Do you want to give your audience a preview of the slides-to-come in your next presentation?
Learn how to insert table of contents in PowerPoint slides.
A PowerPoint contents page gives context in an in-person business presentation. Use a table of contents in PPT for a slideshow you download online. It can be a quick way for readers to navigate through your slides.
It's easy to insert a table of contents in PowerPoint once you know how. We'll show you what to do in this tutorial. Also find a video guide that makes it easy to follow.
The Free Guide to Building Amazing Business Presentations (eBook)
We also have a helpful complement to this tutorial. Download our FREE eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations. Grab it now before you read on.
How to Make a Table of Contents in PowerPoint (Video)
Do you want to learn how to add table of contents in PowerPoint? Our video tutorial is sure to be a major help.
You’ll see table of contents in PPT tips and shortcuts to help you get started. You’ll know how to make your own PowerPoint table of contents in no time!
Check out the video below to learn how to make a table of contents in PowerPoint. You'll start with a table of contents in PPT template, then learn how to customize it.
Want to follow along step-by-step with an illustrated guide? Keep reading to see a written version of the tutorial.
You'll find great tips to master how to insert a table of contents in PowerPoint.
Jump to content in this section:
How to Make a Table of Contents in PowerPoint
A table of contents in PowerPoint is the hub for your presentation.
It’s the fastest way to navigate between slides while organizing your ideas. Table of contents PPT slides have many advantages:
- They help you keep your agenda together.
- They show your audience how your slide narrative flows.
- They help you create quick reference points to jump between slides.
For these reasons and more, you should always include a table of contents in PPT.
Let’s learn how to build one. Then, how to quickly customize the layouts to add your own style.
Want to follow along as we build a table of contents in PowerPoint?
We’ll be using the Agio PowerPoint Template from Envato Elements.
1. Launch Your Presentation
Any slide deck needs a table of contents in PPT. Normally, these should be at the front of the slides.
Often, designers will build a title slide, with the table of contents in PowerPoint on the next slide. This is also how books are often printed.
When you think of how to make a table of contents in PowerPoint slides, think about your workflow.
Build out the table of contents in PPT after you’ve completed work on your other slides.
Begin by opening your presentation in PowerPoint.
We’ll use slide #19 to learn how to create table of contents in PowerPoint slides. It's got a sizable placeholder for an eye-catching image. This will get the audience's attention and balance out the slide.
Before I add the sections to my PPT table of contents, I'll add a bit of pizzaz.
Slide 19 has the perfect image placeholder. I used a stock photo from Envato Elements to add visually interesting elements to my slide.
As we create table of contents in PowerPoint slides, we'll add links. These make it easy to navigate between slides.
Remember, your table of contents PowerPoint is a central hub for all your content.
2. Study Your Outline
PowerPoint’s Outline View helps you start to build a table of contents slide. It maps out the content in your presentation.
With Outline View, you can decide what you want to share in your PPT table of contents. You can use it to create table of contents in PowerPoint slides with ease.
To access Outline View, begin by going to the View tab. You’ll find this on PowerPoint’s ribbon.
Click on Outline View, and you can rapidly scroll through all your table of contents PPT slides. This gives you a feel for how your content - and your narrative - flows together.
Use the Outline View as a basis for creating an outline slide in a table of contents PPT.
When you’re finished building and viewing your outline, click Normal on the View tab.
This returns you to PowerPoint’s main editing screen. Slide #2 has a blank text box where we’ll place our table of contents PowerPoint.
3. Indent the Table of Contents PPT Layout
Some topics on your table of contents PPT may be subsets of others.
A visual way to show this is to indent certain lines of text. By having the slide titles offset, you can illustrate how topics best fit together.
Indenting text in PowerPoint is very easy.
To begin, click to the immediate left of a word or phrase that you want to indent. Then, for a single indention, hit the Tab key once on your keyboard.
Notice that the text immediately shifts to the right.
Use this step on your table of contents in PPT. You’ll see how to make table of contents in PowerPoint designs with a clear layout.
4. Add Links to Reference Slides
With the text box selected, it’s time to add the first item in the table of contents PPT.
When you think of how to make table of contents in PowerPoint slides, always use links.
To add links, click into the text box to select it on slide #2.
Go to the Insert tab, also found in PowerPoint’s ribbon. Near the middle, you’ll see the Link button. Go ahead and click on this.
At the bottom of the dropdown, choose Insert Link. PowerPoint will launch the Insert Hyperlink menu. From here, you can start building your linked PowerPoint table of contents!
In the Link to group, choose Place in This Document. Then, give your link a name by typing it into the Text to display box at the top.
Find the content that you want to link to in the Select a place in this document field. Click once on the slide that you want to link to. Then, click OK.
PowerPoint will add the text and link to your slide. Just like that, you’ve started building your own table of contents slide!
Depending on the template, you may need to change the font color to make it readable. More on that PPT table of contents trick below!
From here, go ahead and repeat the same steps. You can link to more slides until you’ve completed a robust table of contents PPT.
This is how to create table of contents in PowerPoint designs fast.
5. Explore the Finished Table of Contents
You’ve seen how to make a table of contents in PowerPoint.
Now, you need to review it. Any time you insert links, you should always check them.
It's crucial that the links connect to other slides. This prevents surprises later where links don’t work in front of your audience.
To demo your table of contents slide, it’s best to use the Slide Show view.
If you’re working on slide #2, click the Slide Show tab on PowerPoint’s ribbon. On the upper left, choose From Current Slide in the Start Slide Show group.
Now, you can try out each of your links in the PPT table of contents.
Test out your table of contents in PPT with this preview. Watch as PPT transports you to the linked slides.
There’s no need to scroll back and forth to find the content that you’re looking for. Links are how to insert table of contents in PowerPoint slides in the best way possible.
How to Quickly Customize a Table of Contents PowerPoint Slide
We’ve learned how to add table of contents in PowerPoint presentations. But your creative control doesn’t stop there.
Once you’ve built the framework of your table of contents PPT, you’re only getting started. The layout we created is rather basic.
By making a few basic changes, you can boost the style of your table of contents in PowerPoint.
Let’s learn how, once again using the Agio template and slide layout that we made above.
1. Use Custom Fonts
It’s easy to forget that fonts are part of your style. By using custom fonts, you can use your table of contents PPT to make a great first impression.
Custom fonts are available on Envato Elements. Browse the vast library today and choose from countless options.
Once you’ve downloaded and installed these fonts, you can add them to your table of contents PowerPoint.
With text selected, find the Home tab on the ribbon. Click on the Font dropdown and scroll through the list.
Click on your new favorites to apply them to your selected text.
This is how to create table of contents in PowerPoint slides that always look their best.
2. Add Text Effects
Text effects are another way to ramp up the style of your PowerPoint contents page. You’ll want to work on the Home tab with text selected.
Bold text captures the eye of readers. Why not make the most of that fact in your table of contents in PowerPoint?
To add text effects, click on the buttons in the Font section. These include bold, italics, and more.
Plus, you can change the font color. Open the Font Color dropdown and choosing one of the styles inside.
Repeat throughout your table of contents PPT as needed.
3. Change the Color Palette
Shapes are easy ways to change the look and feel of your table of contents in PPT.
By changing their color, you can add your own style to the slide. This is useful if you want to match your presentation’s colors to your brand’s palette.
To change the color palette, begin by clicking on the shape or object to select it. Notice a new tab appears on the ribbon: Shape Format. Click it, then open up the Shape Fill dropdown.
From this color chooser, you can add an array of new solid, gradient, or texture colors to your slide.
Try not to be too flashy with the use of color. But a little does go a long way towards upgrading your design.
4. Rearrange Slide Objects
Once you insert table of contents PowerPoint slides, you’ve seen how to customize them.
Last but not least, you can rearrange objects on the slide to make it look its best.
For example, you can move shapes and other objects. These objects balance out your PPT table of contents design with a bit of pizzaz.
To rearrange, click to select the shape. Then, using your mouse or cursor, begin dragging them around the slide.
When you’ve found a new home for a given object, release your cursor. PowerPoint drop them into their new position.
Repeat this with other objects until you've got a table of contents in PowerPoint that looks perfect for your next project.
That's it! You just learned how to add table of contents in PowerPoint slides. A PPT table of contents makes it so easy to maneuver within the presentation.
Plus, table of contents in PPT paints a picture of how your presentation will progress. Your audience is sure to appreciate this helpful guide.
More Great PowerPoint Tutorials on Envato Tuts+
You just learned how to add table of contents in PowerPoint. But there are so many more skills to master in PowerPoint!
Find more PowerPoint tutorials on Envato Tuts+ to help you make better presentations. Learn all types of skills that add to your knowledge on table of contents in PowerPoint.
Here are a few PowerPoint videos to jump into right now:
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Find More PowerPoint Templates
The best way to make an amazing PowerPoint table of contents is with a stunning template. These help every table of contents in PPT look its very best! And templates even make it easier to learn how to add table of contents in PowerPoint.
Here are some collections of our favorite PowerPoint slide templates. Use them to craft a table of contents slide and so much more:
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35 Best PowerPoint Template Designs (For 2023 Presentations)![]()
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30+ Animated PowerPoint PPT Templates (With Cool Interactive Slides for 2024)![]()
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25 Creative PowerPoint Templates: PPT Slides to Present Innovative Ideas (2023)![]()
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28 Marketing PowerPoint Templates: Best PPTs to Present Your Plans in 2023![]()
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20+ Best Free PowerPoint PPT Table of Contents Templates - Download 2023![]()
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The Top Source for the Very Best Microsoft PowerPoint Table of Contents Templates (With Unlimited Downloads)
Premium PowerPoint templates help you build an amazing table of contents slide with ease.
The ultimate source for these templates is Envato Elements. For a flat monthly rate, you can download and use as many premium PPT templates as you want!
And that isn’t all. Elements includes millions of other digital assets. Among these are fonts, stock photos, graphics, and more.
These pair perfectly with your slides, and help you create great PowerPoint table of contents designs.
The unlimited downloads offer gives you unmatched flexibility. Premium templates help your presentations look their very best.
If you want to be sure to impress your audience, these are essential. It’s a winning investment in you and your personal brand.
They feature content placeholders and inspired slide designs. All you have to do is drop your own words and media into place! The expertly-designed templates handle the stylistic design work for you.
And now, it’s easier than ever to find the perfect digital content on Envato Elements!
We’ve just launched a brand-new AI-powered search assistant. With it, you can simply describe your project needs in a few words. In moments, you’ll see a curated collection of the best content from the vast Envato Elements library. It makes finding the perfect multimedia a breeze.
So, what are you waiting for? Join Elements today and start exploring. You'll even find templates that make it easier to learn how to create table of contents in PowerPoint!
Make Great Presentations (Free PDF eBook Download)
We also have the perfect complement to this PowerPoint table of contents tutorial. It walks you through the complete presentation process.
Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully.
Download our eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations.
It's available for free with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.
You Just Learned How to Create Table of Contents in PowerPoint
Every great adventure starts with a map of where the path leads. That's exactly the purpose of a table of contents in PPT.
You learned how to create table of contents in PowerPoint. This way you give your viewer a map of your presentation.
The premium designs you saw in this tutorial are the best way practice how to create a PowerPoint table of contents page.
It's so much easier to learn how to add table of contents in PowerPoint when you've got a template. It gives you all the placeholders you need to show you what you need in a PowerPoint contents page.
If you opened PowerPoint, don't move on to the main content before you insert a table of contents PowerPoint slide.
Grab a template, add your table of contents in PowerPoint. Your audience will thank you later.
Note: This tutorial has been comprehensively updated with help from Andrew Childress. Video by Andrew Childress.
