Creating a table of contents is one of those formatting tasks that seems simple until you’re the one doing it.
At first, it feels like it should just be a list of chapters. But once you’re formatting for publication, there’s more going on. Your chapter headings need to be set up correctly. Your page numbers need to match. Your ebook needs proper navigation. And if you make changes later, the whole thing needs to update without turning into a mess.
A table of contents is not used the same way in every book. Nonfiction readers often rely on it to understand the structure of the book and jump to the section they need. Fiction readers usually don’t need a visible table of contents in a print book, but the ebook still needs clean navigation behind the scenes.
I’ve been writing and formatting books for over a decade now, and honestly, formatting was one of the parts I used to hate most. There were always these tiny details that seemed way more complicated than they should be: margins, page breaks, chapter headings, curly quotes, straight quotes, ebook files, print PDFs, and, yes, tables of contents.
That frustration is part of why I eventually created Atticus. I wanted a simpler way to handle book formatting without fighting the software every time I needed to make a change.
But whether you use Atticus, Microsoft Word, or Google Docs, the basic idea is the same: set up your headings correctly, let the tool build the ToC from those headings, and don’t try to do the whole thing manually unless you enjoy fixing problems later.
So let’s walk through the easiest ways to create a table of contents for your book, and where each tool can trip you up.
The Fastest and Simplest Way to Create a Table of Contents
Creating a table of contents for a book you're planning to self-publish is a little different than making one for a long document. Whether you're publishing nonfiction or fiction, you need to think about navigation. For nonfiction, that usually means a visible table of contents. For fiction ebooks, it often means making sure the ebook has a clean navigational ToC, even if the print version doesn’t include a visible contents page.
Nonfiction readers rely on tables of contents more than fiction readers. For ebooks, you’ll also need a clean navigational ToC so readers can move through the book properly. But for print fiction, a visible table of contents is often optional.
But after you make a table of contents for your book, you'll still need to have it formatted, along with the rest of your book. If you're planning on publishing for print-on-demand, you'll need a print-ready PDF with a professional-looking ToC. And if you're also going to publish an ebook version, you'll need the ToC formatted so readers can use it to navigate the book.
Sound complicated? It can be, depending on the tool you're using. The good news is, there's a super simple way to make a table of contents for your book with a couple of clicks — and format it into a professional-looking ebook or print book.
The easiest way? Use Atticus. It builds and formats your ToC for you.
Creating a ToC With Atticus
Atticus is an all-in-one writing tool that allows self-publishers to streamline their book writing and creation. No more messing with the custom table tab, trying to find the contents dialog box, or trying to remember what dropdown menu or navigation pane you used to create your ToC last time.
You can write your entire book in Atticus if you want. It has tools to help you stay on track with your word count goals, along with ProWritingAid integration, drag-and-drop chapter sections, and even pre-made front and back matter sections.
But even if you don't want to write in Atticus, it's easy to import a Word document, or a Google Doc you’ve downloaded as a DOCX, and let Atticus automatically create your table of contents. If your document already has a table of contents, you’ll usually want to remove it before importing, since Atticus creates and links the ToC for you.
As long as your document is structured cleanly, with clear chapter titles and headings, Atticus can automatically create a clean, professional table of contents.
Once in Atticus, you can control what shows in the visible table of contents, including whether certain headings, chapters, pages, or back matter appear. Even if you hide the visible ToC page in an ebook, Atticus still exports a navigational ToC so e-reading devices can use it. And when it comes to formatting, Atticus does the rest. It can export an EPUB with a navigational ToC for ebooks and a print-ready PDF with a professional-looking contents page for print books.
Quick note: Kindle Create is Amazon’s own free formatting tool, and KDP says it can help create a table of contents for both reflowable ebooks and print books. I still prefer Atticus because it’s built for a fuller writing and formatting workflow, but Kindle Create is worth knowing about if you want a free Amazon-supported option.
Okay, but what if you want to make a table of contents in Word or Google Docs? Keep reading to learn the simplest way to do it in each program.
Quickly Create a ToC in Microsoft Word
Since a table of contents should go at the front of the book, navigate to the beginning of your document. You'll need to insert a new page for the ToC before putting it in.
To do this, navigate to the Insert tab at the top of your window. Then, at the left side of the tab, select the Blank Page option. Make sure your cursor is where you want it before inserting the blank page!
Next, navigate to the References tab at the top of your window. On the left side of the tab, select the Table of Contents button.
A dropdown menu will appear, from which you can choose from several automatic table of contents options. Pick the one that suits you, and MS Word will insert it into the document, automatically populating the page number for each chapter title and subheading.
Or you can select a custom table and select whatever options are to your liking on the table of contents window that comes up.
If you see that some of your chapter headings and subheadings aren't showing up on the contents page, then navigate to those headings in the document and ensure that they have the proper heading level. For most books, chapter titles should use Heading 1, and major subheads should use Heading 2. You can access these heading styles from the Styles menu on the Home tab.
If you make changes to the document, you'll need to update the table of contents. Simply go to the top of the table and click on it. You'll see an Update option appear. You can select to update page numbers only or the entire table.
Quickly Create a ToC in Google Docs
In Google Docs, making a table of contents is a simple matter. Just place the cursor where you'd like the ToC to show up and navigate to the Insert dropdown menu. At the bottom of the menu, hover over the Page elements section and then go to the Table of contents option. Then choose the style you want. Depending on your version of Google Docs, you may see options such as page numbers, dotted lines, or links.
Once the ToC is populated, you can separate it from the body of the document using a Page Break, which you can also find in the Insert menu.
Like MS Word, you'll need to make sure each chapter title and subhead is properly formatted for the Table of Contents to work.
If you make changes or add chapters, you'll need to update the ToC. To do this, simply navigate to the table of contents section and click anywhere on it. You can update it by right-clicking the table and choosing “Update table of contents,” or by using the refresh/update icon that appears when you hover over the ToC.
Formatting After Making a ToC
Inserting a basic table of contents is fairly straightforward in both Google Docs and MS Word. But you'll still need to worry about formatting your book for publication after this is done. If you move your manuscript into a dedicated book-formatting tool, the ToC you created in Word or Google Docs may not be used directly, because many formatting tools generate their own table of contents from your chapter structure. Some tools have problems populating an existing table, so you may find yourself searching through troubleshooting articles for help.
Again, this is where Atticus excels. All you have to do is make sure your chapter headings and subheads are properly formatted, and Atticus will do the rest! You can even see how your Table of Contents will look with various pre-made themes and in various formats, including multiple ebook readers, and in print.
It's not only the quickest way to create an excellent ToC, but it's also the easiest way to get your book formatted and ready to publish! Atticus is currently sold as a one-time purchase with no subscription required, and it includes future updates.
