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Create a Table of Contents

A table of contents (TOC) is important for a good eBook reading experience. A working TOC allows readers to navigate between chapters easily. By following the instructions on this page, you'll create two types of TOCs for your eBook:
  • TOC page. Also called an HTML TOC, this is a page at the beginning of your book with links to each chapter.Learn more about creating an HTML TOC in our guide to creating a table of contents with a navigation document

  • Kindle Interactive TOC. Also called the NCX, this TOC is displayed in the Kindle menu and can be accessed from anywhere in the book.

You can add a Kindle Interactive TOC using Kindle Create and MS Word



Instructions for creating a Kindle Interactive TOC in Kindle Create


Add a Kindle Interactive TOC with a few clicks. Check out Kindle Create to learn more.

Note: Kindle Create currently supports eBooks written in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Print books are not available in Gujarati, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, or Tamil.

Opt in to Kindle Create Early Access Beta features for access to Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Marthi, and Gujarati.



Step 1

Download Kindle Create for PC / Mac

  1. If you haven't done so, download Kindle Create.
  2. Double-click on the downloaded installer and install the tool.

Step 2

Import unformatted file into Kindle Create

  1. To import the manuscript file, start Kindle Create and click Create New.
  2. Click Choose and find the doc/docx manuscript file on your computer and open it.

Step 3

Insert Kindle Interactive TOC

  1. After Kindle Create imports the file, it will automatically find and format the chapter titles.

    list of detected chapter titles in Kindle Create

  2. Make sure the chapters Kindle Create found are correct.
  3. When you're done, click Accept Selected. This formats your chapter titles and adds them to the Kindle TOC in the Body section.
  4. The interactive TOC is now created and will displayed in the Kindle menu, accessible from anywhere in the book.
Kindle Create displays your book in three sections: Front Matter, Body, and Back Matter. You can split, merge, or rearrange chapters as needed. Visit Kindle Create Tutorial for detailed instructions.


Instructions for creating a Kindle Interactive TOC in Word


PC instructions
Step 1

Apply chapter styles

  1. Highlight your first chapter title.
  2. Go to the Home tab.
  3. In the "Styles" section, click Heading 1.
  4. Repeat these steps for all chapter titles.

Step 2

Insert TOC

  1. Click where you want to insert your table of contents.
  2. Go to the References tab and click Table of Contents.
  3. Choose Automatic Table 1.
  4. Click Table of Contents again, but this time choose Custom Table of Contents.
  5. In the dialog box that appears, clear the Show Page Numbers box.
  6. Set Show levels to 1 and click OK.
  7. When asked if you want to replace the table of contents, click OK.

Step 3

Add bookmark

  1. Highlight the table of contents title "Contents."
  2. Go to the Insert tab.
  3. In the "Links" section, click Bookmark.
  4. In the Bookmark name field, enter "toc" (without quotes), and click Add.
  5. Insert a page break after your table of contents.


Mac instructions

Step 1

Apply chapter styles

  1. Highlight your first chapter title.
  2. Go to the Home tab.
  3. Under "Styles," click Heading 1.
  4. Repeat these steps for all chapter titles.

Step 2

Insert TOC

  1. Click where you want to insert your table of contents.
  2. Go to the References tab and click Table of Contents.
  3. Choose Classic.
  4. Click Table of Contents again, but this time choose Custom Table of Contents.
  5. In the dialog box that appears, clear the Show Page Numbers box.
  6. Set Show levels to 1 and click OK.
  7. When asked if you want to replace the table of contents, click Yes.

Step 3

Add bookmark

  1. Highlight the table of contents title "Table of Contents."
  2. Go to the Insert tab.
  3. Click Links section and choose Bookmark.
  4. In the Bookmark name field, enter "toc" (without quotes), and click Add.
  5. Insert a page break after your table of contents.


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