A table of contents is an essential part of any long PowerPoint presentation. It allows the audience to quickly navigate to different sections and provides an overview of the key topics covered.
This comprehensive guide will teach you how to easily create a table of contents in PowerPoint.
Why Add a Table of Contents to Your PowerPoint Presentation
Here are some of the key benefits of including a table of contents in your PowerPoint slides:
- Provides structure and organization – A TOC gives the presentation a clear structure and helps the audience understand how information is organized.
- Enhances navigation – With a TOC, viewers can quickly jump to the slide they want instead of endlessly scrolling.
- Sets expectations – It gives the audience an overview of topics that will be covered before diving into the presentation.
- Improves accessibility – A TOC makes content easier to access for all users.
In summary, a table of contents improves the viewer experience and makes your presentation more professional.
How to Manually Create a Table of Contents
Creating a manual table of contents is easy and only takes a few steps:
Add a New Slide
First, insert a new slide where you want the TOC to appear. This is usually after the title slide as slide #2.
List Headings and Subheadings
Next, list the headings and subheadings you want to include in the order they appear.
Format the text hierarchy properly – use larger fonts for main headings and smaller fonts for sub-sections.
You can also add slide numbers next to headings if needed.
Table of contents example
Insert Hyperlinks
Now turn the TOC items into hyperlinks. Highlight a heading and insert a hyperlink to its corresponding slide.
Repeat this for all sections. This lets users instantly jump between slides when clicked.
How to Automatically Generate a Table of Contents
Manually creating a TOC can be time-consuming. Luckily, there’s a faster way to do it automatically.
Add Slide Titles
First, make sure all slides have descriptive titles. This text will be used for the TOC sections.
Go to the “View” tab and select “Slide Master”. Ensure all layouts have title placeholders.
Insert Automatic Table
From the “References” tab, click on the “Table of Contents” button and pick a format.
Voila! PowerPoint automatically generates a TOC by pulling slide titles.
Now you can instantly update it if slides change.
Table of Contents Design Tips
You can customize the look of your table of contents to match your PowerPoint template:
Use Styles
Format the text with Heading 1, Heading 2 etc. styles for visual hierarchy.
Enable the “Show Levels” option to add indentation too.
Add Color
Use colors to differentiate between main and subtopics. For example, make main headings dark blue and subsections light blue.
Include Slide Previews
Consider adding thumbnail images next to section names so the audience can visualize the content.
Replace Text with Icons
Use icons or emoji instead of/along with topic names to make your TOC more visual.
Update an Existing Table of Contents
Over time, your presentation outline might change leading to an outdated TOC. Instead of re-creating from scratch, quickly update it:
On the “References” tab, click the “Update Table” button and choose to update either page numbers only or the entire table. PowerPoint scans the presentation and refreshes the TOC accordingly.
Organize Content with Zoom
Zoom is a PowerPoint feature that lets you access individual slides easily while presenting:
Go to the “Slide Show” tab and choose the Zoom drop-down menu. Select a heading from your TOC to instantly jump to that slide.
This works seamlessly with a table of contents for smooth navigation.
Convert Presentation to Video
Want to transform your PowerPoint slides into a pre-recorded video?
Tools like Animiz easily convert PPT files into MP4 videos while keeping animations and transitions intact.
Embed your video in websites, apps, social media and more!
Over to You!
A table of contents may seem like a small addition but it enhances comprehension and user experience tremendously.
Implement the quick tips covered in this guide to create functional yet visually appealing tables of content for your PowerPoint decks.
Focus on slide design, transitions and delivery while letting the TOC handle organization and navigation!
