Cannot Revert TOC Formatting

Question

It was requested that I add a TOC after a document had been written for an easier jump to specific sections. Problem is that I hadn't formatted the heading typefaces to consider a TOC: headers had a color background and, despite all attempts, I cannot clear that formatting in the TOC to save my life. I have gone through and modified the header to have white or clear shading. I have tried to modify the TOC in so many ways. I cannot clear the background pattern from the text

TOC with Header 1 background color:

Adapted Header 1 settings - background persists.

Attempts to modify TOC directly. Trying to clear the border / shading just creates a new / duplicate "Pattern" line. Even changing to a solid white background only modifies the second "Pattern" line.

I can't even manually highlight the TOC and manually change the shading.

Answer 1

The problem is that the entries are impossible to select because an automatic TOC has been used. This is what it looks like when you try to select an entry:

There is something just very squirrely about this TOC. If I delete the TOC content control and insert a bare TOC, when I try to modify TOC 1, it definitely shows shading, but the Shading dialog doesn't reflect this:

I finally succeeded, however, in doing what I had attempted to do once before. I deleted the TOC 1 style, which forced Word to regenerate it from factory default:

The table can then be updated and the shading is gone.

Answer 2

If the background shading is applied as part of the Heading 1 style, it will not be picked up by the TOC. The part of my article at http://wordfaqs.ssbarnhill.com/TOCTips.htm#DirectFormatting talks only about font formatting, but I thought that perhaps shading applied as direct formatting would also be picked up. It is not.

So the shading is definitely part of the TOC 1 style. What you need to select in the Shading dialog is No Color (making sure it's applied to Paragraph, not Text. Then update the TOC with F9 and also select it and press Ctrl+Q if necessary.

Answer 3

I'm glad we got it figured out. It is still a mystery to me what the actual problem was.

Answer 4

I think this is an issue that is going to require looking at the actual file. You can upload it to Dropbox or OneDrive or some other file-sharing site, make it public, and post the link here so we can examine it.

Answer 5

I didn't modify the TOC to include the shading: the shading existed as part of the Header 1 style before I create the TOC and seemed to be picked up by the TOC as I inserted it. Based on that, I thought modifying the style to remove the shading would resolve the issue... negative. I have tried to fully delete the TOC and create new, but the shading still persists. I highlighted the entirety of the TOC contents for Ctrl+Q which only seemed to reset formatting of my second level; first level retains the shading and even the typeface.

Just to ensure that I'm following your guidance accurately, I tried to screenshot the steps below. TOC > Custom TOC > TOC 1 + Modify > Borders > Shading and the Fill / Pattern is demonstrated below. I've tried with both "Clear" and "Solid" white for the Pattern Style. In the Modify Style dialogue, I noted that it creates two separate Pattern lines: the shading adjustments I make seem to only apply to the second line and I cannot for the life of me get that first pattern style cleared.

I genuinely do not know what I'm missing. I hear you that it shouldn't have picked up the formatting, but I didn't modify the TOC to include this shading (I hate it) and it's super-frustrating that I can't identify the source.