Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Using TC Fields for Notes.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 10, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
There are many times you may need to keep a "list" of editing work that needs to be done on a document. Keeping such a list manually, particularly in regards to a long document, can be difficult. Usually I put some sort of textual key in the document for which I can later search to find the location of where work needs to be done. For instance, I may put the text ***HERE in the document, knowing that I can search for that and find the exact spot that needs work.
There is another approach that can be taken, however. This involves the use of the TC field, which is normally used to mark Table of Contents entries. You can also use these fields to indicate places where work needs to be done. This works because you can place anything within the TC field, and what you enter ends up in the TOC. This makes them a natural for creating notes to yourself. For example, you could use any of the following TC fields within your document:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here:
{tc "send this tc tip to Allen Wyatt for WordTips"}
{tc "check this formula for accuracy"}
{tc "rewrite this paragraph before it leaves your desk"}
The potential uses are virtually endless. Later, when you are ready to do your editing work, you simply generate a TOC at the beginning of your document. The entries dutifully end up there, and since the page numbers are hyperlinks, double-clicking the page numbers will take you to the spot where you need to work.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (5883) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Using TC Fields for Notes.
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2019-04-08 05:39:04
Richard
The truth of this tip came home to me while reading an earlier tip. I wrote a 200-page document where some further work was necessary in a number of sections. Initially I just left a TBD and highlighted the paragraph in yellow. But then I added a TOC at the end of the document, marking all the TBDs accordingly using the Mark Table of Contents Entry dialog (Alt+Sh+O). Entries are unmarked as they are addressed. This is useful for document reviewers.
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