Table of contents template for Google Docs: build it once, reuse it for every document

A table of contents in Google Docs is generated from your heading styles, so the template you need is a heading structure rather than a block of formatted text. Apply Heading 1 to top level sections, Heading 2 to subsections and Heading 3 below that, then use Insert, then Table of contents, and Docs builds the list and keeps it linked to the headings. If the table of contents comes out empty or missing sections, the cause is almost always text that looks like a heading because it was made bold and large, rather than text that carries a heading style. The reusable template is therefore a document saved with its headings already in place and its table of contents already inserted, which you copy for every new report, proposal or handbook.

This page covers building and reusing a table of contents in Google Docs. For Word documents, see a page on Word heading styles and fields.

Insert it in four steps

• Style your headings. Select each section title, open the style dropdown that reads Normal text, and choose Heading 1, Heading 2 or Heading 3 by level. Do this for every section before inserting anything.
• Place the cursor where the table of contents belongs, usually on its own page after the title page.
• Insert, then Table of contents, and choose the format you want: with page numbers for documents meant to be printed, or with blue links for documents read on screen.
• Refresh after edits. Click the table of contents and use the refresh control that appears, or right click and choose to update it. Google Docs does not update it on every keystroke.

The reusable template outline

Create one document, apply the styles below, insert the table of contents, then keep the file as your master and make a copy each time. The structure below suits a business report or proposal and adapts to most long documents.

Title (Title style)
Subtitle: date, author, version (Subtitle style)

[ page break ]
Table of contents   (inserted object)

[ page break ]
Executive summary            Heading 1
Background                   Heading 1
  Current situation          Heading 2
  What prompted this review  Heading 2
Findings                     Heading 1
  Finding one                Heading 2
    Supporting detail        Heading 3
  Finding two                Heading 2
Recommendations              Heading 1
  Recommendation one         Heading 2
  Recommendation two         Heading 2
Plan and timeline            Heading 1
Costs                        Heading 1
Appendix                     Heading 1
  Method                     Heading 2
  Source data                Heading 2

Three habits keep a template like this working. Never skip a level, so a Heading 3 always sits under a Heading 2. Keep headings short and descriptive, since they become the navigation. Put the version and date in the subtitle, because shared documents live for months.

Make it a real template, not a document you keep copying badly

Save the master in a dedicated folder, name it with the word template at the front so it sorts together, and set your own heading formatting into the styles rather than formatting each heading by hand. To do that, format one heading the way you want, then open the style dropdown, hover the heading level and choose to update that heading to match. Every heading at that level then follows it, and so does every copy of the template.

To create a new document from the master, open it and use File, then Make a copy. Workspace accounts can also submit a document to the organisation's template gallery, which puts it in front of colleagues. For personal use, a bookmarked master plus Make a copy is faster and does not depend on an admin.

Numbered sections and a styled look

Google Docs does not number headings automatically. Two workable approaches: type the numbers into the heading text, which is simple and fine for documents that rarely change structure, or use an add on that applies numbering to heading styles, which keeps numbers correct when sections move. For a document you will revise often, the second is worth the setup.

For a cleaner look, put the table of contents on its own page, add a page break after it, use the ruler or paragraph spacing to give headings breathing room, and keep the whole document to two fonts at most. A table of contents that fits on one page reads as a well planned document, and if yours runs to two pages the structure is usually too deep rather than too long.

Keeping it correct when the document moves

Situation	What happens	What to do
Export to PDF	Page numbers and links are preserved from the generated table	Refresh the table of contents before exporting
Download as Word	Headings convert to Word heading styles	Update the field in Word so page numbers match its pagination
Published to the web	Headings become HTML heading tags	Keep the heading hierarchy clean, because it becomes the page structure
Shared for comments	Collaborators add sections without styling them	Add a note at the top asking for heading styles, and refresh before each review
Printed	Link only tables show no page numbers	Choose the page number format for anything printed

Navigation that beats scrolling

Open View, then Show outline, and Docs displays a sidebar built from the same heading styles. It is the fastest way to move around a long document and the quickest way to spot a missing or mis levelled heading, because anything absent from the outline will also be absent from the table of contents. Treat the outline as your proofreading tool for structure before you send anything.

Why is my Google Docs table of contents empty?

Because the document has no text using heading styles. Bold, enlarged normal text looks like a heading and is not one. Select each section title and apply Heading 1, Heading 2 or Heading 3, then refresh the table.

How do I update the table of contents after editing?

Click inside it and use the refresh control that appears at its top left, or right click and choose to update. Make this the last step before you send or export anything.

Can I include some headings and leave others out?

Yes. The table is built from heading styles, so give any title you want excluded a different style, such as normal text with bold formatting, or push it to a level below the depth your table displays. Appendices and internal notes are the usual candidates.

Can I link to a specific section from outside the document?

Yes. Right click a heading and copy the heading link, which gives a URL that opens the document at that point. This is useful for pointing a colleague at one section of a long handbook.

Does a table of contents work on the Google Docs mobile app?

An existing table of contents displays and its links work. Inserting and refreshing one is a desktop job, so build the structure on a computer and read or comment from a phone.

How deep should the structure go?

Three levels covers almost every business document. If you need a fourth, the section probably wants to be its own document with its own table of contents, which readers find easier than a deeply nested outline.

Headings are read by machines that write answers

A table of contents makes a document easier to move through, and it depends on headings that say what each section holds. The same headings help any reader that skims a page for the part that answers a question.

If your document is public, you can check how it travels: ask an assistant the question it answers and look at whether the document is cited. AI Knows Us asks the main assistants for you and lists the sources they name.