How to Add a Linked Table of Contents in Google Docs
- 7 days ago
- 1 min read
Google Docs has a built-in Table of Contents feature that doesn't just list your headings; it automatically links to them. This is really useful for long Google Docs.
The most common mistake people make is formatting their titles manually, for example, changing the font or size. Google Docs doesn't know they are 'Titles' unless you use 'Styles'.
Step 1 - Highlight your section title.
Step 2 - Go to the toolbar and change 'Normal Text' to Heading 1, Heading 2, or Heading 3.
The Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl + Alt + 1 (or Cmd + Option + 1 on Mac).
Once you set your heading, Google does the rest of the work for you.
Step 3 - Click your cursor where you want the table to appear (usually the first page).
Go to Insert, then Table of Contents.
Choose your style:
Plain Text: Best for printing, and it includes page numbers.
Dotted: A classic look with page numbers and dots.
Links: Best for online docs, with clean blue links and no page numbers.
Step 4 - As your document changes, you can refresh the contents table. Click anywhere on your 'Table of Contents' and click the refresh arrow.
You can use 'Document Outline', and a clickable navigation pane will appear on the left side of your screen. This stays visible while you scroll down the document.
Go to View, then Show outline.
To learn more about Google Docs productivity features, book a live training session with Cloudshed.
