How to Link a Table of Contents to Pages in Word

To link a table of contents to pages in Word, format each section title with a heading style (Home > Styles > Heading 1, 2 or 3), click where the table should go, then choose References > Table of Contents > Automatic Table 1 or Automatic Table 2. Word builds the table from your headings, and each entry is a link: hold Ctrl and click an entry to jump to that section.

Applies to: Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, Word 2021, Word 2019 and Word 2016 on Windows. The insert, update, customize and remove steps are also documented for Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac, Word 2024 for Mac and Word 2021 for Mac. Checked against Microsoft Support on October 7, 2026.

How the links in a Word table of contents work

An automatic table of contents is not typed text. It is a field that Word generates from every paragraph formatted with a heading style. Because Word knows where each heading sits, it can turn every entry into a link to that heading and recalculate the page numbers whenever you update the table. That is why the “linking” part needs no extra work when you use the automatic tables: the links come from the headings themselves.

Two things trip people up:

• Plain bold text is not a heading. A line that only looks like a heading (larger font, bold) does not appear in the table and cannot be linked to. Microsoft notes that missing entries usually happen because headings are not formatted as headings.
• A normal click does not follow the link. By default, Word requires you to press Ctrl while you click a hyperlink, so you do not jump away by accident while editing. A plain click just places the cursor inside the table.

Before you start

• Use the desktop Word app. The steps below follow Microsoft’s instructions for Word on Windows and Mac. Word for the web has its own table of contents controls and is not covered here.
• Write or paste your section titles first. You can insert the table at any time, but it only lists headings that already exist.
• Decide how deep the table should go. Microsoft’s steps use Heading 1, 2 and 3; you can change how many levels appear later with Show levels in Custom Table of Contents.

Create a linked table of contents in Word

1. Format your section titles as headings. Select the text of a main section title, go to Home > Styles, and choose Heading 1. Use Heading 2 for sections inside it and Heading 3 for the next level down. The text changes to the heading style’s font and color, which tells you it worked. If you need a refresher, see our guide on how to make something a heading in Word.
2. Click where the table should appear. Most documents put it on its own page after the title page. Place the cursor on an empty line there.
3. Open the table of contents gallery. Select the References tab, then select Table of Contents. A gallery of styles opens.
4. Pick an automatic style. Choose Automatic Table 1 or Automatic Table 2. Word inserts a table that lists each heading with its page number. Avoid the manual option if you want links that stay correct, because Microsoft notes that manually created tables can’t be updated by Word.
5. Test a link. Rest the mouse pointer on an entry, then hold Ctrl and click it. Word jumps to that heading in the document.

Make entries open with a single click

If you would rather click an entry without holding Ctrl, change Word’s hyperlink setting. This affects every hyperlink in Word, not just the table of contents, and it is the same option Microsoft documents for turning off Ctrl+Click.

1. In Word, select File > Options > Advanced.
2. Under Editing options, clear the Use CTRL + Click to follow hyperlink check box.
3. Select OK. A single click on a table entry now jumps to its heading. To restore the default, check the box again.

Keep in mind that with this option off, clicking a link while you are trying to edit its text will follow the link instead. Many people leave the default on and simply use Ctrl+click.

Show links instead of page numbers

For a document that will be read on screen, you can make the table look more like a web menu. The Table of Contents dialog box has the controls for this.

1. Go to References > Table of Contents and select Custom Table of Contents.
2. Look at the Web Preview area of the dialog. Microsoft explains that headings use hyperlinks by default there, controlled by the Use hyperlinks instead of page numbers box. Leave it checked to keep the entries as links.
3. For the printed look shown under Print Preview, clear Show page numbers if you do not want numbers at all, or clear Right align page numbers to place the numbers right after each heading.
4. Use Tab leader to change the dots between the heading and the page number, or select (none) to remove them.
5. Use Show levels to choose how many heading levels appear, and Formats to pick a different preset look.
6. Select OK to apply the settings, or Cancel to discard your changes. Your table stays in the document either way.

The dialog also has an Options button for choosing which styles build the table and a Modify button for changing the font and indentation of each level. If Modify is grayed out, Microsoft says to change Formats to From template first.

Link text to a specific page or spot with bookmarks

An automatic table can only point to headings. If you want a custom “contents” list, a cover-page menu, or a link to a spot that is not a heading (a chart, a form, an appendix table), use a bookmark and a hyperlink. This takes longer, so it suits short documents or a handful of extra links.

1. Mark the destination. Select the text or place you want to link to, select the Insert tab, and choose Bookmark. On a simplified ribbon, select the ellipsis (…) first.
2. Name the bookmark. Under Bookmark name, type a name and select Add. Names must start with a letter, can include letters and numbers, and cannot contain spaces, so use an underscore instead (for example, Budget_summary).
3. Select the text that will be the link. This could be a line in your custom contents list.
4. Insert the link. Right-click the selected text and choose Link, or go to Insert > Link.
5. Choose the destination. In the Insert Hyperlink dialog, under Link to, select Place in This Document. The list shows your headings and bookmarks. Pick the bookmark (or a heading) and select OK.

The text now behaves like a table of contents entry: Ctrl+click it to jump to the bookmark. You can also add a ScreenTip in the same dialog so readers see a short description when they point at the link. Unlike an automatic table, these links show no page numbers and Word does not rebuild them, so check them after major edits.

Keep the links and page numbers up to date

The table does not refresh itself as you type. After you add, remove, rename or move headings, update it:

1. Click inside the table, then go to References and select Update Table. You can also right-click the table and choose Update Field.
2. Choose Update page numbers only if you only added or removed text, or Update entire table if heading text changed or headings were added or removed.
3. Select OK. New headings appear in the table and their links point to the right place.

To change how entries look, use Custom Table of Contents > Modify, which changes the style of each level, rather than formatting the table text by hand.

How to check that it worked or undo it

• Check each entry. Point at an entry; a tip about following the link should appear. Ctrl+click it and confirm Word lands on the matching heading.
• Compare with the Navigation pane. Press Ctrl+F or select View > Navigation Pane. The Headings list there comes from the same heading styles, so anything missing there will be missing from the table too. Our guide to using the Navigation pane in Word explains the other tabs.
• Remove the table. Go to References > Table of Contents and select Remove Table of Contents. Your headings stay in the document, so you can insert a new table later.
• Remove a bookmark link. Right-click the linked text and select Remove Hyperlink. To delete the bookmark itself, go to Insert > Bookmark, choose its name and select Delete.

Troubleshooting a table of contents that won’t link

Clicking an entry selects the table instead of jumping

This is the Ctrl+click requirement. Hold Ctrl while you click, or turn off Use CTRL + Click to follow hyperlink as described above. On Microsoft’s Q&A forum, volunteer moderators also point out that resting the pointer on an entry shows a tip confirming it is a link.

A heading is missing from the table

Select that heading’s text, apply Heading 1 (or the right level) from Home > Styles, then choose Update Table > Update entire table. If it is a Heading 4 or lower, raise Show levels in Custom Table of Contents. Headings placed inside tables, text boxes, headers or footers do not show in the Navigation pane, so move important titles into the main text.

An entry jumps to the wrong place or shows the wrong page

The table is out of date. Run Update Table and choose Update entire table. If the problem continues, check that the heading style is applied to the title itself and not to an empty line above it.

The entries are not links at all

This usually means the table was typed by hand or built from a manual style. Remove the table and insert one of the automatic styles again. Microsoft Q&A volunteer moderators also note that the default table field includes a switch (written as \h in the field code) that makes entries links; a table built without it will not link.

Bookmark name won’t save

Check that the name starts with a letter and has no spaces or punctuation other than underscores.

Links stop working in a PDF

After you save the document as a PDF, open the PDF and click a few entries before you share it. In Word for Mac, Microsoft notes that hyperlinks may not convert correctly when you use the Best for printing option, so choose a different option if your links break.

Modify is grayed out in the dialog

Set Formats to From template, then select Modify again. Microsoft documents this as the fix when the button is unavailable.

Frequently asked questions

Are the entries in a Word table of contents clickable by default?

Yes, when you use an automatic table. Each entry links to its heading. In the default setup you hold Ctrl and click to follow the link.

Can I link a table of contents entry to a page that has no heading?

Not with the automatic table. Add a bookmark at that spot and link to it with Insert > Link > Place in This Document, or turn the title on that page into a heading so the automatic table can find it.

Does the table update automatically when I edit the document?

No. Use References > Update Table after editing. Manual tables cannot be updated at all.

How do I jump to a bookmark without a link?

Press Ctrl+G to open the Go To tab, choose Bookmark under Go to what, pick the name and select Go To.

Can I change how the linked entries look?

Yes. In Custom Table of Contents, use Formats, Tab leader and Show levels, or Modify to change the style of each level.

Is there a sample document to practice on?

Yes. In desktop Word, go to File > New and search for “table of contents” to open Microsoft’s tutorial template.

If you have not built a table yet, start with our guide on how to add a table of contents in Word, or read Microsoft’s Create a table of contents and Custom table of contents pages for the full option list.

Related: turn a word into a link.