Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. 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: Insert a TOC without Upsetting Pagination.

Insert a TOC without Upsetting Pagination

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 20, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365


1

When you insert a table of contents in any version of Word, the table becomes part of the contents and forces the repagination of everything that follows. If you want your TOC to occupy its own page, that page will be numbered page 1, and your first section on page 2. Most of us prefer our first page of content to be listed as page 1.

One solution is to adjust the page numbering system to begin with page 0. Because page 0 is your TOC, your first content will begin on page 1. But if your TOC becomes longer than a page, this solution won't work.

There's an easier way: Before generating your table of contents, insert a new-page section break at the start of your first content. This gives you two sections in your document: the first destined for your TOC and the second for your content. Configure the second section so that it begins with page 1, thereby making sure that your content begins on page 1.

Now move to the newly created first section and generate your table of contents. It will list all the headings in your second section with the appropriate page numbers without affecting pagination. This tip also allows you to create a separate introductory section in Roman numerals, which will show its own numbering system in the TOC.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11755) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Insert a TOC without Upsetting Pagination.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Sharing AutoText Entries in a Network

Creating AutoText entries can be a great way to improve your productivity with Word. At some point you may want to share ...

Discover More

Using Header Information as the Filename

Save a document for the first time, and Word helpfully suggests a filename you can use or change. If you want this ...

Discover More

Nudging a Table

When laying out a page, you often need to move objects around to get them into just the right position. Word allows you ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Adding Column Headings to a Table of Contents

Word makes it easy to create a Table of Contents. If you want column headings in that table, getting them takes a bit of ...

Discover More

Specifying a Table of Contents Entry

If you need to create a specialized table of contents, you need to know how to add TOC entries to your document. It's ...

Discover More

Locking Lines in a TOC

Want to "lock down" the lines in a TOC so that you cannot add new paragraph marks in the middle of one? You may not be ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 7 - 6?

2018-06-04 08:32:27

Deborah Poulalion

Great tip! I use this method all the time.


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.