How to Create a Table of Contents in Microsoft Word

Before we create the Table of Contents page, we need to change the margins on page 2. At the moment, they are to rather wide values. This is because of our cover page.

So, move your cursor to the very top of your blank second page, do the following:

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  Click on File from the menu bar


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  From the drop down menu, click on Page Setup


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  The Page Setup dialogue box appears.


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  Enter the following figures for the margins

Top 2. 5 cm
Bottom 2. 5 cm
Left 3 cm
Right 2. 5 cm

Click the black down arrow on the Apply To box
Change it from "Whole Document" To This point forward, as in the image below:

It's important to make sure that any borders are switched off.

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  So click the Layout tab strip on the Page Setup dialogue box above


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  Click the Borders button at the bottom

You get another dialogue box popping up. On this dialogue box, click "None" for the Border setting. And make sure the "Apply To" reads "This section - All except first page", as in the image below:

Now click OK. Keep clicking OK until you are returned to your Word document

What you should now have is a blank second page with different margins to the first page, and no border. We can now add our Table of Contents page.

There's not a lot to the Table of Contents page. You already know how to change the font size, make it bold, and change to a different font. The only thing you haven't learned yet is about Leaders.

 

Adding Leaders to your Microsoft Word Documents

A Leader is just a series of dots after some text. Like this:

Story One .......................................................

You set up a Leader like this:

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  First type in the text Story One. Format it to your liking.


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  Hit the Enter key on your keyboard


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  Type in Story Two


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  Keep hitting the enter key and then typing "Story" plus a number


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  Stop when you have Story Five


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  Highlight all the lines that have Story on them"


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  Your page should look like the one below:

The Leader works in conjunction with the Tabs. So click on Format from the menu bar. From the drop down list, select Tabs. You get the tabs dialogue box popping up.

You can see that there are 4 different types of Leaders on the Tabs dialogue box. Actually three, because number one says "None".

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  Enter a Tab stop position, say 12 cm


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  In the Leader section of the Tab dialogue box, click 2


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  Click the Set button at the bottom


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  Click OK to return to your document

To see how your Leader works, position your cursor so that it's flashing after the letter "e" of "Story One". Press the tab key on your keyboard (The tab key is the one just above the Caps Lock, on the left hand side)

You should find that the cursor jumps to your tab stop position, and the dotted line is inserted.

Do the same for all the lines of your Table of Contents page, so that it looks similar to the below:

And that's it. You have designed a simple Table of Contents page. But then Table of Contents pages often are simple. Complicate them too much and nobody will be able to find things in your booklet! The only thing left to add for our Table of Contents page is some page numbers, and the story titles instead of Story One, Story Two, etc