# Table of contents and footnotes

> Add a table of contents built from your headings and keep it up to date, and add numbered footnotes that renumber themselves as you write.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/docs-contents-and-footnotes
Section: Office > PlexiiDocs
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-15

A long document is easier to read with a table of contents at the front and footnotes for the asides. PlexiiDocs builds the contents from your headings, and numbers footnotes for you.

## Before you start

- **Plans.** Tables of contents and footnotes are on every plan.
- **Headings first.** The table of contents lists the document's headings, so give each section a heading style. See [Format text and use styles](https://plexiidesk.com/help/docs-format-text-and-styles).

## Add a table of contents

1. Put the cursor where the contents should go, usually near the top.
2. Choose **Insert** > **Table of contents**.

A **Contents** block appears, listing every heading in the document in order, indented by level. Click any entry to jump to that heading.

If the document has no headings yet, the block says **No headings yet — add a heading, then Update.**

### Keep it up to date

The table of contents is a snapshot of your headings at the moment you made it. After you add, rename or remove headings:

1. Find the **Contents** block.
2. Click **Update** at its top right.

The list is rebuilt from the headings as they are now.

> **Tip:**
> Update the table of contents just before you export or share the document, so it matches the final headings.

### Remove it

Click the **Contents** block so it is outlined, then press `Delete` or `Backspace`.

## Add a footnote

1. Click just after the word or sentence the note is about.
2. Choose **Insert** > **Footnote**. A small number in brackets, such as **[1]**, appears at the cursor.
3. Click the number. A box headed **Footnote 1** opens.
4. Type the note in **Footnote text**.
5. Click **Done**.

Rest the pointer on a footnote number to read its note. A footnote with no text says **Empty footnote — click to edit**.

### Numbering

Footnotes are numbered by their order in the document. Add one before an existing note, or delete one, and the others renumber themselves.

### Edit or remove a footnote

- **Edit:** click its number, change the text and click **Done**.
- **Remove:** click just after the number and press `Backspace`, as you would to delete a character.

## In exports

- The table of contents goes into a Word, PDF or web export as a **Contents** heading followed by the list of headings, as it was when you last clicked **Update**.
- Each footnote goes in as its note text, in brackets and raised, at the place where its number was.

See [Word, PDF and web export in PlexiiDocs](https://plexiidesk.com/help/docs-word-import-export).

## Common questions

**My new heading is missing from the contents.**
Click **Update** on the **Contents** block.

**Can I move around a long document without a table of contents?**
Yes. Click **Outline** above the page for a live list of headings in the side panel. It updates as you type. See [Focus mode, outline and word count](https://plexiidesk.com/help/docs-focus-outline-word-count).

**Where do footnotes appear on the page?**
The number stays in the text, and the note opens when you click it. In an export, the note's text appears at that point in the text.

## Related tasks

- [Format text and use styles](https://plexiidesk.com/help/docs-format-text-and-styles)
- [Focus mode, outline and word count](https://plexiidesk.com/help/docs-focus-outline-word-count)
- [Page view, margins, headers and footers](https://plexiidesk.com/help/docs-page-setup)
- [Word, PDF and web export in PlexiiDocs](https://plexiidesk.com/help/docs-word-import-export)