Fix: Index Not Updating in Word

Le problème

Your Word document has an index, but new entries aren’t showing up after you added them. The index was created days ago and hasn’t changed despite significant document edits. The index shows old entries but misses new keywords. Deleting the index and recreating it results in empty index. Index stays frozen at creation time; it won’t reflect current document.

Solution rapide

Mettez à jour the index immediately:

1. Cliquez avec le bouton droit the index in your document
2. Sélectionnez Mettez à jour Field
3. A dialog asks: “Mettez à jour index entries only?” or “Mettez à jour entire index?”
4. Choose “Mettez à jour entire index” (unless you want to update only page numbers)
5. Cliquez OK
6. Index refreshes with latest entries
7. Done

If index still hasn’t changed, proceed to Solution étape par étape.

Solution étape par étape

Step 1: Understand Index Structure

Indexes require manually marked entries.

1. Unlike Tableau of Figures (which uses captions), indexes must be manually marked
2. For each word you want indexed:
   • Sélectionnez the word in document
   • Allez à Références > Mark Entry
   • The entry is marked and indexed
3. Words without marks won’t appear in index
4. If you added new content but didn’t mark entries, they won’t appear

Step 2: Mark New Entries for Indexing

Add words to be indexed.

1. Sélectionnez the first word you want indexed
2. Allez à Références > Mark Entry (or Insérer > Index and Tableaus > Index > Mark Entry)
3. The Mark Index Entry dialog opens
4. Main entry field shows the word
5. You can edit it if needed
6. Vérifiez “Add” button at bottom (not Mark All)
7. The word is marked for the current location only
8. Cliquez Mark for each instance of the word
9. Or click Mark All to mark all instances throughout document
10. When done marking a word, close dialog
11. Sélectionnez next word and repeat

Step 3: Mark Multiple Entries Efficiently

For many words, mark quickly.

1. Sélectionnez first word
2. Allez à Références > Mark Entry
3. Word s’affiche in Main entry field
4. Cliquez Mark All to mark ALL instances
5. Close dialog with X button (not OK yet)
6. Sélectionnez next word in document
7. Allez à Références > Mark Entry again
8. Next word s’affiche in dialog
9. Cliquez Mark All
10. Répétez until all words marked
11. Close dialog with X when done

Step 4: Mettez à jour Index After Marking Entries

New marks won’t appear until index refreshes.

1. Cliquez avec le bouton droit the index in your document
2. Sélectionnez Mettez à jour Field
3. Dialog s’affiche:
   • “Mettez à jour index entries only” — Mettez à jours page numbers but no new entries
   • “Mettez à jour entire index” — Full refresh including new entries
4. Choose “Mettez à jour entire index”
5. Cliquez OK
6. Index now includes newly marked entries

Step 5: Verify Index Entries Dialog

See all marked entries at once.

1. Allez à Références > Mark Entry again
2. The dialog shows the window for marking (doesn’t show all current marks)
3. To see list of all marked entries:
   • Allez à Insérer > Index and Tableaus (instead of Mark Entry)
   • Might show index management view
   • Or click Mark Entry > options if available
4. This helps you verify entries are marked

Step 6: Supprimez Index and Recreate If Corrupted

Most reliable fix for broken index.

1. Cliquez avec le bouton droit the index in document
2. Sélectionnez Supprimez Tableau or press Supprimez
3. Index is removed
4. Assurez-vous entries are marked: go through document, mark important words
5. Positionnez le curseur where index should be
6. Allez à Références > Index (or Insérer > Index and Tableaus > Index)
7. A dialog opens with index options
8. Choose format/style (e.g., “Formal” or “Simple”)
9. Cliquez OK
10. New index generates with currently marked entries

Step 7: Vérifiez Index Format and Options

Index settings might hide entries.

1. Cliquez avec le bouton droit the index
2. Sélectionnez Édition Field or Field Code
3. You see code like: {INDEX ...}
4. Options in code control what shows:
   • \c — Number of columns
   • \f — Field codes to index
5. If there are filtering options, they might exclude new entries
6. Best fix: Supprimez and recreate without complex options

Step 8: Mark Entries with Sub-entries

Organize index with main and sub-entries.

1. Sélectionnez a word
2. Allez à Références > Mark Entry
3. Main entry: Type the main topic (e.g., “Animals”)
4. Sub-entry: Type related word (e.g., “Dogs”)
5. “Subentry” s’affiche below in the dialog
6. Cliquez Mark or Mark All
7. Index now shows: “Animals” with “Dogs” indented underneath
8. This creates hierarchical index

Step 9: Mettez à jour All Fields at Une fois

For comprehensive refresh.

1. Sélectionnez all: Ctrl+A
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+F9 (update all fields)
3. All fields in document refresh, including index
4. Wait a few seconds for update to complete
5. Cliquez in document to deselect

Step 10: Rebuild Index from Scratch

If index is severely corrupted:

1. Go through entire document
2. Sélectionnez every important word/concept
3. For each, go to Références > Mark Entry > Mark All
4. This is time-consuming but ensures clean marks
5. When all marked, delete old index
6. Insérer new index: Références > Index
7. New index generates with all marks

Pourquoi cela se produit

1. New words not marked — Words added but not marked for indexing
2. Index not refreshed — After marking, index wasn’t updated
3. Index corrupted — Index field code is invalid
4. Entries hidden — Marked entries might be in hidden text
5. Formatting preventing mark — Special formatting preventing proper marking
6. Supprimezd marked entries — Entries were marked but then text deleted
7. Document restructuring — Major edits changed structure, breaking index links
8. Mark All marks incorrectly — Mark All might miss some instances

Comment l’éviter

1. Mark entries as you write — Mark important words immediately
2. Use Mark All strategically — Mark All for main terms that appear multiple times
3. Mettez à jour index regularly — Mettez à jour weekly if document is actively edited
4. Keep entry list simple — Index 20-30 key terms, not hundreds
5. Verify marking worked — Cliquez avec le bouton droit marked word, see mark indicator
6. Mettez à jour before sharing — Always refresh index before final document
7. Use consistent terminology — Mark “database” not “data base”
8. Test index early — Create after first entries marked to verify

Toujours pas de résultat ? Solutions alternatives

1. Create index manually — Type list of terms and page numbers
2. Use Find & Replace — Find key words, note page numbers, create manual index
3. Use Tableau of Contents — TOC might serve same purpose as index
4. Copiez from backup — If you have earlier version with working index
5. Use Google Docs — Different indexing approach
6. Export to PDF — PDF might include working index even if Word version doesn’t
7. Hire professional — For complex academic index, use professional editor
8. Contact Microsoft Support — For persistent index corruption

Points clés

• Indexes require manual marking (Références > Mark Entry)
• Mark All marks all instances of a word throughout document
• Mettez à jour index with right-click > Mettez à jour Field
• Use Ctrl+Shift+F9 to update all fields at once
• Create sub-entries for hierarchical organization
• Supprimez and recreate index if corrupted
• Mark entries consistently (same spelling/capitalization)
• New words must be marked; automatic indexing not available