Creating a numbered table of contents in Google Docs

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1

Hey everyone! I’m trying to figure out how to make a table of contents in my Google Docs document that includes page numbers. I know Google Docs has a built-in feature for creating a table of contents, but it doesn’t seem to show the page numbers for each section. Is there a way to add this functionality? Maybe there’s a trick or a workaround I’m missing? I’d really appreciate any tips or suggestions you might have. It would make navigating my document so much easier if I could see both the section titles and their corresponding page numbers in the table of contents. Thanks in advance for your help!

2

I’ve encountered this issue before and found a workaround that might help. While Google Docs doesn’t natively support page numbers in the auto-generated table of contents, you can manually create one that includes them.

Here’s what I do:

  1. Use heading styles for your document sections.
  2. Insert a table at the beginning of your document.
  3. Manually type in your section titles in one column.
  4. In the adjacent column, use the ‘Insert > Page number’ feature to add the corresponding page numbers.
  5. Create hyperlinks from each entry to its respective section.

It’s a bit more time-consuming than an automatic ToC, but it gives you the control to include page numbers. Just remember to update it if you make significant changes to your document structure.

3

hey oscar, i’ve got a quick fix for ya! use the ‘add-ons’ menu and search for ‘table of contents plus’. it’s a free tool that lets u add page #s to ur TOC. just install it, run it, and boom - numbered TOC! hope this helps :slight_smile:

4

I’ve been using Google Docs for years, and I can relate to your frustration with the table of contents feature. One method I’ve found effective is combining the built-in TOC with a custom header format. Here’s what I do:

For each main section, I create a header that includes both the title and the page number, like this: ‘Section 1: Introduction…p.1’

Then I use the automatic table of contents feature, which pulls in these custom headers. This way, you get both the section titles and page numbers in your TOC.

It does require some manual work to set up and maintain, especially if you’re making a lot of edits. But I find it’s a good compromise between functionality and ease of use. Just remember to update your section headers if your page numbers shift around.