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Cannot remove unwanted tab stops from the TOC

Anonymous
2025-01-27T09:13:54+00:00

Hello everyone,

I know how to create a Table of Contents (TOC) and customize its styles. However, I'm facing a strange issue with the TOC in a new template I'm developing for a client. The template can be accessed by clicking Template with TOC problem.dotx (Hyper link removed)

The contents corresponding to TOC styles 2 and 3, show unwanted tabs, and I'm unaware of how or why this is happening. Interestingly, tab stops are visible in the horizontal ruler, as well as in the tab dialogue box and the Reveal Formatting pane, but not appearing in the TOC 2/3 style settings, as shown in the screenshots below.

Here’s what I have tried so far:

  • Set the TOC 2 and 3 styles to "automatically update" and then removed the tab stops manually.
  • Manually removed the tabs and then updated the styles to match the selection.
  • "Cleared all" tab stops from the TOC styles.
  • Imported TOC styles from another template.

None of these solutions have worked. Further, the headings that the TOC reflects do not include any tab stops.

Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Mahmood Majeed

[PII is masked by Naren… MSFT Support]

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For business | Windows

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2025-01-28T08:36:21+00:00

Hello Everyone,

I have been researching a permanent remedy for this Jason Tab bug and finally found a permanent solution that worked perfectly for me.

I feel it obligatory on me to share it with the community so others can benefit from it.

Here is the link: https://cybertext.wordpress.com/2010/07/12/word-getting-rid-of-the-jason-tab-in-a-toc/ 

As I am not sure whether I am allowed to share such links here or not, so here is the summary of the solution:

Here’s how to fix it:

  1. Position your cursor immediately in front of the first TOC entry (or select the entire TOC).
  2. Right-click, then selectToggle Field Codes*. You’ll get something that looks like this:* { TOC \O "1-3" \H \Z }
  3. Type***\wat the end of the field code, making sure you put a space in front of the***. Your TOC field code should look similar to this: { TOC \O "1-3" \H \Z \W}
  4. Right-click on the field code, then selectToggle Field Codes*. You’ll get your TOC back.*
  5. Finally, update your TOC to see the changes.

Regards,

Mahmood

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  1. Jay Freedman 207.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2025-01-27T16:58:51+00:00

    Hello Jay,

    Thank you for the link. I have gone through it. I followed the steps outlined in the article and copied the macro (btw macro solution is notacceptable to the client). Macro removed the tabs, but when I updated the table of contents, the tabs came back.

    Regards,

    Mahmood

    That behavior is the same as the old bug. The need to rerun the macro each time the TOC is updated is why the article recommended having a shortcut or button to launch the macro. (I've been using macros in Word for nearly three decades and have never had a problem with ones I understood or wrote myself. The one in the article is definitely harmless, but I suppose there's no convincing your client of that.)

    The reappearance of the bug is the source of the problem, but only Microsoft's developer team can remove it again. Use the Help > Feedback > Report a problem page in Word, or post at https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/ to notify Microsoft (they don't read this forum).

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  2. Suzanne S Barnhill 277.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-01-27T12:28:56+00:00

    Actually we recommend providing a sample document. Narendra was wrong to delete your link. Try again.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-01-27T10:43:25+00:00

    Hi Narendra,

    Thank you for your response to my question.

    The link that I provided was for OneDrive and not for my computer. Can we not post OneDrive links here anymore? I visited here after a while, but I remember seeing sharepoint links in the past.

    Also thanks for suggesting Reveal Formatting method. I already have included a screenshot, in my original question, showing Reveal Formatting results.

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-01-27T10:23:35+00:00

    Dear Mahmood,

    Good day! Thank you for contacting the Microsoft Community. We are here to assist you

    I apricate your IT skills and troubleshooting sense. It sounds like you're dealing with a frustrating issue. Sometimes, hidden formatting can cause unexpected behavior. Use the "Reveal Formatting" pane (Shift + F1) to inspect the TOC entries for any hidden tab stops or other formatting that might be causing the issue.

    As you know as a community member, we can’t access your system, I recommend reaching out to the Office 365 global admin they can get help from Microsoft support for further assistance by raising service request. This can only be initiated by an Office 365 Global Administrator. The Microsoft Support Team has higher permission to remotely assist you and collect background logs for the root cause. This is a more efficient way in handling this case for you.

    If you are an admin, I recommend you get support by following steps from this link: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn.  If you are not an admin, you can contact your admin to contact Microsoft support. You can look for the way to find your admin through this link: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support.

    Please accept my apologies for redirecting you to the related team support, as the moderators in this community have limited resources and permission to verify the backend information and to get the quick and better assistance, we requested for this.

    I hope you are staying safe and well! Have a great day and take care! 😊 

    Sincerely, 

    Naren | Microsoft Community Moderator

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