Controlling the Outline in the Document Map

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 20, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


You can easily control the appearance of the outline that shows on the left side of the screen while you are working in the Document Map. For instance, you can specify how many heading levels you want to see and whether particular portions of the outline should be expanded or collapsed.

To specify how much detail should be shown in the outline, simply right-click your mouse anywhere in the outline portion of the screen. Word displays a Context menu. From this menu you can choose how much detail to display. Making a choice results in an immediate change in how the outline is displayed.

If you right-click your mouse on a particular heading in the outline, you can use the Expand or Collapse options on the Context menu to indicate how much detail should be shown under that particular heading.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1222) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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