How to Link a Table of Contents to Pages in Word (Clickable TOC)

To link a table of contents to pages in Word, format each section title with a built-in heading style (Heading 1, Heading 2, and so on), then insert an automatic table from References > Table of Contents. Word links every entry to its heading for you. In the desktop app, hold Ctrl and click an entry to jump to that section. When headings or page breaks change, select Update Table > Update entire table.

This guide covers Word for Microsoft 365 and Word 2024, 2021, 2019, and 2016 on Windows, with notes for Word for Mac and Word for the web. Steps were checked against Microsoft Support in October 2026.

Contents

• How Word links a table of contents
• Step 1: Apply heading styles
• Step 2: Insert an automatic table of contents
• Step 3: Test the links
• Step 4: Update the table after edits
• Customize which headings appear
• Link a manual table of contents
• Keep the links when you save as PDF
• Word for Mac and Word for the web
• Troubleshooting
• Frequently asked questions

How Word links a table of contents

An automatic table of contents (TOC) is a field. A field is a placeholder that Word fills in from information in the document. The TOC field collects every paragraph that uses a heading style, lists them with page numbers, and links each entry to its heading. You don’t add hyperlinks one by one.

A manual table of contents is different. It’s placeholder text you type over, so it has no links and Word can’t update it. Microsoft notes that manually created tables can’t be updated by Word.

Two things make the links work:

• Heading styles on the section titles. Text that is only bold or large isn’t a heading to Word.
• An automatic table style, not the Manual Table option.

Step 1: Apply heading styles

1. Select the title of your first main section.
2. On the Home tab, in the Styles group, select Heading 1. The text changes to the Heading 1 look.
3. Repeat for each main section.
4. For subsections, use Heading 2. For sections inside those, use Heading 3.

You can change how a heading style looks later without breaking the links. Right-click the style in the Styles gallery and select Modify.

To check your headings, open the Navigation pane with View > Navigation Pane, then select Headings. Every title listed there will appear in the table of contents. See how to use the Navigation pane in Word for more.

Step 2: Insert an automatic table of contents

1. Click where the table should go, usually on its own page after the title page.
2. Go to References > Table of Contents.
3. Choose Automatic Table 1 or Automatic Table 2. Don’t choose Manual Table.

Word builds the table from your headings, with dot leaders and page numbers on the right. Each entry is already a link to its heading.

For the full setup, including a title page and subheadings, see how to create a table of contents in Word.

Step 3: Test the links

1. Point to any entry in the table. Word shows a ScreenTip telling you to press Ctrl and click to follow the link.
2. Hold Ctrl and click the entry. Word jumps to that heading.
3. To jump back to the table, press Ctrl+Home if it’s at the start of the document, or use the Navigation pane.

Word requires Ctrl+click by default, so a plain click only places the cursor in the table. That lets you edit the text without jumping away.

Follow links with a single click

If you’d rather click without Ctrl, change the setting. Microsoft documents it this way:

1. Go to File > Options > Advanced.
2. Under Editing options, clear Use CTRL + Click to follow hyperlink.
3. Select OK.

This setting applies to all links in Word on that computer, not just the table of contents. It doesn’t change how the file behaves for other people.

Step 4: Update the table after edits

The table doesn’t refresh on its own while you type. After you add, rename, move, or delete headings, or after page breaks shift, update it:

1. Click inside the table of contents.
2. Select Update Table at the top of the table, or go to References > Update Table. You can also right-click the table and select Update Field.
3. Choose Update page numbers only to keep the entry text and fix page numbers, or Update entire table to add new headings, remove deleted ones, and pick up renamed text along with page changes.
4. Select OK.

Use Update entire table whenever headings changed. Any formatting you typed directly into the table is replaced when you do.

Pressing F9 with the table selected also updates it. Microsoft lists F9 as the shortcut to update selected fields.

Customize which headings appear

1. Go to References > Table of Contents > Custom Table of Contents.
2. Set Show levels to the number of heading levels you want. For example, 2 shows Heading 1 and Heading 2 only.
3. Choose a Tab leader (dots, dashes, a line, or none) and whether to show and right-align page numbers.
4. Leave Use hyperlinks instead of page numbers checked. It sits under the web preview side of the dialog and affects how the table looks in Web Layout view.
5. To include a style that isn’t a built-in heading, select Options and type a TOC level number next to that style.
6. Select OK. If Word asks to replace the current table, select Yes.

To change the fonts in the table, select Modify in the same dialog. Microsoft notes that if Modify is grayed out, you need to set Formats to From template. For subheading layouts, see how to create a table of contents in Word with subheadings.

Link a manual table of contents

Use this only if your entries can’t match the headings, such as a short custom list on a cover page. You’ll have to fix these links yourself when the document changes.

1. Make sure each destination has a heading style, or add a bookmark: select the destination text, go to Insert > Bookmark, type a name without spaces, and select Add.
2. In your manual list, select the text of the first entry.
3. Go to Insert > Link (or right-click and select Link).
4. Under Link to, select Place in This Document.
5. Select the heading or bookmark from the list, then select OK.
6. Repeat for each entry, then Ctrl+click each one to test it.

For more on the Link dialog, see how to insert a hyperlink in Microsoft Word.

Keep the links when you save as PDF

A PDF made with Word’s save command keeps the table’s links. You can also add PDF bookmarks, which show as a clickable outline in the PDF reader’s side panel.

Windows

1. Update the table of contents first, so the page numbers are right.
2. Select File > Save a Copy (or Save As if the file hasn’t been saved).
3. Choose a location, then pick PDF from the file type list.
4. Select More options > Options.
5. Check Create bookmarks using and choose Headings.
6. Check Document structure tags for accessibility to help screen readers.
7. Select OK, then Save.

Mac

Go to File > Save As (or Save a copy), select File Format, choose PDF, and select Save. Microsoft notes a known issue: with Best for printing, hyperlinks may not convert correctly. Avoid that option if your links matter.

Word for the web

Word for the web makes a basic PDF through File > Print. Microsoft says to use the desktop app for more control, such as adding bookmarks.

Open the finished PDF and click a couple of entries to confirm they jump to the right pages. If you send the PDF by email or upload it, test that copy. For other ways to make the PDF, see how to save a Word doc as a PDF.

Word for Mac and Word for the web

Word for Mac. The steps are the same: apply heading styles, then go to References > Table of Contents and pick an Automatic style. Update it with References > Update Table. The Ctrl+click option above is part of Word for Windows. Microsoft’s article on that setting doesn’t describe a Mac version.

Word for the web. Go to References > Insert Table of Contents. Microsoft says the inserted table shows your headings and page numbers. To update it, right-click the table and select Update Table of Contents. The web version has fewer TOC options, so use the desktop app for custom levels or styles.

Troubleshooting

Clicking an entry does nothing

Hold Ctrl while you click. If that also fails, the table may be a manual one or plain text. Check whether clicking the table highlights it in gray as a single field. If it doesn’t, delete it and insert an automatic table.

A section is missing from the table

The title probably isn’t using a heading style. Apply Heading 1 or Heading 2, then select Update Table > Update entire table. Also check Show levels in the Custom Table of Contents dialog. A Heading 3 won’t appear if the table shows only two levels.

Extra lines appear in the table

Body text was formatted with a heading style. Change that text to Normal and update the entire table.

Page numbers are wrong

Select Update Table, then Update page numbers only. If you deleted or added a page break, a section break, or a title page, update after those edits too.

The entries show code like { TOC \o “1-3” \h \z \u }

Word is showing field codes instead of results. Press Alt+F9 to switch back. Microsoft lists Alt+F9 as the shortcut that switches between all field codes and their results.

Links work in Word but not in the PDF

The PDF was probably made by printing to a PDF printer. Save it again with Save a Copy > PDF as shown above, and on a Mac avoid Best for printing.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to add hyperlinks to each entry myself?

No. An automatic table of contents links every entry to its heading when Word creates it. You only add links by hand in a manual list.

How do I go back to the table after following a link?

Press Ctrl+Home if the table is at the top of the document, or click the table’s heading in the Navigation pane. You can also add a “Back to contents” link that points to a bookmark on the table.

Why do my links stop working after I edit headings?

New or renamed headings need an update. Select Update Table > Update entire table.

Can I make links work with one click?

Yes, in Word for Windows. Clear Use CTRL + Click to follow hyperlink under File > Options > Advanced.

How do I remove the table of contents?

Go to References > Table of Contents > Remove Table of Contents. Your headings stay in the document.

Next step

Once the links work, try a few entries again after your final edit and before you share the file. If something looks off, see how to fix a table of contents in Word. Microsoft’s own references are Insert a table of contents and Update a table of contents.