How to Make Index Page in Word: A Step-by-Step Guide

To give a long Word document its own index page, first mark the topics readers will look for. Then start a new page and insert Word’s generated index there. The index can grow beyond one page as you add entries.

Contents hide

1 Mark useful entries

2 Start the index on a new page

Mark useful entries

In desktop Word, select a key word or phrase where it is discussed and choose References > Mark Entry.
In the Mark Index Entry dialog, adjust the Main entry wording if needed. Add a subentry or a “See” cross-reference when that helps readers.
Choose Mark for that occurrence or Mark All for matching text throughout the document. Repeat for the important topics.

Word stores each marked item in an XE field. The visible word in the document and the text inside the XE field are separate: changing the visible word alone does not necessarily change the index entry. Choose Home > Show/Hide ¶ to find XE fields when you need to edit an entry.

If you marked the wrong word or no longer want it in the index, here is how to remove a mark entry by deleting its XE field.

Start the index on a new page

Click after the document’s main text and insert a page break with Ctrl+Enter on Windows or Insert > Page Break. Type an optional “Index” heading.
Click below that heading and choose References > Insert Index. Review the format, columns, page-number alignment, and leaders, then choose OK.
Inspect the alphabetized entries and page numbers. If the list extends onto another page, let Word continue it rather than manually squeezing the entries.

After adding or changing entries, click the index and press F9 or choose References > Update Index. To remove an entry, delete its entire XE field and update. For a more detailed treatment of subentries and field editing, see our Word index guide.

An index lists topics alphabetically. If you want the document’s headings in reading order, create a table of contents instead.