Learn how to do an automatic index in Word in 3 steps

A great puzzle for many people is to create index for a document. Most know that it is possible to create it automatically, but it ends up having problems configuring it in ways to be generated in a well structured way.

Today we are going to show you how to create a automatic index in 3 steps.

What do we need to automatically generate the index?

To insert an automatic index correctly, we have to ensure that the document has 2 items properly defined:

1. Titles and Subtitles
2. Sizing.

It is recommended that the index creation process be done after the document is finalized, although the index can be updated at any time, much because the 2 items above indicated end up being requirements for everything to work properly.

1. Defining and Formatting Title and Subtitle Styles

It's a good idea to start with map titles and subtitles of the document. This is one of the most important steps in this process.

In order for the index to be generated automatically, it is necessary to indicate to the Microsoft Word which are the titles and subtitles of the document, which are the items that make up the index. This process is facilitated using the “Styles”Already predefined in Word.

Styles are predefined formatting. Styles allow you to set the font size, color, and type, etc. They are used to make it easier to format a group of text that has the same characteristics (font, size, color, etc.), for example: Quotations, Enfäses, Paragraphs, Titles, etc.

For the issue we are dealing with here, we will use the Titles. Word has predefined 3 types of Titles:

• Title 1: To indicate Titles
• 2 Title: To indicate the Subtitles
• 3 Title: To indicate the Subtitles

The process of identifying titles is simple. Just select the title and then go to the Styles tab and click on the corresponding title, as shown in the image below.

This process must be repeated for all titles "Title 1" and subtitles "Title 2 or 3".

• Use the Brush

This activity can be facilitated using the brush. The Brush is a kind of Copy / Paste for formatting. We can select a title, click 2 times in the Brush and pass the Brush for all titles of the same type and then repeat the process for the subtitles.

2. Enter Numbering

Inserting numbering is a simple procedure. Just go to the guide Insert »Page Number (image below) to enter the numbers. To learn more about page numbering see our article “Number a Word file from a given page".

3. Insert Auto Index

After we have completed steps 1 and 2, the easiest part comes and makes all the “magic” happen. We choose the page we want to insert the index, we go to the References tab, the Contents tab, click the Summary command and we choose the desired index model and in this way we insert the index into the document.

If you have changed the document after entering the document, you can simply be updated. Word allows 2 index update types: The entire index (Titles, Subtitles and Page Numbering) and only the numbering of the pages.

Extra: Formatting and Modifying Styles

The index creation process is finished, but we may not be satisfied with the formatting of the titles. As previously stated, Word Styles are predefined with some formatting that can be changed. If you apply the titles to your document, you do not like the formatting, you can change the formatting of the Titles and the document will update the formatting of the titles.

To do this, simply go to the Styles tab, place the cursor on the title you want to change the formatting, right click on the mouse and it will show you several options including modify.

This option allows us to change the title name, font type, size, alignment, color, among other features.

 

Viewer discretion: Remember that there may be some difference in the language or location of the features, depending on the version and language do office, but as a rule the procedure is the same.

So is it a useful tip? Do you have a different way of doing this? Share your experience with us.