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How to add a table of contents in Confluence Cloud
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How to add a table of contents in Confluence Cloud

A headshot of Holly Aspinall
Holly Aspinall
9 January 2025
2 min read
A book open on its contents page on a stylised background
A headshot of Holly Aspinall
Holly Aspinall
9 January 2025
2 min read
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How to add a table of contents in Confluence
Customise your Confluence table of contents
Reasons to add a Confluence table of contents

Adding a Confluence table of contents has numerous benefits for your pages. Make navigation easier for you and other users with these simple steps.

A table of contents on a page makes it easier for users to find the information they need, but did you know that there are other ways that a Confluence table of contents can improve pages?

Curious about other ways to optimise page navigation? Enhance your Confluence pages further with tabs, numbered headings, and more - all included with Content Formatting Macros. Try it for free today!

How to add a table of contents in Confluence

  1. Go to edit mode and type in the keyboard shortcut /table of contents. Choose the "Table of contents" macro in the dropdown.
  2. In the sidebar, use the Basic tab to customise the look of your table of contents and which heading levels to display.
  3. In the Advanced tab (optional), configure more advanced options, such as excluding specific headings.
  4. Press Publish or Update on your page to share your new table of contents.

Note: If your page already has headings, they will automatically appear in the table. Otherwise, you'll need to format your text to have headings on the page. You can learn more with our guide to formatting text in Confluence.

You now have a table of contents for your page! Keep reading to find out how you can configure your table contents for your needs.
Bring your Confluence pages to life with numbered headings, tabs, and more. Try Content Formatting Macros free today.

Customise your Confluence table of contents


In editing mode, click the Table of Contents macro followed by the pencil Edit icon.
A screenshot of the table of contents macro in Confluence

Basic customisation

  • Under Display as, select whether you want your list of contents to appear vertically or horizontally.

  • Under Bullet style, choose whether items on your list are separated by square brackets, bullet points, numbers, and more.
A GIF of a user customising a table of contents in Confluence
  • Choose which level of headings (e.g. Heading 2 to Heading 3) you want to show up in the table.

  • Toggle to include section numbers in addition to bullet points.
A screenshot of a table of contents in Confluence with both numbers and bullet points

Advanced customisation

  • Indent the headings that show within your table of contents. For this, you’ll need to enter a valid CSS value.

  • Filter to include or exclude headings containing certain words, phrases, or numbers. Make sure to separate different expressions that you want to filter by typing a comma between each.
A screenshot of the Include headings with filter for a table of contents in Confluence
  • If you want to use custom styling for your table of contents, you can assign a CSS class name that is referenced in your CSS style sheet.

  • Select whether or not you want to allow your table of contents to be exported as a PDF.

Now you have everything you need to keep users coming back - and improve the user experience for yourself, too.

Reasons to add a Confluence table of contents

  • Improve navigation: Users can easily find relevant information without scrolling through the entire page, saving time and effort.

  • Ensure accessibility: A table of contents can improve accessibility for users who rely on screen readers or have other accessibility needs, allowing them to navigate the content more efficiently.

  • Enhance documentation and knowledge management: In Confluence, a table of contents serves as a roadmap for documenting and organising information, making it easier to maintain and update content over time.

  • Boost searchability: Including a table of contents with relevant keywords and links can make a page easier to find when searching in Confluence.

Improve your Confluence page structure

Content Formatting Macros includes numbered headings, tabs, and more to make pages more engaging than ever.
Written by
A headshot of Holly Aspinall
Holly Aspinall
Content Marketing Manager
As an experienced Content Marketing Manager, Holly is dedicated to writing valuable, accessible guides that help users understand their tools better and get more out of their workday.

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