Fix DOCX chapter headings, contents links and paragraph spacing

1. Check the document’s chapter hierarchy

Open the manuscript’s outline and compare it with the chapters you expect. A top-level chapter usually uses a Heading 1 style, with Heading 2 for a section inside it. Choose levels that reflect the book’s structure rather than the size you want on the page.

ChapterTidy reads DOCX heading styles and outline levels. It flags skipped levels and some short chapter-like paragraphs, such as “Chapter 1”, that are not marked as headings. These are suggestions: a line can mention a chapter without being a chapter heading. Unusual chapter naming may require a manual heading choice.

In Word for Windows, choose View, turn on Navigation Pane and select Headings. Click an entry to check the chapter it reaches, and expand its child headings to review the hierarchy. The pane does not display headings in tables, text boxes, headers or footers, so an absent entry there is not proof that no heading style exists. Inspect the actual paragraph style before changing it. Word for Mac and the web have different navigation behaviour.

• Confirm every intended chapter is present in the outline.
• Inspect a jump from Heading 1 to Heading 3 before accepting a level change.
• Keep section headings nested under their chapter.
• Do not promote captions, quotations or body-text references into chapter headings.

2. Review contents and bookmark links

A DOCX contents link can point to a bookmark that no longer exists. ChapterTidy checks internal bookmark links and can propose a target when the link label matches one unique heading in the same document part. Review the destination rather than accepting a repair solely because the error disappears.

When a document has recognized headings but no detected contents field or ChapterTidy contents block, the app can suggest creating a linked contents block. Existing Word fields are flagged for review. The result should still be checked in Word or the application you will use for delivery. Do not assume that cached field results or printed page numbers have been refreshed.

If you added, removed or renamed headings in a Word automatic table of contents, choose Update entire table rather than Update page numbers only. Recheck the displayed entries and links after updating. This Word step does not by itself verify a later EPUB conversion or publishing-platform preview.

3. Adjust spacing without rewriting the prose

Large blank gaps can come from paragraph space before or after, explicit page breaks, section breaks, images or page layout. Identify the cause before changing every paragraph. ChapterTidy flags unusually large explicit before/after spacing on unprotected DOCX paragraphs and also offers paragraph controls for spacing, first-line indent and line height.

Compare source and proposal views, apply the minimum intended changes and preserve deliberate scene breaks, poetry and quotations. Protected content and locked nodes restrict repairs. A blank page caused by a section break or complex layout may require correction in the original editor rather than a paragraph-spacing change.

Try DOCX repairs on an original practice file

The included DOCX practice manuscript uses original ChapterTidy text and the same project-owned illustration as the EPUB sample. It deliberately includes four structural issues. It is a synthetic example, not a customer file or a claim about how well every manuscript can be repaired.

Choose the DOCX sample in the workspace, or download it below and upload that file. Inspect the four suggestions, save the selected repair plan, then generate the original DOCX format. The structural before-and-after checks for this fixture are shown below.

The heading repair changes the explicit outline level; it does not promise to replace the visible Word style name or redesign the heading. The contents repair creates a linked contents block, not a promise that Word page-number fields are current. Read the report and open the actual output in Word or your delivery application before relying on it.

On small screens, scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

• Download the original DOCX practice file
• Find the DOCX sample in the workspace

4. Use a reviewable repair workflow

Upload the DOCX, choose the manuscript language if needed and wait for analysis. Select relevant suggestions or make explicit heading and paragraph choices. Save the plan, generate the output and inspect the resulting report.

Choose DOCX output when you want to continue working with the Word manuscript. If you need EPUB, check the converted EPUB independently: reflowable ebooks do not preserve fixed printed page layouts. A successful DOCX repair alone does not establish the quality of a different export format.

• Keep the original source available for comparison.
• Review selected repairs and locked content before generating.
• Inspect text and image checks and all unresolved review items.
• Open the actual download, test its links and inspect the layout in the target application.

5. Check the final file in Word and your reader

In Word, inspect the navigation pane, chapter starts, contents destinations, page breaks, headers, notes and image placement. If the document uses a Word table-of-contents field, follow Microsoft’s update instructions and verify the result. Automatic tables rely on heading structure; a hand-typed contents list does not behave like an automatic table.

For an EPUB export, test the reader’s navigation menu as well as any visible contents page. For a publishing platform, review its current requirements and preview the exact exported file. ChapterTidy cannot guarantee acceptance by Kindle, KDP or another distributor.

• Check a KDP contents warning without assuming the source is broken

Before uploading a manuscript

ChapterTidy is for reviewing and repairing existing manuscripts, not a guarantee of publication-ready layout. Complex objects, fields, tracked changes, tables, notes and unusual fonts may need manual inspection. The app reports limitations rather than treating every warning as fixed.

Files are uploaded to the server for processing and retained for 24 hours by default. You can delete your files from the workspace. Use the DOCX practice file to explore bookmark links, outline levels, paragraph spacing and a generated contents block without sharing your manuscript. The separate EPUB sample demonstrates EPUB navigation and heading issues.