What is the table of contents for excel

Workbooks that contain large datasets are quite difficult to organize data for navigation. You keep on scrolling and just see tabs expanding wide and you have no idea how many items or products are there in each sheet.

Table of content Excel can help you in this situation, but there is no built-in feature that can directly help you in making content tables for ease. Well, we have come up with a few useful methods to make content tables because larger sheets tend to become uncontrollable.

Let’s get started:

How to Create a Table of Content Excel Manually

In this method, you will follow simple steps without being involved in lengthy procedures.

• Enter each sheet’s name and insert links to the cells. Once this step is done, now lets’ move on to the next part:
• Right-click on the worksheet name and make a new sheet. Choose Insert Sheet and type a valid name there.
• Enter the first sheet name in cell B4.
• Put the link to the cell. For this, right-click on the cell and choose the Hyperlink option.
• Choose This document option and click on the sheet name you need to make the list for.
• Cell A1 would be preferable for reference.
• Now, you need to repeat steps 2 and 3 until each sheet has a table of contents.

How Table of Content Excel is Added with Context Menu

In this method, you will be using the context menu for adding a link. Below are the steps to follow:

• Type the sheet tab name and insert a link. By clicking on the link you will be directed to that particular sheet.
• Once you are done with typing all the sheet’s tabs names, right-click on cell B5.
• The Context Menu will open up.
• Choose the Link option.

• To get the Link option, you can also open the Insert tab from the ribbon and then choose Link from the Links menu.

• The Insert Hyperlink box will be there on the screen.
• Choose Place in This Document from the Link to section.
• Now, set cell reference.
• Choose the place where you need to add a hyperlink.
• Click OK.

• Cell B5 has now added a link.

• The same method will be used to add a link in each cell of your content table.

• Click on any tab and you will be directed to that particular sheet tab.

• If you click on the Australia tab, it will take you to the Australia sheet.

How to Make a Table of Content with VBA Code

Below you will find the VBA code that can help you in making a table of content Excel with links. For this, follow the steps:

Open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window by pressing the ALT + F11 key.

Choose the Insert option and then click on Module. Now, copy the below given VBA code in the Code window.

Sub CreateTableofcontents()

‘updateby Extendoffice 20180413

Dim xAlerts As Boolean

Dim I  As Long

Dim xShtIndex As Worksheet

Dim xSht As Variant

xAlerts = Application.DisplayAlerts

Application.DisplayAlerts = False

On Error Resume Next

Sheets(“Table of contents”).Delete

On Error GoTo 0

Set xShtIndex = Sheets.Add(Sheets(1))

xShtIndex.Name = “Table of contents”

I = 1

Cells(1, 1).Value = “Table of contents”

For Each xSht In ThisWorkbook.Sheets

If xSht.Name <> “Table of contents” Then

I = I + 1

xShtIndex.Hyperlinks.Add Cells(I, 1), “”, “‘” & xSht.Name & “‘!A1”, , xSht.Name

End If

Next

Application.DisplayAlerts = xAlerts

End Sub

Press the F5 key and choose the Run button to activate the code.

You will see a table of content Excel in front of all sheets with their names. Click on the sheet name to control the sheet activity.

Summary

You can have a Table of content Excel by using any of the above methods as per your choice. Each method is fairly effective and user-friendly that’s why you don’t need to be worried about it.

In this tutorial, we will teach you how you can make a table of contents in the Excel sheets. Without a proper index, it is very hard to manage and navigate a large Excel workbook. However, Excel does not have a built-in feature to create a table of content. But, with the help of the methods shown in this article you can create an index in your Excel worksheet with ease.

To create an index in your worksheet you can make use of hyperlinks. By using the hyperlink you can make it easy to navigate to a particular sheet/content in the workbook by just clicking on its link. And here’s how you can do that.

Method 1: Create A Table Of Contents In Excel Using Hyperlinks

1. Launch Excel on your computer and open the worksheet in which you want to create a table of content. Now, to create an index you will have to insert a new blank page to your already created worksheet. For inserting a new sheet press shift+F11, as you do that a new page will be added to your worksheet.

2. Now you can change the name of the sheet by clicking on it and then select Rename  option from the menu

3. Next, select any cell on the sheet and right click on it to open the options menu. Now, select the Hyperlink option.

4. As you do that a new tab will open, on this tab select the option Place in This Document from the left side panel. Now select the content you want to add to the index. The selected content will highlight and the name of the content will be shown on the Text to display box at the top of the tab.

5. Now, remove the cell range( A1 in this case) from the content name on the Text to display box and click then on OK.

6. With this, the content with the hyperlink will be added to the table of content

7. Now you can follow steps 3, 4 and 5 to add remaining content to the table. Once created the hyperlink for all the content your index shall look something like this

Now anyone can easily navigate to all the content on your every worksheet by just clicking on the links. But, this method is not feasible for a very large worksheet because here you have to add content to the table one by one which takes a lot of time. However, there is a second method that can help you create an index for a large worksheet within seconds.

ALSO READ: Convert Picture of Table Into Excel

Method 2: Create Index In Excel Worksheet Using VBA Code

VBA stands for Visual Basic for Application. Generally, coders use the VBA editor to create tools for Excel. However, you need not worry if you don’t know how to code because we are going to provide the code. You just have to copy and paste it the editor and you are good to go.

1. Open the Excel worksheet and press  Alt + F11 to enter the VBA editor.

2. Now click on Insert from the toolbar at the top and select Module

3. Now copy and paste the following code in the module

Sub CreateTableofcontents()

    Dim xAlerts As Boolean

    Dim I  As Long

    Dim xShtIndex As Worksheet

    Dim xSht As Variant

    xAlerts = Application.DisplayAlerts

    Application.DisplayAlerts = False

    On Error Resume Next

    Sheets("Table of contents").Delete

    On Error GoTo 0

    Set xShtIndex = Sheets.Add(Sheets(1))

    xShtIndex.Name = "Table of contents"

    I = 1

    Cells(1, 1).Value = "Table of contents"

    For Each xSht In ThisWorkbook.Sheets

        If xSht.Name <> "Table of contents" Then

            I = I + 1

            xShtIndex.Hyperlinks.Add Cells(I, 1), "", "'" & xSht.Name & "'!A1", , xSht.Name

        End If

    Next

    Application.DisplayAlerts = xAlerts

End Sub

4. Run the code by pressing the F5 button or by clicking on the Run button.

5. Next, go to Files and select Close and Return to Microsoft Excel

6. Now you will see the table of content is created with all the hyperlinked content all at once.

Now you can simply click on any of the hyperlinked content to explore it.

Final Thoughts

So that’s how you create a table of content list on Excel for easy navigation of a large worksheet. If you work on Excel then you should definitely learn this skill because it will keep you ahead of all. Also, if you liked our tutorial then do share this article with others as well.

Bottom Line: Learn to create a Table of Contents sheet that automatically updates whenever changes are made to sheets in an Excel workbook.

Skill Level: Intermediate

Download the Excel File

Here’s a link to the file I use in the video that includes the VBA macros.

Create Automatic Updates to Your Table of Contents in Excel

A Table of Contents is a simple yet extremely useful feature in any Excel workbook that contains more than a few sheets.  This one sheet can provide a clickable list of your worksheet labels that link directly to their corresponding sheets.

This post will demonstrate how to create a Table of Contents (TOC) that updates automatically.  The TOC will display an accurate list when you add, remove, or change the names of sheets in the workbook.

Adding a Macro to Create the Table of Contents

In this example I use two macros to update the Table of Contents.

The first macro is the Worksheet_Activate event.  This macro will run every time the user selects the Table of Contents sheet.  The code is stored in the sheet’s code module, and will only run when that particular sheet is activated (selected).

The code in the Worksheet_Activate calls the second macro (TOC_List).  This macro actually recreates the entire Table of Contents on the sheet.

Alternatively, you could put all the code in the TOC_List macro in the Worksheet_Activate event.  I just kept them separate in case you want to use a different macro for the TOC, like the TOC Gallery macro I mention below.

You just have to change the Call line in the Worksheet_Activate macro to call a different macro.  The macro can also be stored in the same code module for the TOC sheet.

Use it in Your Own Workbooks

This solution is very easy to implement in your own workbooks.

All you have to do is copy the TOC tab (provided in the file download above) to your workbook.  All of the code travels with the sheet because it is stored in the sheet’s code module.

Here’s how you can copy the sheet to a different workbook.  It’s always a good idea to save your workbook before adding this sheet that contains VBA code.

1. Right-click on the Table of Contents tab, and then choose “Move or Copy…” in the menu that appears.
   
2. Choose the open workbook that you would like to copy the Table of Contents to.  In my example, I am using a workbook called “200 Sheets.”
   
3. Choose the sheet you want the Table of Contents to appear in front of (usually the first sheet since Tables of Contents are normally found at the beginning).  Then check the “Create a copy” checkbox.  Then select OK.
   
4. The sheet will be copied into the workbook and the Worksheet_Activate event should automatically run to create the new table of contents.

That’s all there is to it.  As with any workbook that contains macros, don’t forget to save it as a macro-enabled file (.xlsm extension).

If you’re new to VBA then checkout my free 3-part video series on getting started with macros & VBA.

VBA Code for Automatically Refreshing the Table of Contents

Here is the VBA code for both macros that you can copy and paste into your own workbook.  You can also find it in the example Excel file that I’ve provided above.

Sub TOC_List()
'Create Table of Contents on this TOC sheet

Dim ws As Worksheet
Dim wsTOC As Worksheet
Dim i As Long

  Application.ScreenUpdating = False
  
  'Set variables
  Const bSkipHidden As Boolean = False 'Change this to True to NOT list hidden sheets
  Const sTitle As String = "B2"
  Const sHeader As String = "B4"
  Set wsTOC = Me 'can change to a worksheet ref if using in a regular code module
  i = 1

  'Clear Cells
  wsTOC.Cells.Clear
  
  'Title
  With wsTOC.Range(sTitle)
    .Value = "Table of Contents"
    .Font.Bold = True
    .Font.Size = .Font.Size + 2
    
    'List header
    .Offset(2).Value = "#"
    .Offset(2, 1).Value = "Sheet Name"
    .Offset(2).Resize(1, 2).Font.Bold = True
  End With
  
  'Create TOC list
  With wsTOC.Range(sHeader)
  
    'Create list
    For Each ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets
        'Skip TOC sheet
        If ws.Name <> wsTOC.Name Then
          'Skipping hidden sheets can be toggled in the variable above
          If bSkipHidden Or ws.Visible = xlSheetVisible Then
            .Offset(i).Value = i
            wsTOC.Hyperlinks.Add Anchor:=.Offset(i, 1), _
                                  Address:="", _
                                  SubAddress:="'" & ws.Name & "'!A1", _
                                  TextToDisplay:=ws.Name
            i = i + 1
          End If
        End If
    Next ws
    
    'Turn filters off
    If wsTOC.AutoFilterMode Then
      wsTOC.Cells.AutoFilter
    End If
    
    'Apply filters
    .Resize(i, 2).AutoFilter
    
    'Formatting
    .Font.Italic = True
    
    'AutoFit
    .Resize(i, 2).Columns.AutoFit
  
  End With
  
  Application.ScreenUpdating = True
  
End Sub

Of course, if you already have a Table of Contents macro that you prefer, you can substitute that code for the TOC_List macro.

How to Skip Hidden Sheets

By default the TOC_List macro will include hidden sheets in the list.  However, I added some code to the macro that allows you to skip hidden sheets.  This is controlled by the bSkipHidden variable that can be set at the top of the macro.

Here is what that section of code looks like in the macro:

'Set variables
Const bSkipHidden As Boolean = False 'Change this to True to NOT list hidden sheets
  Const sTitle As String = "B2"

It is currently set to False, but you can change it to True to skip hidden sheets.  The Table of Contents list will only include the visible sheets in the workbook.  Since the macro runs automatically, the Table of Contents will always be updated to display visible sheets only.

Table of Contents Gallery

At the end of the video I show how this same technique can be used with my Table of Contents Gallery macro.  If you or your users are more visual-oriented, you might be interested in this solution.  Instead of just clickable text, this Table of Contents shows you a snapshot of each sheet in the workbook.  Each image is clickable and will take you directly to the corresponding sheet.

Just a note: This gallery image format does run slower than the list format I described earlier, especially if your workbook has a lot of sheets.

Event-Based Macros

As mentioned before, the Worksheet_Activate event runs any time the user activates the sheet that the code is in.  In other words, it’s event based.  You can set up macros to run based on other events too, such as:

• Whenever you open or close a workbook.
• Changes are made to any cell, or a particular cell.
• Pivot tables are refreshed.

There are a ton of uses for event macros that will help make your files easier to use.  Checkout my post and video on VBA Code Modules & How to Run Macros Based on User Events to learn more.

Professional and User Friendly

Adding a Table of Contents to your workbooks is super easy.  And the great thing is that this one feature has the tendency to impress other users (and hopefully your bosses as well!).  That’s especially true of the gallery format because it looks like you did so much work!

If you would like to explore some other tips and tricks for making your job easier, making your data look more professional, and making your worksheets more user-friendly, check out my video on 5 uses for VBA macros at your job.

I hope that helps.  Please leave a comment below with any questions or suggestions.  Thank you! 🙂

If like me, you create a substantial amount of worksheets in the the one workbook, for certain tasks then a good way to

# 1 help users of the spreadsheet to to navigate your workbook

# 2 give your workbook that professional edge

is to create a Table Of Contents (TOC) on the first worksheet in your Excel workbook.

There is a really quick way to do this in Excel to save you time. Lets get rolling with this great tip… in my example I have renamed my first worksheet as Table Of Contents (TOC), as this is where I am going to put my TOC that will contain the hyperlinks to my other areas of my workbook1. Save your workbook if it has not already been saved. This tip only works with a saved workbook, so if you have just opened a new workbook, and not saved it this won’t work.

1. SAVE YOUR WORKBOOK.
2. Select the cell you want to LINK TO.
3. Point to the cell border, and right click with the mouse.
4. Press the ALT key and and drag the cells to the TOC worksheet.
5. Once the sheet has been activated you can then drag the cells to position you want the hyperlink to be on the TOC worksheet.
6. Release the ALT key and when the pop up menu appears, select “Create Hyperlink Here”

7. The Hyperlink will appear for you with the original cell text.

There it is the quickest way to create a table of contents in Excel.

Let me know if you like this tip.

Do you use table of contents often?.

Other Excel Tip You Might Like.

1. Centre A Title Across An Excel Worksheet.

2. Text Wrapping In Excel

3. Change The Standard Font In Your Excel Workbooks

Want Even More Top Excel Tips?

A How To Excel At Excel Recommended Download.