How to Make a Table of Contents in Word for Your Book (Kindle and Print)

A table of contents looks simple. Getting one that works in Word, survives a Kindle conversion and still makes sense on a printed page is where most first-time authors get stuck. The trick is not typing a list by hand. It is telling Word which lines are chapters, then letting Word build the list for you.

This guide shows you how to make a table of contents in Word for a book aimed at Amazon KDP: Heading styles first, an automatic TOC second, a chapter-only list when you need it, and the split between a clickable Kindle TOC and a page-number print TOC.

Key takeaways#

• Word builds an automatic table of contents from Heading styles, not from bold or enlarged Normal text.
• For most novels, apply Heading 1 only to chapter titles, then set the TOC to show one level.
• Kindle wants a clickable HTML TOC near the front of the book, with no page numbers. Print wants page numbers.
• After you change headings or page breaks, update the whole TOC field before you export.
• Bookmark the contents title as toc if you are preparing a Word file for Kindle, as KDP's Word instructions recommend.

Why heading styles matter more than the TOC button#

Word does not invent a contents list from how your text looks. It looks for paragraphs tagged with a Heading style. If you make "Chapter 1" bold and 16-point under the Normal style, Word will ignore it when you insert a TOC. If you apply Heading 1, it becomes an entry.

That is also why styles help the rest of your layout. Heading styles feed the Navigation Pane, make chapter jumps possible, and are what KDP's Word instructions use to build the Kindle Interactive TOC (sometimes called the NCX). Microsoft's own guidance is the same: apply a heading style on the Home tab, then insert an automatic table of contents from References.

So the order is fixed:

1. 1Style every chapter title.
2. 2Insert the automatic TOC.
3. 3Customise levels and page numbers for Kindle or print.
4. 4Update the field whenever the manuscript changes.

If you are still setting margins, fonts and chapter openers, our guide to how to format a book in Word covers the wider layout. This post focuses on the contents list itself.

Step 1: Apply Heading 1 to every chapter title#

Work through the manuscript once and style the titles before you touch References.

1. 1Select the chapter title text (for example, "Chapter 1" or the chapter name on its own line).
2. 2On the Home tab, open the Styles gallery.
3. 3Click Heading 1.
4. 4Repeat for every chapter that should appear in the TOC.

Use Heading 2 only if you want named sections under a chapter (common in non-fiction). Use Heading 3 for deeper subsections. For a typical novel, Heading 1 alone is enough, and it answers the common question "how do I make a TOC with only chapters?".

You can change how Heading 1 looks without breaking the TOC. Right-click the style in the gallery, choose Modify, and set the font, size and spacing you want for chapter openers. Update the style, do not reformat each title by hand. That keeps every chapter consistent and keeps the TOC linked to the right paragraphs.

Front matter usually stays out of the TOC. Title page, copyright page, dedication and similar pages are not chapter titles, so leave them on Normal (or a dedicated front-matter style). Our front matter of a book guide sets out the usual order if you are still placing those pages.

Step 2: Insert an automatic table of contents#

Put the cursor where the contents should start. In a book file that is usually after the front matter and before Chapter 1, on its own page.

Windows (Microsoft 365 / Word)

1. 1Go to References, then Table of Contents.
2. 2Choose Automatic Table 1 or Automatic Table 2.
3. 3Word inserts a field listing every Heading-styled paragraph, with page numbers by default.

Mac

1. 1Click where the TOC should appear.
2. 2Go to References, then Table of Contents.
3. 3Choose an automatic style (KDP's Mac instructions use Classic, then a custom pass — see the Kindle section below).

Word for the web

Use References > Insert Table of Contents. The web app is thinner than desktop Word, so finish custom levels and the toc bookmark on desktop if you can.

Do not pick a Manual Table unless you have a special reason. A manual table is placeholder text you type yourself. Word will not update it when chapters move.

Step 3: Make a chapter-only TOC (Heading 1 only)#

If Heading 2 and Heading 3 are pulling in section titles you do not want on the contents page, limit the levels.

1. 1Click inside the existing TOC.
2. 2Go to References, then Table of Contents, then Custom Table of Contents (wording can vary slightly by Word version).
3. 3Set Show levels to 1.
4. 4Click OK, and replace the existing table when Word asks.

You now have a chapter-only list. That is the usual setup for fiction and for many memoirs. Non-fiction authors who want section titles in the TOC can leave Show levels at 2 or 3.

Kindle vs print: two TOC jobs from one Word file#

Kindle and paperback treat a table of contents differently. Amazon's navigation guidelines (KDP help topic GY3AD8C6C6GAG42N) and its "Create a Table of Contents" page (G201605700) are clear on the Kindle side.

Kindle (ebook)

• Put an HTML TOC page near the beginning of the book, not at the end.
• Entries must be links. A plain typed list without links is not useful on Kindle.
• Do not use page numbers in the ebook TOC. Reflowable Kindles do not map cleanly to print page numbers.
• KDP also expects a Kindle Interactive TOC (NCX / logical TOC) so readers can open chapter lists from the Kindle menu anywhere in the book. In Word, that interactive list is driven by Heading styles on chapter titles.

Print (paperback / hardcover)

• Readers expect a traditional contents page with page numbers and leader dots.
• Links are optional in the PDF; page numbers are the point.
• Kindle Create notes that when you prepare print from its tools, it removes links and adds page numbers for the print preview. In a Word-to-PDF print workflow, keep Show page numbers on for the print file.

Practically, many authors keep one Word master with Heading 1 chapter titles, then export two ways:

1. 1Ebook export: Custom TOC with Show page numbers cleared, Show levels = 1, then convert or upload as Word/EPUB per your workflow.
2. 2Print PDF: Same headings, Custom TOC with page numbers on, then export a print-ready PDF.

If you only publish ebook first, build the clickable version. Add page numbers later when you prepare paperback.

Step 4: Follow KDP's Word TOC checklist for Kindle#

Amazon's own Word instructions on G201605700 are short. After Heading 1 is on every chapter title:

PC

1. 1Insert Automatic Table 1.
2. 2Open Custom Table of Contents.
3. 3Clear Show page numbers.
4. 4Set Show levels to 1.
5. 5Replace the table when asked.
6. 6Select the TOC title ("Contents"), go to Insert, then Bookmark, name it toc, and add it.
7. 7Insert a page break after the TOC.

Mac

Same idea, starting from Classic instead of Automatic Table 1, then Custom Table of Contents, clear page numbers, Show levels 1, replace, bookmark toc, page break.

The toc bookmark helps Kindle devices and apps find the contents page from the Go To menu. Test every link in Kindle Previewer before you publish. Amazon's previewing guidance asks you to confirm that TOC page entries and Interactive TOC entries jump to the right chapters, with no page numbers on the ebook side.

Step 5: Update the TOC after every real change#

A TOC in Word is a field. It does not watch your document live.

1. 1Click the TOC.
2. 2Choose References, then Update Table, or right-click and Update Field.
3. 3Pick Update entire table if headings changed. Use Update page numbers only only when the wording is unchanged and pages shifted.

Update again after you add chapters, rename titles, move sections or change page breaks. Then export. Skipping this step is how authors upload a Kindle file whose contents list still points at draft chapter names.

Common problems and quick fixes#

Missing chapters in the TOC. The title is not Heading 1 (or whatever level you included). Apply the style and update the entire table.

Extra junk in the TOC. A paragraph you never meant as a heading was styled as Heading 1, 2 or 3. Change it back to Normal (or Body) and update.

Page numbers wrong on print. Update the entire table after the final pagination. Soft page breaks and section breaks both affect numbering.

TOC links fail on Kindle. You exported a print-style TOC with page numbers, or headings were never applied. Rebuild with Show page numbers off and Heading 1 on every chapter, then re-preview.

Contents appears at the end. Move the TOC field to the front of the body. Amazon's navigation guidelines ask for the HTML TOC near the beginning so samples and "last page read" behave correctly.

Widows and orphans after you restyle chapter openers. Fixing heading space can shove a lone line to the next page. See our note on widows and orphans in typesetting once the TOC is stable.

When Word is enough, and when it is not#

Word can produce a clean, KDP-ready TOC for a straightforward novel or simple non-fiction book. It gets harder when you need running heads tied to chapter titles, complex multi-level contents, image lists, or one interior that must satisfy both KDP and IngramSpark without babysitting fields. That is the gap between DIY formatting and professional typesetting.

If you want someone else to handle styles, TOC, ebook navigation and print PDF together, start with a free formatted first chapter. Our formatting process explains the sample-first workflow, and book formatting packages start at Clean & Simple for £197 ($249) for manuscripts up to 20,000 words. Enhanced Layout is £297 ($377) up to 40,000 words, and Complex Design is £397 ($497) up to 60,000 words. Longer books get a free exact quote within one business day. Prices are VAT-inclusive.