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. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Lining Up Numbered List Numbers

Do you want the numbers in your numbered lists to be aligned differently than they normally are? You can adjust the ...

Discover More

Extracting a State and a ZIP Code

Excel is often used to process or edit data in some way. For example, you may have a bunch of addresses from which you ...

Discover More

Selecting a Bookmark in a Macro

Bookmarks can be very handy in a document. Word provides a VBA command you can use to easily select any of those bookmarks.

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!

More WordTips (menu)

Navigating In the Document Map

Using the Document Map to navigate through your document is easy and intuitive. The value of using it for navigation is ...

Discover More

Opening the Document Map by Default

The Document Map can be a handy tool to use when navigating and working with a large document. If you want the Document ...

Discover More

Understanding the Document Map

The Document Map is a handy way to view the overall organization of your document as you are working with it. It is like ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is 0 + 7?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.