Summary
- A table of contents makes jumping to parts of the document easy with a single click.
- To automatically create a table of contents, click Insert > Table of contents in the top menu.
- Creating a manual table of contents involves structuring it to match the document outline and linking items in the list to the headings.
Google Docs is one of the most versatile tools available to writers today. It seems basic, yet it is immensely functional.
However, many Google Docs users don’t realize that the tool contains many useful features that enable them to write and organize content more efficiently. A clickable table of contents is one such feature in Google Docs. Here's how you can use it.
How to Create a Table of Contents Automatically
In this case, creating a ToC automatically means Google Docs will generate one for you based on the headings from your document outline. You must use Google Docs built-in header styles for this to work.
To add a heading in Google Docs, highlight the text you want to turn into a heading, select Format > Paragraph Styles, and select a heading. There are six heading styles to choose from. Use Heading 1 for main titles, Heading 2 for subsections, Heading 3 for sections under that, and so on.
It's important to follow this rule to label headings correctly in a table of contents.
To know if you did it correctly, check the Document's Outline in the left sidebar. If the headings have a slant in each section, you are good to go.
Place your cursor where you want to add the table of contents and click Insert > Table of Contents. You will have to scroll to the bottom of the menu to find the option.
Now, when someone clicks on a heading title in the table of contents, they will jump to that particular section in the document.
If you want to edit the headings in the table of contents, edit them in the document body rather than directly in the ToC. You can also add more headings or change the current ones. Afterward, select the table of contents and click Update table of contents—the refresh icon—in the menu on the left to reflect your updates on the table.
Updating the table of contents by clicking Update table of contents in the menu will remove any formatting that you applied.
You can also delete the table of contents by right-clicking it and selecting Delete in the menu.
How to Create a Table of Contents Manually
You can create a table of contents manually. This means you will structure the table of contents and then link the headings in your Google Doc document to the items yourself.
You won't be able to update the manual table of contents like the one Google Docs generates automatically. When you edit the document headings, you will have to edit the ToC manually.
To do that, start by creating the structure of your table of contents. You can insert a bulleted list or use the Tab key to indent the headings. For each item in the table of contents, right-click it, and select Insert Link in the menu.
If the texts are similar, the heading you want to link to will usually appear at the top of the suggested links. Otherwise, click Headings and bookmarks at the bottom of the suggestion box.
You will see the list of available headings in your document. Click the one you want to insert in the text.
If your document has many headings, it's a good idea to add a table of contents in case it will be accessed outside Google Docs, for instance, if you export it as a PDF or EPUB document. You can even create a table of contents for your Google Slides.