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How to create a table of contents link to pages in Word document?

Author Sun Last modified

In Microsoft Word, it's common to work with long documents that contain various sections like a list of figures, list of tables, abstract, and so on. To enhance navigation, you can insert a clickable table of contents (TOC) that links directly to specific parts of the document. This allows you and your readers to jump to any section instantly by clicking the TOC entry.

Create a table of contents link to relative pages in Word

Table of contents example

Create a table of contents link to relative pages in Word

  1. Apply heading styles consistently throughout your document using the "Styles" group on the "Home" tab.
    Styles options on the ribbon

    Example structure used in this article:

    • List of Figures (Heading 6)
    • List of Tables (Heading 6)
    • Acknowledgements (Heading 6)
    • Abstract (Heading 6)
    • 1. Introduction (Heading 1)
      • 1.1 Introduction sub-section (Heading 2)
      • 1.2 Introduction sub-section (Heading 2)
      • 1.3 Introduction sub-section (Heading 2)
        • 1.3.1 Sub-section (Heading 3)
    • 2. Hypotheses and Goals (Heading 1)
  2. Place your cursor at the location where you want to insert the clickable table of contents. Then go to "References" > "Table of Contents" > "Custom Table of Contents".
    Table of Contents options on the ribbon
  3. In the Table of Contents dialog box:
    1. Ensure the "Show page numbers", "Right align page numbers", and "Use hyperlinks instead of page numbers" options are all checked.
    2. Click "Options".
      Table of Contents dialog
  4. In the Table of Contents Options dialog box, assign TOC levels to the heading styles you've used. For example, assign level 1 to Heading 1 and Heading 6.
    Table of Contents Options dialog
  5. Click "OK" twice to close both dialog boxes. The clickable table of contents will now be created in your document. You can hold the "Ctrl" key to display the clickable hand icon Pointer, and click on any TOC entry to jump directly to the corresponding page.
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