A Table of Contents (ToC) is used extensively in a variety of documents. There are different styles of templates available online. If you work primarily with Microsoft Word, you can download templates from the Microsoft online store or other websites.

Whether you are a student, a corporate employee, or a creative person, there are many templates for you to choose from. This article summarizes some best-looking templates for Microsoft Word.

Creative Table of Contents Word Templates

The table of contents of your document sets the stage for the rest of the document. The style you choose depends on the kind of document you're creating.

  • If it's an informational pamphlet your company is handing out to potential customers, something in between formal and casual can work well.
  • If it's a table of contents for a school event or a non-profit organization, something a little more creative and fun is a good choice.

The following templates are best suited for those creative or informal projects.

1. Blue Background

blue-background-template

This table of contents template is modern and easy to read. You can customize the following aspects of the template:

  • Change the font style and size
  • Modify the background-color
  • Resize the boxes

This Microsoft Word table of contents template also works well for an event, business informational booklet, or anything that doesn't require many pages.

You can download this template in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Apple Pages, and PDF. It's free to download, but you'll need to provide your email address first.

2. Clean and Simple

clean-and-simple

If you're looking for a table of contents template that is easy to create and looks professional, this template is a good choice.

It includes a date column, topic, and page number. These features make it an ideal template for a journal or a logbook. There are 26 entries available per page. If you need a more extended table of contents, create another page from the existing template.

You can download this template in Word, Google Docs, Apple Pages, and PDF formats. It's also available in Mac Numbers format. You can provide your email address and download it for free.

3. Creative Table of Contents

colorful-Microsoft Word table-of-contents

If you're putting together a document for an event, this playful table of contents is ideal. You can change the main graphic and the text. The numbers and individual blocks for the text are also editable. You can double-click each field and change it to anything you like.

This template can be downloaded in Microsoft Word, PDF, and Microsoft PPT.

4. Landscape Table of Contents

landscape-table-of-contents template for Microsoft Word

This landscape template is a refreshing change if you're tired of the same old portrait-style table of contents. It's ideal for a document that's in landscape format already.

This template can be used for a document with a lot of images. It has two TOCs, one for the text and the other for images. You can place the text at the beginning of the document, followed by images in the second half. You can edit this template in Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, and Google Docs.

5. Book-Style Table of Contents

book-table-of-contents template for Microsoft Word

This Microsoft Word table of contents template is a delicate balance between creative and formal. It is ideal for a book. The name of the book and tagline is on the top of the template. The header size differentiates the main chapter from the subchapters. There is a vertical graphic, and all the elements are editable.

The format is very clean and suitable for a small book that you may be writing for school or work. The outline is very organized and easy to follow with just a quick scan. This ToC template can be viewed in Microsoft Word, PPT, or PDF.

If these templates don't align with your needs, you can create a Word template from scratch.

Formal Table of Contents Word Templates

If your project is too formal for the templates listed above, there are lots of free templates available that are more professional. A well-formatted table of contents can make all the difference for a college dissertation or a formal white paper.

The following templates are a great selection that works as a table of contents for any project you may be working on.

6. Indented Table of Contents

indented table of contents

This table of contents template is laid out for something like a research paper. It includes a preface, a list of tables, figures, and schemes, and a section of indented chapters. It's ideal for educational use.

The ToC you download includes highlighted text that you can replace with your sections. The first sections start with Roman numeral numbering and then switch to decimal numbering starting with the chapters.

You can keep this format or tailor it to your own needs. You can download the table of contents template in DOC or PDF formats.

7. Academic Table of Contents

professional table of contents

If you're working on a dissertation or any other formal academic paper, this is a perfect Microsoft template for the start of your document.

It's presented in a standard outline format that works well for a very long paper. Each significant section is in bold, and every subsection is numbered below those headers.

The table of contents is a simple way to view the entire contents of your paper without too much effort. If any section needs to move, it's easy to shift a selection down or up and renumber it. You can download it in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

RELATED: How to Make a Custom Cover Page in Microsoft Word

8. Formatted Table of Contents

formatted table of contents in Microsoft Word

If you're looking for a well-formatted table of contents template with a distinctive design, this one from Microsoft Word is a real gem. Along with a nice header, the entire outline is cleanly formatted. It has indented sub-chapters and further indented sections as well.

Download the template in Word format and customize it to the contents of your document.

9. Project Table of Contents

project table of contents

If you're working on a school project or any paper, you need to organize it clearly; this table of contents template is perfect. The template is more advanced, with text form fields for name, project title, and page numbers.

The template is divided into the standard sections of an academic research paper. So if that's what you're working on, then this table of contents template will save you a lot of time.

It is available as a free download only in Microsoft Word format.

10. Research Grant Table of Contents

research table of contents

This template for Microsoft Word is a detailed table of contents built specifically for a research grant. If you are responsible for writing one, this template will save a lot of time.

It's a highly functional template for other purposes as well. It includes an introductory section that serves as the paper's preface, and the numbered section outlining all areas of the main document.

Likewise, it has a professional appearance that is bound to impress anyone who comes across it.

Techniques for Formatting Table of Contents

Once you've found a template that you're happy with, all you need to do is open the template in Microsoft Word to insert your section titles and page numbers.

However, you might find that spending a bit more time perfecting your table of contents is worth the effort for a superior finished product.

RELATED: Essential Microsoft Word Routines You Have to Know

Styling Your Table of Contents

You can make visual tweaks in the same way you would in any other Microsoft Word document. But be careful because minor changes can create an undesired effect on the overall formatting.

Misplaced aesthetic tweaks can potentially make your document look unprofessional.
Misplaced aesthetic tweaks can potentially make your document look unprofessional.

When you start typing in your text, the problem is that the dots used to space each entry are set up as text rather than a dot leader.

If this is a case with the template you want to use, here's the fix:

  • First, use the horizontal rule to set the desired tab stop.
  • Click on the Home tab and click the dialog box launcher on the Paragraph section.
  • Click Tabs, then choose the type of Leader that you want to use in your table of contents.

The spacing should now correct itself to look uniform, regardless of the length of the text string.

Keeping Your Table of Contents Accurate

If you're continually working on a document, you may find that further edits throw off your page numbers. To avoid this situation, you can use Microsoft Word's built-in table of contents functionality to keep things updated.

word table of contents menu

Head to the References tab and use the Table of Contents dropdown to access the different options available.

This method lends some significant advantages to navigability, despite giving you less control over how your table of contents is styled. When viewed on a computer, your table of contents will be hyperlinked to individual sections, and the page numbers will be accurate.

Exploring Other Templates by Microsoft

Now that you know about different types of templates, you can download them and add them to your next report or dissertation. If you love these templates and ideas, you can check templates for creating business requirements documents.

Don't forget the templates for writing business requirements documents that can make the task much more manageable.