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Sometimes you need to manually trigger an update of the information in fields like those used in a table of contents, headers and footers, cross-references, bookmarks, and formulas in tables. You can update fields one by one, or you can update all the fields in your document at once.
In this article
Update a field
Update all fields in a document
Update a field
In a document you have open, right-click a field, such as a table of contents, a page number, or a cross-reference, and click Update Field.
Notes:
If you’re updating a table of contents, in the Update Table of Contents dialog box, select whether you want to update page numbers only or the entire table. Updating page numbers only simply updates the page numbers for the existing sections. It doesn’t add new sections to your table of contents. To update your table of contents with new sections from your document, select Update entire table.
If you’re having trouble distinguishing which parts of your text are fields, you can set all fields to show up with grey background. To do this, click FILE > Options > Advanced, and under Show document content, from the Field shading drop-down menu, select Always.
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Update all fields in a document
Press Ctrl + A.
Press F9.
If your document has tables with fields or formulas, you might need to select each table separately and press F9.
Tip:To make sure that you don’t forget to update your table of contents before you print the document, set Word to update fields automatically before printing. Click FILE > Options > Display, and under Printing options, select the check box for Update fields before printing.
Note:Sometimes a field is not updated because the item the field refers to no longer exists. The link or bookmark might also be broken. For more information, see Troubleshoot bookmarks.
Run the "Update Field" function manually from the file itself - Update fields. Consider using macros in Word to update the header or body section fields whenever a Word file is opened. If the properties still do not update, create a new file and copy the contents of the old file from it. The old file may be corrupted.
Put your cursor where you want to add the table of contents. Go to References > Table of Contents. and choose an automatic style. If you make changes to your document that affect the table of contents, update the table of contents by right-clicking the table of contents and choosing Update Field.
Select one of the following: Update page numbers only This only updates the pages that the headings are on, and ignores any changes to the heading text. ...
The F9 function key can be used in Word for updating fields, in this example specifically a table of contents. Pressing this key when your cursor is in the table of contents will bring up a window. This allows you to select the option to update entire table which will then display once you have clicked OK.
But the two most common causes of the "selection is locked" message are (1) an unactivated version of Office and (2) a document that is protected in some way, usually for forms using legacy form fields.
It may also automatically apply certain formatting changes to text as you type, such as changing font sizes or styles. You can adjust these settings by going to "File" > "Options" > "Proofing" > "AutoCorrect Options" and unchecking any formatting options you don't want applied automatically.
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