How to Make a Table of Contents in PowerPoint in 60 Seconds

A table of contents in PowerPoint can really set the stage for your reader or audience to see where the presentation is headed. Let's learn how to make a table of contents in PowerPoint in this quick lesson.

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Note: In this tutorial we use the Iconic PowerPoint Template. You can get great PPT presentation templates on Envato Elements or in our Ultimate Guide to the Best Microsoft PowerPoint Templates.

How to Make a Table of Contents in PowerPoint

Note: Watch this short tutorial screencast or follow the quick steps below that complement this video.

1. Open Your PowerPoint Presentation

Start off with a blank PowerPoint slide that you can add a table of contents (TOC) to.

2. Copy Your PowerPoint Presentation Structure

Go to the View menu and choose Outline View. This shows a simpler view of the content structure of our presentation in the sidebar. I'm going to highlight the sidebar and copy it to my clipboard with Ctrl+C on Windows or Cmd+C on Mac.

Now I'm going to switch back to Normal View for the rest of the tutorial.

3. Add the PowerPoint TOC Information

On that blank slide I'll just paste what was on my clipboard here onto the slide. I've got all of the points that I need here.

Paste in your clipboard information to make a table of contents in PowerPoint — To make a table of contents in PowerPoint, paste the presentation structure onto a blank slide.

This is really how an outline can take shape quickly in Microsoft PowerPoint, as it carried through the basic outline of the content as a list.

4. Finalize Your PowerPoint Table of Contents

It might need some adjustments, but this is a great start. When you paste over the points from Outline View, you may need to clean it up or add or remove points. Still, this gives you a big head start over re-creating one from the start.

Adjusting a PowerPoint table of contents — Once you've copied the information onto your blank slide, you may need to make some adjustments to your PowerPoint table of contents.

Finishing Up!

This table of contents method is the fastest and best way I know to add a TOC to your PowerPoint presentation.

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We also have the perfect complement to this tutorial, which will walk you through the complete presentation process. Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully.

Free eBook PDF Download Make a Great Presentation

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