How to Remove a Word Heading from the Table of Contents or Change Indexed Text
Question details
The user wants to know how to exclude certain paragraphs or headings from appearing in a Word Table of Contents and how to correctly limit an index entry to a specific word.
- Product
- Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Editing document structure, managing table of contents, and refining indexes.
- Observed behavior
- Unintended paragraphs are appearing in the Table of Contents, or index entries are capturing more text than desired, requiring adjustments to styles and index tags.
Before modifying headings or index entries, reveal hidden formatting marks in your document by clicking the Show/Hide ¶ button on the Home tab so you can easily locate hidden index tags and paragraph styles.
Remove a Heading from the Table of Contents
Change the text's style to a non-heading format like Normal or Body Text to prevent it from being pulled into the Table of Contents.
Tables of Contents in Word are automatically generated based on the Outline Level of the text, which is usually tied to Heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.). To remove a paragraph from the TOC, you simply need to strip it of its heading status.
Click anywhere within the paragraph or heading that you want to exclude from the Table of Contents.
Go to the Home tab on the ribbon. In the Styles gallery, click on the 'Normal' style. Alternatively, you can press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+N to instantly apply the Normal style.
Scroll back to your Table of Contents, right-click on it, and select 'Update Field'. Choose 'Update entire table' and click OK. The heading will no longer appear in the list.
Change or Limit an Indexed Text Entry
Edit or delete the hidden index field code and mark the precise word you want to index.
Easily Manage Headings and Indexes in WPS Writer
WPS Writer provides an intuitive interface for managing document styles, creating accurate tables of contents, and handling professional indexing. It is completely free and seamlessly handles your standard Word documents.
- 1. Open your document: Launch WPS Writer and open the document containing your Table of Contents or Index.
- 2. Modify the heading style: To remove a heading from the TOC, highlight the text and select the 'Normal' style from the Home tab's style gallery.
- 3. Update the TOC: Navigate to the References tab, click 'Update TOC', and choose to update the entire table.
- 4. Manage index codes: To edit an index entry, click the Show/Hide Editing Marks icon on the Home tab to reveal the XE codes, edit them directly, and update your index from the References tab.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my normal text appearing in the Table of Contents?
Normal text appears in the Table of Contents if its paragraph outline level is accidentally set to Level 1, 2, or 3 instead of Body Text. You can fix this by right-clicking the text, selecting 'Paragraph', and changing the 'Outline level' dropdown to 'Body Text'.
How do I update my Table of Contents after removing a heading?
Right-click anywhere inside the Table of Contents and select 'Update Field'. A prompt will appear; choose 'Update entire table' and click OK to ensure the removed heading is completely cleared from the generated list.
Can I hide the index field codes after editing them?
Yes. Once you are finished editing or deleting your { XE } index field codes, click the 'Show/Hide ¶' button on the Home tab again. This will hide the formatting marks and field codes from your document view before printing or sharing.
