How to create an outline

When you draft or edit a lengthy document in Google Docs, navigating sections and relevant headings can be cumbersome. You can press Ctrl + F to filter through sections, but it’s a hit-and-miss if you don’t know the order in which characters appear. Scrolling also takes time and delays your progress. Here is where Google Docs’ outline feature comes into play. It’s a lifesaver for such situations and quicker than creating a Table of Contents.

In Docs, the outline feature organizes the content in one place. Whether you’re editing on your Android phone, tablet, or PC, you can jump to and switch between sections in seconds. More importantly, it’s automatic. All you do is insert headings to make an outline as you go. Continue reading to give your documents a more comprehensive look in no time.

What is the outline feature in Google Docs?

Google Docs’ outline feature works like the Table of Contents (ToC) and serves as a blueprint for your writing. The difference is that the outline is automatic and doesn’t appear inside your document. Since it’s a product feature, anyone can use it regardless of whether they own the document. It’s tied to headings, so you only see it if your document contains them. Without headings, Docs doesn’t create an outline even if the document is a million characters long.

When you add headings to your document, Docs detects them and adds them to a sidebar on the left side of your screen. You can remove them if you don’t want them there. Like anchor texts, clicking a heading takes you to the section of your document where they exist. When you remove or add characters to them, the changes are reflected in the sidebar. Customization settings like font styles and colors don’t apply. Outline is also smart enough to detect your heading 2 and heading 3 and make the required adjustments to reflect them on the sidebar. Check the screenshot below for reference.

On the other hand, the ToC doesn’t correct itself. If you make changes to headings, you’ll click the update button to refresh the ToC. However, it offers room for customization, including adjusting indents, heading size, and changing font styles and colors, which the outline doesn’t. These settings don’t affect your document’s content.

How to create an outline in Google Docs

Google Docs is available for computers and mobile devices, and you can create outlines on both platforms. The computer version is accessible via browsers and gives you an expansive view of its features. The mobile app offers a portable and simplified interface. You can use it to make quick last-minute edits when you need to share documents with someone.

Create a Google Docs outline on your browser

1. Access Google Docs from a browser and open a document.
2. Type a word or sentence. Then, double-click it to highlight.
3. Click Normal text, and select a heading style from the drop-down options.

   

4. Press and hold Ctrl on your keyboard to convert multiple sentences to headings. Then, double-click the sentences and choose a heading style.
5. The outline appears in the left sidebar by default. If you don’t see it, click View and select Show outline to display it.

   

6. Alternatively, hold Ctrl + Alt and press A +H to show or hide it quickly on Windows PCs. On MacBooks, hold Ctrl +Command, then press A +H.
7. In the outline sidebar, click + to summarize your document.

   

8. Click a heading to jump to a section.
9. To remove a heading from the outline, hover the mouse icon on it and click X. This action doesn’t affect the main content.
10. If you accidentally remove a heading from an outline, re-adding it is easy. Select the removed heading text, right-click it, and select Add to document outline.

    

11. Click the left arrow to hide the sidebar.

    

There you have it. Outline is a must-have feature for anyone working with long documents in Google Docs. It makes navigating the entire document much smoother.

Create a Google Docs outline on the mobile app

1. Open a document on the Google Docs mobile app.
2. Tap the pen icon to enter Editing mode.
3. Highlight a word or sentence. Then click the Format icon.

   

   

4. Tap Style and choose a heading format.

   

   

5. Tap the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner. Then, select Document outline.
6. Tap the headings to skip to their sections.
7. Tap the three-dot icon beside a heading to remove it from the outline.

   

   

Create a Google Docs outline on a tablet

Like mobile, Google Docs has robust apps on iPad and top Android tablets. If you use the company’s tablet app, use the steps below to create an outline in seconds. Let’s take Google Docs for iPad as an example. The steps are identical on an Android tablet.

1. Open Google Docs on your iPad and create a new document or open an existing one.
2. Tap the pencil icon in the lower-right corner to activate editing mode.

   

3. Enter relevant text and long-tap words or sentences to highlight them.
4. Tap Format at the top and expand the Style menu.

   

5. Select the relevant heading type. Repeat the same for all the required sections in your Google Docs document.

   

6. When your document is ready, tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner and select Document outline.

   

7. A document outline pops up from the bottom. Tap the three-dot menu beside each heading to remove it from the outline. Tap the X mark to close it.

   

Google Docs makes editing simple

The Google Docs Outline helps you navigate documents without using the scroll button. It’s only a small part of what makes the word editor interesting. Also, in Docs, you can create illustrations, use voice typing, automate citations, and use add-ons to enhance its capabilities without leaving the interface. If you are new to Google Docs and want to learn about cool tips, read our dedicated Google Docs tricks guides.