- 3-minute read
- 5th July 2018
Microsoft Word Tips: Adding an Index
Indexes (or ‘indices’ if you’re a Latin plural lover) are very useful for finding key information in longer documents. And while professional indexing is a specialist skill, Microsoft Word provides a simple way of adding an index to any document yourself. Read on to find out more.
Do I Need an Index?
The short answer is ‘probably not’. If you’re writing fiction or a shorter document, you might want to include a contents page to help the reader navigate your writing. But indexes are only necessary in longer non-fiction writing, where the reader may need to find a specific page quickly.
However, if you are writing a document like this (e.g. a textbook or manual), Microsoft Word can help! The process includes two steps: 1) marking entries; and 2) generating an index.
Step One: Marking Entries
This is the process of marking text so that it appears in your index. To do this:
- Select the text you want to mark as an index entry with the cursor.
- Go to References > Index on the main ribbon.
- Click Mark Entry to open a new dialog box.
- Select the options required and click Mark to mark the term or phrase selected (or click Mark All to mark every use of the selected term throughout the document).
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/index1.png)
The options offered in the Mark Entry dialog box will let you:
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![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/index2.png)
- Link a Subentry (i.e. a similar term) to the main entry.
- Cross-reference a term to another entry in the index.
- Change the page number format (e.g. italics or bold text).
You then need to do this for every term you want to include in your index.
Step Two: Generating an Index
Good news! You’ve done most of the work already by marking entries. All that’s left is adding the index. To do this:
- Place the cursor where you want to add an index.
- Go to References > Index and click Insert Index.
- In the dialog box that opens, select any formatting options required.
- Click OK to insert an index based on the marked terms.
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/index3.png)
If you then make any edits or mark new terms while editing or redrafting, you can update the index at the click of a button by going to References > Index > Update Index.