagination check.

The contents looks wrong after applying heading styles. Built-in heading styles can change font, spacing, and color. Select the affected heading and adjust its formatting while retaining the Heading style. If a style change affects many headings, use the Styles controls to modify the style consistently where available, or make targeted formatting changes. Verify that the outline levels remain correct afterward.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make a table of contents in Word for the web?
Yes. Apply built-in heading styles, place the cursor where the list belongs, and use References > Table of Contents to insert an automatic table.

Why are my headings not showing in the table?
They may look like headings but use Normal formatting instead of Heading 1, Heading 2, or another built-in heading style. Apply the right style, then update the table.

Can I add a table of contents without heading styles?
You can type a list manually, but Word will not be able to build and refresh an automatic contents list from ordinary formatted paragraphs. Heading styles are the practical choice for an automatic table.

How do I add a heading to an existing table of contents?
Apply a heading style to the title in the document, then click the table and update the whole table. The new entry should appear in its document order.

Can I change the appearance of the table?
Word for the web provides automatic table styles, but detailed layout and customization options may be more limited than in desktop Word. If you need precise formatting, open the document in the desktop application and adjust the table there.

Does the table of contents update by itself?
Do not assume it refreshes every time you edit. Use the update command after changing headings or document pagination, and review the result before sharing or printing.

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