You've put a lot of work into your PowerPoint presentation and want it to be well-received by your audience? Then don't forget to include a PowerPoint table of contents. This will give your listeners a good overview of your presentation right from the start.
We'll show you how to easily create your own table of contents in just a few steps and with various options.
Why you should use a table of contents
A professional PowerPoint presentation also includes a table of contents. This shows your audience right at the beginning of your presentation what they can expect. At the same time, the PowerPoint table of contents provides structure and organization and demonstrates to the audience that your PowerPoint presentation is well-thought-out and professional.
A first glimpse into the topics of the presentation can also pique the audience's interest. Furthermore, linking individual slides allows for quicker access to the relevant slide if questions arise.
What is the structure of an effective PowerPoint table of contents?
To resonate with your audience, your table of contents should be clear, well-organized, and easy to understand . This helps viewers grasp the structure of your presentation at a glance.
Providing a precise outline is simply impossible, as every presentation is structured differently and pursues different goals. Therefore, carefully plan the structure of your presentation, outlining the logical main arguments or points you want to present in each section.
This ensures that your presentation is coherent, well-organized, and easy to follow . A well-thought-out structure also helps make your table of contents clear and user-friendly . Generally, you can follow these guidelines:
Start by outlining your main topics or sections, and then add sub-points to represent the most important sub-topics or key points.
Each heading represents a main topic or section of your presentation, while the sub-points represent the most important sub-topics or key points within that section.
Make sure to use concise and informative titles that clearly and unambiguously describe the content of each section. This makes it easier for the audience to quickly grasp the different parts of your presentation and helps you to effectively convey the key messages.
Tip: Pay attention to formatting and font.
An appealing and effective table of contents in PowerPoint is not only well-organized, but also visually appealing and easy to read .
Ensure consistent formatting and fonts to keep the focus on the content and create a harmonious appearance. Make sure to clearly indicate the hierarchy of different levels through indentation or varying font sizes.
This will improve readability and allow viewers to better understand the connections between the different parts of your presentation. If needed, you can also use numbered or bulleted points to emphasize the order of the points.
Choose colors and design elements that match the overall design of your presentation , and avoid excessive decorations that could distract from the clarity of the content.
Adapt your PowerPoint table of contents to your presentation type and target audience by, for example, choosing formal or informal styles or incorporating additional visual elements such as symbols or pictograms to highlight specific topics.
Creating a PowerPoint table of contents: 2 variations + extra tip
Option 1: Creating an automatic table of contents in PowerPoint
Note: For the following step-by-step instructions, we are using PowerPoint from the Office 365 suite.
One way to create a PowerPoint table of contents is the automatic table of contents feature . You can set this up as follows:
- Start Microsoft PowerPoint and open the presentation that you want to include a table of contents.
- Now, add a slide where you want to place the table of contents. To do this, click in the left sidebar between the two slides where you want to insert a new slide, so that a horizontal line appears.
- Next, click on "Home" in the tab and then on "New Slide" in the "Slides" button.
4. Now click on the "View" tab at the top of the tab.
5. The "Presentation Views" group will now appear in the menu. Here you will find the "Outline View" . Select this option. The headings and sub-points of your presentation will then appear in the left sidebar instead of the individual slides.
6. Next, right-click on the left sidebar. In the context menu, find the "Collapse Outline" option. Select the small arrow to the right of this option, and another options menu will open.
7. Here, select the sub-item "Reduce all levels" . In the sidebar on the left, you will now only see the headings of the individual slides.
8. Now, select all headings within the outline using your mouse . Copy them to the clipboard using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C or the right-click command "Copy".
9. Click on "Normal" in the "Presentation Views" button. All your slides will reappear in the left-hand sidebar.
10. Now select the slide on which you want the table of contents to appear. Insert a new text box via the "Insert" tab and the "Text Box" selection. Click inside the newly created text box with your mouse.
11. Now, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + V to paste the copied content (the copied outline) from the clipboard. You can then further format the table of contents as needed. 
Attention: Please note that slide headings may not be visible in the presentation table of contents if you are using a colored background on your slides. In this case, select the entire table of contents and adjust the font color accordingly.
Option 2: Creating a manual table of contents in PowerPoint
The second way to create a PowerPoint table of contents for your presentation is the purely manual method . This works as follows:
- Start Microsoft PowerPoint and open the presentation that you want to include a table of contents.
- As described in point 2 of the section on automatic table of contents, create a new slide at the location where the table of contents should be.
- Select the "Insert" tab and then "Text Box" from the "Text" button. Now insert a new text box with a click. In our example, we've colored the text box on the right blue.
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Now manually enter the desired headings into the table of contents . You can also format the table of contents as desired.
Bonus tip: A visual highlight - SmartArt for your table of contents
As you've already seen, creating a PowerPoint table of contents isn't difficult. Do you want your table of contents to stand out visually and be memorable for your audience? Then give it an extra touch of individuality with SmartArt! Here's how to use SmartArt in your PowerPoint table of contents:
- As before: Open Microsoft Office PowerPoint, select the relevant presentation and insert the table of contents as described above.
- Click on the text box containing your PowerPoint table of contents and select all the text within it by pressing Ctrl + A.
- On the "Home" tab, select "Convert to SmartArt" from the "Paragraph" button.
5. An overview of the various SmartArt templates will now open. Hovering your mouse over each template will show you a preview of what the corresponding SmartArt template would look like, directly in your table of contents. If you don't find a suitable design, you can explore even more options under "More SmartArt Graphics".
6. Once you have chosen a template, you can easily select it with a click . The PowerPoint table of contents will automatically adjust to the selected template. 
7. In the "SmartArt Design" tab, you then have the option to further edit the individual elements. Here you will find "SmartArt Styles," various "Layouts," and the "Change Colors" option. PowerPoint will suggest various color schemes for your table of contents.
8. Among other things, the “SmartArt templates” include 3D effects and other exciting design options for your text blocks and SmartArt. 
9. If you would like to select one of these effects, simply select it with a click.
Link the slides to the table of contents
If you use a PowerPoint table of contents, it's advisable to link it to your slides. This allows you to access the relevant content more quickly and respond immediately to questions from the audience.
- Open your Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentation and insert the table of contents as described above.
- In the table of contents, select the heading that you want to link to the corresponding slide in the presentation.
- In the "Insert" tab, click "Link" in the "Links" button.
- A menu will open; click on the sub-item "Insert link" .
- A pop-up window will now open. Here, under "Link to", select the option "Current document" .
- Under "Select a location in this document," you will see a list of the individual slide titles. Click the slide title that you want to link to the highlighted heading and confirm with "OK." The previously selected heading is now linked in your PowerPoint presentation.
- Apply this principle to all headings in the presentation table of contents.
For advanced users: Creating an interactive table of contents
Are you familiar with the zoom function in PowerPoint? This function allows you to create an interactive table of contents . Each zoomed-in object has a link, so you can display your presentation in any order . There are three different zoom techniques:
a. Summary zoom
The summary zoom feature lets you select the slides from your PowerPoint presentation that you want to use to create an interactive table of contents . The table of contents will be inserted on each selected slide.
b. Section zoom
Use the section zoom to create an interactive table of contents for the first slide of each section . The table of contents will be inserted on the current slide.
c. Slide zoom
Using slide zoom, a zoom object is created with a link to a specific slide . An interactive table of contents is not automatically generated.
Want to use one of the zoom functions? We'll show you how:
Summary zoom (a.)
- Highlight the slide before which the interactive table of contents should be introduced.
- In the "Insert" tab, click on the "Left" group. Select the "Zoom To" command and then click on "Summary Zoom" .
- In the window that now opens, you can select the slides for the interactive table of contents. The pink frame around the content slide and the pink connecting line between the slides indicate which slides belong to a chapter. Here, the slides PresentationLoad, Newsletter, and Design have been selected.
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After you have selected all the desired slides for the table of contents, click the "Insert" button. A slide in the standard design of your presentation will now appear before the selected slide, on which the previously selected slides are inserted as zoom objects.
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Do you want to see all the slides belonging to a chapter during your presentation? Then click on the corresponding zoom object and the slides will be displayed one after the other. After the last slide, the presentation will return to the main content slide, and you can show any other chapter from the presentation.
Section zoom (b.)
Do you want to use section zoom for your presentation? Then you need to divide your presentation into sections beforehand .
- Create a new slide where the zoom objects for the interactive table of contents can be inserted.
- Select this slide and, under the "Insert" tab, in the "Left" group, select the "Zoom" and "Section Zoom" options. The following window will open:
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Here you can select which sections of your presentation should appear in the table of contents . Don't be surprised if you don't see the sections of the individual slides here. After making your selection, click the "Insert" button.
- The zoom objects are now stacked on top of each other and must be manually positioned in the desired location .
Slide zoom (c.)
- Highlight the slide from which you want to switch to the second slide.
- On the "Insert" tab, in the "Left" group, select "Zoom" and then "Slide Zoom" . The same selection window will open as for the previous zoom options.
- Here you can select the slides you want to switch to using the zoom function . Then click "Insert" .
- A thumbnail image of the second slide you selected now appears on the first slide you chose. A simple mouse click on the thumbnail takes you directly to the corresponding slide in full size.
Conclusion: Tables of contents as an overview of your presentation content: Simple and individual.
Tables of contents are essential for your presentations. For better understanding and a clearer overview, it's recommended to use a PowerPoint table of contents . Even for PowerPoint beginners, inserting a presentation table of contents is not rocket science.
You can customize your PowerPoint table of contents to perfectly match your presentation using the table of contents types presented here. By using SmartArt, you can further personalize your table of contents to your exact specifications , ensuring it remains memorable to your audience from the very beginning of your presentation.
You can eliminate time-consuming scrolling during your presentation by using the slide linking function . With one click, you can jump to the desired point in the presentation – take advantage of this!
Do you need help with your table of contents or do you have a general question about PowerPoint? Feel free to contact us at becker@presentationload.de .
Need inspiration for your PowerPoint table of contents? You can find table of contents templates from PresentationLoad here in our shop . For example, take a look at these agendas:
Are you looking for visually appealing and professionally designed slide templates ? Feel free to browse our shop. We have numerous slides on a wide variety of (business) topics available for download. Visit us today! ► To the shop
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