January 2026
Writers organize their thoughts with outlines at multiple stages in their projects. Some start with an outline of major points they want to make, and then fill them in with evidence and subsidiary arguments. Others write a draft, then reverse-outline it, allowing them to organize the material they have, rather than speculate in advance about what they will find. Both of these are good tools, and many writers use both.
A third option—also compatible with the first two—is to use word-processing tools to outline as you write. My favorite application for this is Scrivener, whose “binder” functions as a live outline for even book-length projects. But I understand that Microsoft Word is more common, so this quick guide explains how to use its functions.
1. Understand word-processor styles
Microsoft Word styles are settings that allow you to categorize paragraphs in your document and set them all to the same font, font size, color, and other attributes. For example, you could define a “bibliography” style with hanging indents, and use it for every item in your bibliography. If you decide to change an attribute, you can then modify the style, and all paragraphs set to that style will change together.
2. Apply styles to paragraphs
Microsoft Word provides three ways to apply styles to paragraphs. First, place the cursor anywhere in a paragraph. Then do one of the following
- Select the style from the ribbon
Microsoft Word’s Ribbon displays five styles, plus small arrows that allow you to scroll horizontally to see more. Clicking on any style applies it to the paragraph with the cursor.
- Activate and use the Styles Pane
To the right of the Text Styles portion of the Ribbon is a button for Styles Pane. Click that, and a Styles Pane appears to the right of your draft, listing more styles than can appear on the Ribbon. Click on one of these to apply the style to the paragraph.
- Use a keystroke or combination
By default, Microsoft Word allows you to apply Headings 1, 2, and 3 using keystroke combinations. See Keyboard shortcuts in Word for the defaults in Windows and MacOS. You can also choose your own combinations using the “Customize Keyboard” command.
3. Use the built-in styles “Heading 1” and beyond
Microsoft Word’s default templates include the styles “Heading 1” and “Heading 2” by default, and some go up to “Heading 4” or more. (As of 2025, Microsoft Word for Mac included a template, “APA Style Paper,” that has Headings 1 through 5.) These styles have special properties to aid both writers and readers.
Choose headings to fit the scale and nature of your project. For a ten-page paper, just Headings 1 and 2 may be enough. Use Heading 1 for the paper title, then start each chunk of 2-6 paragraphs with heading using the Heading 2 style, and you will get a quick map of your paper.
For a thirty-page paper, you might use a three-level scheme. Heading 1 for the paper as a whole, Heading 2 for each section of up to about 15 paragraphs, and Heading 3 for divisions within those 15-paragraph body sections.
4. Watch the magic
Once you have applied Heading styles to your headings, you can do all sorts of things.
See a map of your paper
Use the command View>Sidebar>Navigation to open a pane to the left of your draft, showing a list of headings. If you have nested headings (e.g., a block of text starting with a Heading 2 header, but further divided by Heading 3 headers) the Navigation pane will reflect that. You can click on any header to see that section in the draft.
See an outline of your paper
The command View>Outline switches to an outline view. On the Outlining tab, you can expand or collapse to see your draft in different levels of detail.
Generate a table of contents
As best I can tell, as of late 2025, Word did not offer the option of generating a decimal outline as a standalone document.
Here’s the best workaround I have been able to manage.
- Move your cursor to the start of the document
- Go to the References tab in Microsoft Word
- On the left, choose Table of Contents. For a style, choose Custom>Simple. Uncheck “Show page numbers” and “Use hyperlinks.”
This should generate an unlabeled outline of your paper, with all the heading styles.
Using these built-in styles can help both the writer and the reader understand the structure of a document. We can see how one part fits with another, and more easily spot gaps.
Additionally, using these styles can help readers who use assistive technology, or who want to import your documents into other formats, such as Scrivener.
