Table of Contents (TOC): Roman numerals for front matter not displaying. Only standards numbers appear in TOC.

Question

Table of Contents (TOC): Roman numerals for front matter not displaying. Only standards numbers appear in TOC.

MZG 0

Background Information:

Used custom page numbering, so the front matter in the dissertation (i.e., title page, dedication, acknowledgements, and table of contents) displays Roman numerals. Therefore, regular/standard numbering (e.g., 1, 2,3...) starts with the introduction page.
There is a section break between the front matter and the rest of the dissertation.
Each part of the front matter (i.e., title page, dedication, acknowledgements, and table of contents) contains a page break.

Troubleshooting Completed (unfortunately, did not resolve issue)

Have updated the TOC multiple times.
Deleted and re-inserted the TOC.

Charles Kenyon 172K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-11-10T03:40:41.5233333+00:00

You apparently inserted your page number with a field switch to show Roman Numerals, rather than using the Format Page Number dialog. Number format set using a field switch is not picked up in a TOC. See Stefan's answer.

2 answers

Your answer

Charles Kenyon 172K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-11-10T03:40:41.5233333+00:00

You apparently inserted your page number with a field switch to show Roman Numerals, rather than using the Format Page Number dialog. Number format set using a field switch is not picked up in a TOC. See Stefan's answer.

Answer 1

Since you have a section break, you should be able to change the page number format for the relevant section. You will have to make use of the Page Number Format dialog box for that purpose. To display the dialog, go to the Insert tab, click Page Number, and then click Format Page Numbers.

In the Page Number Format dialog box, specify the settings you want. This is also where you restart the page numbering for the active section, if appropriate.

For more on setting up a front matter, see Suzanne S. Barnhill's article at http://wordfaqs.ssbarnhill.com/FrontMatterRibbon.htm .

Remember to update the table of contents, once you are done.

User's image

Answer 2

Hi MZG

This issue is often related to how page numbering is configured between sections. A commonly recommended approach is to verify that:

A proper Section Break (Next Page) exists between the front matter and the main body of the document.
Link to Previous is turned off between sections.
Format Page Numbers is set to i, ii, iii for the front matter and 1, 2, 3 for the main section.
After making any changes, all fields are updated by pressing Ctrl+A, then F9.

Additionally, please ensure the front matter headings (for example, Dedication or Acknowledgements) are formatted using a heading style included in the TOC, then update the TOC using Update Field > Update entire table.

If the issue persists, could you please clarify whether:

The front matter entries are missing from the TOC entirely, or
They appear in the TOC but display Arabic page numbers instead of Roman numerals?

To ensure I provide the most accurate assistance, I would appreciate any additional information you can share regarding your current situation. A screenshot showing the TOC and the section breaks (with Show/Hide ¶ enabled) would also be helpful for further troubleshooting.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to comment in this post.

If the answer is helpful, please click 'Yes' and kindly upvote it.

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Ivory 2,710 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-11-10T21:41:24.3866667+00:00

Hi MZG,

Have you had a chance to review the information provided? Other information shared by MVPs is also extremely helpful, and you may want to check it out as well.

Any updates would be greatly appreciated.