How to create a table of contents in Power BI Report Builder to print in Word?

[Fern_21]

Hi all!

I've a Power Bi Report Builder to download in Word.

I should set up an automatic index can this be done directly from power bi report builder?
Thanks

[v-aatheeque]

Hi @Fern_21 

Just checking in to see if the previous responses helped resolve your issue. If not, feel free to share your questions and we’ll be glad to assist.

[v-aatheeque]

Hi @Fern_21 
We wanted to follow up to check if you’ve had an opportunity to review the previous responses. If you require further assistance, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

[Shubham_rai955]

Power BI Report Builder does not create a fully automatic table of contents (TOC) for Word exports directly, but you can set up a document map in your paginated report. When you export to Word, these document map labels appear as TOC entries that Word recognizes.

Steps to Create a Table of Contents

• In Report Builder, add document map labels to your report items or groups.​

• Export your report to Word (.docx) format. The document map labels will be included, allowing Word to recognize them as TOC fields.​

• In Word, insert a Table of Contents by using Quick Parts → Field → TOC, and ensure the "Table entry fields" option is checked. Word will automatically build the TOC from the document map labels you set.​

Key Considerations

• Document map labels let you structure your paginated reports for easier navigation and indexing, but you must finalize the TOC in Word after export.​

• This approach gives you a professional index for your printed Word report, leveraging paginated report features without requiring manual entry.​

This workflow ensures your exported reports to Word are well-structured with a table of contents suitable for printing or sharing.

[Poojara_D12]

Hi @Fern_21 

Unfortunately, Power BI Report Builder does not natively support creating an automatic index or table of contents (TOC) that dynamically updates when you export a paginated report to Microsoft Word. Report Builder is designed primarily for pixel-perfect layouts and data-driven pagination, not for document-style automation like Word’s built-in indexing or TOC generation. When you export a report to Word, the output is essentially a static rendering of the report’s pages and elements, so there’s no underlying heading structure or field references for Word to automatically build an index from. However, you can simulate an index manually within Report Builder by creating a separate “Table of Contents” page using bookmarks, page numbers, and expressions that reference sections or groups in your report. This method requires some setup and maintenance but can give a similar result. If you need a true automatic TOC, the best workaround is to export your report to Word and then use Word’s Insert → Table of Contents feature, which can generate an index from headings manually added or formatted in the exported document.

[rajendraongole1 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Fern_21  -Power BI Report Builder doesn’t have a built-in “Table of Contents” control that calculates page numbers, so you can’t make a fully automatic index inside the .rdl itself.

ref:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/paginated-reports/report-builder-add-document-map

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/paginated-reports/report-builder/export-microsoft-word-re...

Export Power BI to MS Word / PDF | Paginated reports with Power Automate and Power BI

Hope this helps.