The Navigation Pane is one of Word’s most useful features for long documents. It shows an outline of your headings on the left side of the screen, lets you jump to any section with one click, and makes it easy to reorganize a whole document by dragging headings around. If you can’t see it, it only takes a second to turn on. This guide shows how to open it on Windows and Mac, how to use each tab, and what to do when your headings don’t show up.
Quick answer
Go to the View tab and check Navigation Pane in the Show group. You can also press Ctrl + F on Windows, which opens the pane with the search box ready.
How to show the Navigation Pane on Windows
- Open your document in Word.
- Click the View tab on the ribbon.
- In the Show group, check the box next to Navigation Pane.
The pane opens on the left side of the window. To close it, uncheck the box or click the X in the pane’s top-right corner. You can drag the pane’s edge to make it wider or narrower.
How to show the Navigation Pane on a Mac
- Open the document.
- Click the View tab on the ribbon, or the View menu at the top of the screen.
- Choose Navigation Pane. On some versions, this is listed under Sidebar > Navigation.
The three tabs in the Navigation Pane
Headings
Shows every heading in your document as an outline. Click a heading to jump straight to it. Click the small arrows next to headings to collapse or expand sub-sections.
Pages
Shows thumbnails of every page. This is handy for finding a table, image, or page layout you remember seeing.
Results
Shows search results. Type a word in the search box at the top of the pane and Word highlights every match in the document and lists them here with surrounding text.
Reorganize a document with the Navigation Pane
On the Headings tab, you can move entire sections at once:
- Move a section: Drag a heading up or down. All the text, images, and sub-headings under it move too.
- Promote or demote: Right-click a heading and choose Promote or Demote to change its level.
- Add a heading: Right-click and choose New Heading Before or New Heading After.
- Delete a section: Right-click a heading and choose Delete to remove it and everything under it.
- Select a section: Right-click and choose Select Heading and Content to copy or format the whole section.
Why don’t my headings show up?
The Navigation Pane only lists text that uses Word’s heading styles (Heading 1 through Heading 9) or has an outline level set. Text that’s just bold or large won’t appear.
- Click in the line you want to be a heading.
- On the Home tab, click Heading 1, Heading 2, or another heading style in the Styles gallery.
If you’d rather keep your current formatting, right-click the Heading style and choose Update Heading 1 to Match Selection so the style looks like your text. Another option is to open Paragraph settings and set an Outline level without changing the style.
If the Navigation Pane won’t open
- Check the view: The option isn’t available in Read Mode. Switch to Print Layout on the View tab.
- Ctrl + F opens Find instead: Someone may have changed the keyboard shortcut. Use the View tab method.
- The pane is off screen or detached: If the pane was dragged out as a floating window, double-click its title bar to dock it again.
- Repair Office: If the checkbox does nothing, close Word and repair Office through Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Microsoft 365 > Modify > Quick Repair.
Navigation Pane vs. a table of contents
The Navigation Pane is just for you while editing and doesn’t print. If readers need an outline, insert a table of contents from References > Table of Contents. Both use the same heading styles, so setting up headings once gives you both.
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Related: View headings in Word.
Related: How to move paragraphs in Word.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep the Navigation Pane open for every document?
Word usually remembers whether the pane was open when you last closed a document. If it doesn’t, turn it on from the View tab when you need it.
Is the Navigation Pane in Word for the web?
Yes. On the View tab in Word for the web, select Navigation to see headings and search results.
How do I hide the Navigation Pane quickly?
Click the X at the top of the pane, or uncheck Navigation Pane on the View tab.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.