How to Create two Column Table of Contents in LaTeX?

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If you’ve ever found yourself navigating through lengthy academic papers, reports, or manuscripts, you’ll understand the importance of a well-organized table of contents (TOC). By default, \tableofcontents command generates TOC in a single column in LaTeX. Sometimes, we want to make our TOC page compact and visually more appealing by generating TOC in two columns. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to create a two-column table of contents in LaTeX.

Contents show

Table of Contents in LaTeX

Creating a Table of Contents in LaTeX is very easy. LaTeX automatically generates a table of contents based on the structure of your document using \tableofcontents command. Ensure your document has a structure with proper sectioning. For example

\documentclass[11pt]{report}
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}

\begin{document}

\tableofcontents

\chapter{Chapter 1}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 2}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 3}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 4}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 5}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 6}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\end{document}

Output

You can see that there is a single-column TOC in the above example. There is a lot of blank space on the page. So, in order to save the page and minimize space in the TOC, we will generate a two-column TOC.

Two column Table of Contents in LaTeX

You can use multitoc package to generate two column TOC. The multitoc package allows users to create multi-column tables of contents (TOCs), lists of figures (LOFs), and lists of tables (LOTs). You can install the multitoc package from the CTAN website. For TOC, you need to add the following in the preamble.

\usepackage[toc]{multitoc}

Let us take an example.

\documentclass[11pt]{report}
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage[toc]{multitoc}

\begin{document}

\tableofcontents

\chapter{Chapter 1}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 2}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 3}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 4}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 5}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 6}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 7}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 8}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 9}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 10}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\end{document}

Output

You can see TOC in the two column format.

Horizontal space between columns

If you want to customize the horizontal space between columns, you can do it using columnsep command. Its value can be adjusted to control column spacing for better layout and readability.

Here’s how you can work with columnsep:

Use the \setlength command within the document preamble to set a global value for columnsep.

\setlength{\columnsep}{7mm}  % Sets separation to 7 mm

For example

\documentclass[11pt]{report}
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage[toc]{multitoc}
\setlength{\columnsep}{7mm}  % Sets separation to 7 mm

\begin{document}

\tableofcontents

\chapter{Chapter 1}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 2}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 3}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 4}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 5}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 6}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 7}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 8}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 9}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 10}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\end{document}

Output

Vertical Line separating two columns

If you want to add a vertical line separating two columns, you can use columnseprule command. The columnseprule command in LaTeX defines the thickness and appearance of the vertical rule dividing columns in certain situations.

Here’s how you can use columnseprule:

Use the \setlength command within the document preamble to set a global value for the rule thickness.

\setlength{\columnseprule}{1pt} % Sets rule thickness to 1 point

For example

\documentclass[11pt]{report}
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage[toc]{multitoc}
\setlength{\columnsep}{7mm}  % Sets separation to 7 mm
\setlength{\columnseprule}{1pt} % Sets rule thickness to 1 point

\begin{document}

\tableofcontents

\chapter{Chapter 1}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 2}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 3}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 4}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 5}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 6}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 7}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 8}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 9}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\chapter{Chapter 10}
\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}
\section{Section Title New}
\subsection{Subsection Title New}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title New}

\end{document}

Output

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