OmniDocHow to deal with pictures or garbled pictures in the Word directory
Pictures or garbled characters appear after Word automatically generates a table of contents. Most of the time, pictures, formulas, text boxes or special fonts are mixed into the title paragraph. This article teaches you to distinguish between two types of symptoms, troubleshoot and fix them in the order of easier first and then more difficult, and then update the directory.
Key points of this article
- The small images in the table of contents usually come from pictures, text boxes or shapes in the title paragraph. Just move them outside the title.
- The table of contents displays boxes, question marks, or strange symbols. Most of the time, the title uses a symbol font, or an abnormal format is introduced during copying.
- After fixing the title, select the catalog and press F9 to update the field. The old catalog results will not be automatically refreshed.
- When troubleshooting, first turn on the display of paragraph marks and field codes, so that you can quickly see what is in the title.
If you have used a heading style to generate a table of contents in Word, but after updating it, you find that there is a small picture sandwiched in the table of contents row, or that the entire row has turned into a box, question mark, or incomprehensible symbol, this article is for you. Many people subconsciously suspect that Word is malfunctioning and even want to reinstall the software. In fact, in most cases, there are things that should not be mixed in a certain title paragraph: pictures, formulas, text boxes, or there is a problem with the font settings.
This type of problem is different from "the table of contents only displays part of the title" and "the page numbers do not match". It has its roots in the title itself, not the table of contents options. Therefore, it is often useless to just repeatedly adjust the directory settings. You need to go back to the title paragraph to find the reason.
After reading this article, you can first distinguish whether it is a picture problem or a garbled code problem, and then troubleshoot it in the order of easier first and then more difficult, and finally know how to avoid it happening again next time. The method applies to the desktop version of Word, and the same applies if the document is transferred from a web page, PDF, or other software.
What should I do if pictures or garbled characters appear in the directory? One sentence conclusion
First find the problematic title paragraph, clear out the pictures, text boxes and abnormal fonts in it, and then update the table of contents. In most cases, it will return to normal.
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| A small image or thumbnail appears in a certain line of the directory | Find the title and move the image into the text below the title | If the image is within the title paragraph, the directory will crawl it together. |
| Directory lines turn into boxes, question marks, or strange symbols | Check whether the title uses symbol font and change it to ordinary Chinese or English font | The glyphs of the symbol font cannot be displayed properly in the directory. |
| The entire catalog is in chaos, and multiple titles are abnormal at the same time. | Check whether the entire title is pasted from another document, clear the formatting and reapply the title style | The format copied will affect each pasted title |
| Update still not correct after cleaning | Delete the entire directory and reinsert it | The old directory domain may be damaged and must be rebuilt directly |
First determine what kind of problem it is
Before troubleshooting, first look at the symptoms to determine whether there is a mixed image, or there is a problem with the font or domain. The differences between the two types of reasons are quite large.
| symptoms | Common causes | How to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Display a small picture or graphic in a row of the directory | The title paragraph contains pictures, shapes, text boxes or floating objects | Turn on the display of paragraph marks on the title to see if there are pictures or borders in the paragraph. |
| Directory lines display boxes, question marks, or strange characters | The title uses a symbolic font (such as Wingdings, Symbol), or the text contains hidden characters | Select the title text and view the font name in the font box |
| The directory displays text such as "Error! Bookmark not defined" | The bookmark referenced by the directory field has been deleted or changed | Press Alt+F9 to display the field code to see if the directory field points to an invalid bookmark |
| There are large pieces of code-style text in the directory. | Field codes are unexpectedly displayed or nested | Press Alt+F9 to toggle the domain code to see if the directory still exists in the form of a domain |
# item-by-item troubleshooting and repair
Do it in the following order, dealing with easy-to-confirm problems first, and then dealing with fonts and fields.
- Back up the document before updating and save another copy to avoid being unable to restore after misoperation.
two. Turn on the display paragraph mark in Word (Ctrl+Shift+8, the shortcut key commonly used under Windows), find the title in the table of contents that has a problem, and look at its corresponding paragraph against the text.
- If there are pictures, shapes, or text boxes in the heading paragraph, cut them out and paste them into the body of the next line of the title. The title paragraph retains only the text.
- Select the title text, press Ctrl+Space to clear the character format, and then reapply the corresponding title style to remove hidden formatting from web pages or other documents.
- If the title font is a symbol font such as Wingdings or Symbol, change it to Song, boldface, or common English font, and the garbled in the catalog will usually disappear.
- Select the entire catalog area, press F9 to update the field, select Update the entire catalog in the pop-up dialog box, and verify that the page number and title have been refreshed.
- If there are still exceptions, press Alt+F9 to display the field code to check whether the directory domain is complete and whether the TOC switches (such as\ o,\ h,\ z,\ u) have been changed.
- When it is really impossible to locate the cause, delete the entire directory and reinsert the directory through the reference menu. The rebuilt directory will use the current title, and any residual problems in the old domain will be cleared.
Note when a picture is mixed with a title
Some pictures are not in the paragraph, but are anchored near the title in a floating way, and may also be brought in when the catalog is updated. If you still have a small image after moving out of the picture, you can see if there is an object with an anchor mark while the paragraph mark is displayed, and delete it or move it to the body.
formulas and annotations can cause similar problems
Formulas, annotations, or footnotes inserted in the title sometimes appear in a strange form in the catalog. In this case, instead of patching it in the directory, move the content to the text and update the directory.
# how to avoid the next occurrence
-the title only writes text and does not insert pictures, formulas or text boxes. When you need a picture, put it in the body paragraph below the title. -when copying content from a web page, PDF, or other document, paste it as plain text, and then reapply the title style to avoid bringing hidden formatting into the title. -do not use symbol fonts as decorative symbols for headings. When numbering or symbols are needed, replace them with paragraph numbering functions or ordinary characters. -after generating the directory, remember to press F9 to update the domain every time you change the title, and do not rely on the old directory results. -the long document is written in chapters, and the title is checked separately after the completion of each chapter, which is less time-consuming than the last one-time investigation.
# frequently asked questions (FAQ)
1. Can the pictures in the catalog be deleted directly without affecting the text?
Sure. The picture shown in the catalog comes from the title paragraph, and deleting the picture in the title will not affect the same picture in the body. If the text also needs this picture, first make a copy and put it in the text paragraph, and then delete the one in the title.
2. The garbled code still exists after updating the directory. Is there a problem with the Word version?
In most cases, it is not the version, but the font or format in the title is abnormal. Check the symbol font and hidden format first, clean up and update the catalog. If it still doesn't work, reinserting the directory usually solves it.
3. My document is transferred from PDF to Word, the directory is very messy, how to do?
PDF converted documents often split the title into multiple segments, or with pictures and abnormal fonts. It is recommended that you organize the heading paragraphs, clear the formatting one by one, and reapply the title style before generating the table of contents. The conversion results need to be checked paragraph by paragraph, especially whether the title text is complete.
4. After displaying paragraph marks and field codes, the document looks messy. Do you want to turn it off?
It is easier to see the problem when it is open during inspection, and it can be turned off after confirmation. Under Windows, both Alt+F9 and Ctrl+Shift+8 are toggle switches, and the display will return to normal if you press it again.
5. The correspondence between the catalog and the title looks fine, so why do you still show the picture?
This is usually an object in the title paragraph that is imperceptible to the naked eye, such as a small shape, a transparent text box, or an anchored picture. Open the paragraph mark and check it one by one, or select the heading paragraph to see if there are hidden objects, find it and delete it.
# Summary
When there are pictures or garbled codes in the catalogue, it is mostly because of the problem with the title paragraph itself. The problem can usually be solved by opening paragraph marks and field codes to find the cause, cleaning up the pictures, symbol fonts and copy formats in the headings, and then pressing F9 to update the catalog. Keeping "text only" when writing headlines can greatly reduce this kind of trouble.
