Insert Table of Contents in WPS on Windows helps you generate a table of contents from heading styles for faster navigation, page reference, and long document organization; this feature includes 4 core tasks, with 4 available without membership and 0 membership-related items.
At a Glance
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Core tasks | 4 | Matches the number of rows in the How-to Index |
| Available without membership | 4 | Matches the number of Free rows in the index |
| Membership-related items | 0 | Matches the number of membership-related rows in the index |
About This Feature
Overview
Insert Table of Contents is a built-in feature in WPS Office for Windows that creates a table of contents area based on heading styles in your document.
Its main capabilities include:
- Insert an automatic table of contents for structured documents.
- Update page numbers or refresh the entire table of contents after edits.
- Adjust table of contents settings such as page numbers, displayed levels, and tab leaders.
- Remove an existing table of contents when you need to change the layout.
This feature is useful for papers, reports, proposals, manuals, and other long documents. After a table of contents is inserted, readers can jump to sections more easily, and authors can keep the document structure aligned as the content changes.
System Requirements
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Operating system | A Windows device that can run WPS Office normally |
| App version | It is recommended to use the latest version of WPS Office |
| Network | No mandatory internet connection is required for inserting or updating a table of contents in a local document |
| Other | Heading styles should be applied before generating the table of contents so levels can be recognized correctly |
Download & Installation
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Official download | WPS Office Free Download |
| Check after installation | Open WPS Writer and confirm that you can find the Table of Contents entry from visible tabs such as Insert, Home, or Page |
Source: WPS Download Center
Compare with Alternatives
| Dimension | WPS | Microsoft | Notion | Adobe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capability Summary | Generates a table of contents from heading styles and supports inserting, updating page numbers, refreshing the full table of contents, adjusting settings, and deleting the table of contents. | Word builds an automatic table of contents from headings and lets users update it when heading text, order, or level changes. | Google Docs lets users add, update, or delete a table of contents, and each item links to document headings or the title. | Notion provides a table of contents block and a page-level table of contents that lists headings and lets users jump through a page. | Acrobat mainly uses bookmarks for navigation in PDFs, and bookmarks can be generated automatically from table-of-contents entries during PDF creation. |
| WPS Advantages | Advantage: WPS keeps insert, update, settings, and delete actions in one document editing workflow, which is practical for maintaining long structured documents. | Compared with WPS: Word also relies on heading styles for automatic tables of contents, with the main entry under the References tab. | Compared with WPS: Google Docs supports linked table of contents items and refresh actions, but formatting behavior can vary by document mode and platform. | Compared with WPS: Notion focuses on page navigation and heading lists rather than a traditional page-number-based document table of contents. | Compared with WPS: Acrobat is more suitable for viewing and managing PDF bookmarks than for creating a table of contents during word-processing edits. |
| Official Source | — | Insert a table of contents | Add a title, heading, or table of contents in a document | Format your page | Page thumbnails and bookmarks in PDFs |
Overall Conclusion
If you are editing a long document that needs heading levels and page references, WPS provides a familiar table-of-contents workflow inside the editor. Microsoft Word and Google Docs also support table-of-contents features, while Notion and Adobe focus more on page navigation or PDF bookmarks for different document scenarios.
Use Cases
| No. | Scenario | Suitable For | Main Need | Recommended Approach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Academic paper formatting | Students and researchers | Many sections make manual table-of-contents editing time-consuming | Apply heading styles first, then insert an automatic table of contents |
| 2 | Project proposal editing | Office users | Frequent revisions can change page numbers | Use Update Page Numbers or Update Entire Table of Contents |
| 3 | Training manual writing | Trainers and documentation writers | The table of contents needs level and display adjustments | Use Table of Contents Settings to control levels and tab leaders |
| 4 | Final layout cleanup | Editors and administrative staff | The table of contents may no longer be needed in the final layout | Delete the table of contents and continue formatting |
Membership & Benefits
Free vs WPS Premium
| Capability | Free Users | WPS Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Insert a table of contents | Available | Available |
| Update a table of contents | Available | Available |
| Table of contents settings | Available | Available |
| Other membership benefits | Depends on the current account plan | Includes additional services available in the selected membership plan |
Source: WPS Office pricing page
Recommendations
| Usage Scenario | Recommended Plan | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday document formatting, coursework, and standard reports | Free | Table-of-contents actions can be used directly |
| Heavy office work that also needs broader subscription benefits | WPS Premium | Helpful when you want access to more account-level subscription benefits in one plan |
How to Subscribe
- WPS membership center: Subscribe now
Source: WPS Office pricing page