How to Add a Heading to a Microsoft Word Document

Helpful in making it more readable

If you want a section of your document to stand out, you can use a heading. This is helpful for screen readers, skimming your document, or for adding a table of contents. Here’s how to make a heading in Word and modify its format easily.

Insert a Heading in Word

There are two default sizes of Word’s built-in heading styles; one is 16 points while the other is 13 points. This allows you to use different heading levels for subsections if you like.

Additionally, each heading uses the Calibri Light font style and is colored blue, but you can change these settings as we’ll explain in the next section.

Enter andselect the textyou want to convert to a heading. Go to theHometab and chooseHeading 1orHeading 2in the Styles section of the ribbon.

If necessary, you can expand the Styles group using the down arrow on the bottom right on Windows or bottom of the box in Word for Mac.

You’ll see your selected text update to a heading.

Related:Learn how toclear formatting in Word.

Format a Heading in Word

You can change the appearance of a heading in Microsoft Word like any other text. If you want tochange the font style, color, or size, you can do this easily. Optionally, you can save the new format of the heading style to reuse it.

Select the heading you want to format. Then, use the tools in theFontsection of the ribbon on theHometab or in the floating toolbar that appears.

To save time from formatting each heading one at a time, you can save the new format to the heading style for use elsewhere in the document. After you make the formatting changes you want to a heading, select it.

Go to theHometab and right-click that heading style, whether it’s Heading 1 or Heading 2, in the Styles group where you first selected it. ChooseUpdate Heading to Match Selectionin the shortcut menu.

Moving forward, you’ll have that heading style formatted the same way whenever you use it in the same document.

This does not change the default style for that heading in other Word documents, only the current one.

Tip: You can also use theThemeson theDesigntab to change the appearance of headings and other text.

Use Headings in Word

You’ll notice an arrow appear on the left side of the heading when you hover your cursor over it. With it, you can expand or collapse the content below the heading.

This is convenient if you use the headings to designate sections in your Microsoft Word document. You can collapse the content to more easily work on another section.

In addition, you can jump to a particular heading easily using the Navigation Pane. Go to theViewtab and check the box forNavigation Panein the Show section.

When the pane appears on the left, choose an option on theHeadingstab to navigate to it.

Now that you know how to insert a heading in Word, take a look at another Microsoft Office tutorial forinserting page numbers in Word.

Sandy Writtenhouse is a freelance technology writer and former Project, Department, and Program Manager. She turned her education, job experience, and love of technology into a full-time writing career. With all sorts of gadgets in her home and her hands, she seeks to help others make life easier through technology.Read Sandy’s Full Bio

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How to Add a Heading to a Microsoft Word Document#

Insert a Heading in Word#

Format a Heading in Word#

Use Headings in Word#