Customize table of contents style

Last updated on Jun 2, 2026

Learn how to use the table of contents (TOC) styles to define formatting and structure for multiple content lists in Adobe InDesign

TOC styles help you create consistent TOCs by controlling the content included, formatting, and page numbers. Use them to create different lists, such as contents, illustrations, or advertisers, or to reuse the same TOC setup across documents.

Before you being

Apply consistent paragraph styles and decide which ones to include.

Create a new TOC style

Select Layout > Table of Contents Styles, then select New.

Type a name in the TOC Style field.

Type the heading for your TOC in the Title field, then select a paragraph style for the title from the Style drop-down menu.

In the Other Styles list, double-click each paragraph style you want to include in the TOC to move it to the Include Paragraph Styles list.

Select OK.

Customize entry formatting

Create paragraph styles for TOC entries before generating the TOC. Add tab stops and leaders (such as dots) in these styles to align entry text with page numbers.

Select Layout > Table of Contents Styles, then select your TOC style, and choose Edit.

In the Include Paragraph Styles list, select the paragraph style you want to format.

Select More Options to view additional formatting controls.

From the Entry Style drop-down menu, select a paragraph style to format entries using that source style.

Choose Page Number placement by selecting Before Entry, After Entry, or No Page Number, and optionally select a character style from the Style drop-down menu.

In the Between Entry and Number field, specify characters that appear between the entry text and the page number. The default is a Tab Character (^t).

Select OK to save formatting changes.

Import TOC styles from another document

Select Layout > Table of Contents Styles, then select Load.

Navigate to the InDesign document containing the TOC styles you want to copy, select the file, then select Open.

Select OK to import the styles. If paragraph style names in your current document differ from those in the imported TOC style, edit the TOC style to map the correct paragraph styles before generating the TOC.

Configure advanced TOC style options

Select Layout > Table of Contents Styles, then select your style from the Styles list, and choose Edit.

Select More Options to access advanced settings.

In the Include Paragraph Styles list, select a style and adjust its Level number to control hierarchy (Level 1 entries appear as main headings, Level 2 as subentries).

Select Sort Entries in Alphabetical Order if you want entries sorted alphabetically instead of by page order. 
The Include Book Documents option appears only when working with documents in a book file. Select this option to generate a unified TOC across all book documents.

Select Create PDF Bookmarks to automatically add TOC entries to the Bookmarks panel when exporting to PDF.

Select the Numbered Paragraphs drop-down menu to select if the numbered list entries should Include Full Paragraph, Include Number Only, or Exclude Numbers in the TOC.

Select OK.