WD97: Word Doesn't Include Page Ranges in Index

When an item to be indexed appears on consecutive pages, Word represents those pages individually in the index, rather than showing them as a range. This happens even when you use the \g switch to gather ranges.

For example, if the word "Apple" appears on pages 4, 5, 6, and 7, Word lists each page separately in the index: rather than showing a range: Using the \g switch without also using bookmarks and XE fields does not change the way the index appears.

By design in Word, when you compile an index in a document that contains multiple XE fields for identical index entries, Word lists a page number for each index entry (for example, Apple, 4, 5, 6, 7). In contrast, when the range of pages is bookmarked, Word compiles the index showing this range (for example, Apple, 4-7).

Use bookmarks and a special XE field to tell Word to show a range for certain words.

To include page ranges in your index, follow these steps:

1. Highlight the range of pages on which the word appears.
2. On the Insert menu, click Bookmark.
3. Type a name for the bookmark. A good name to use is the word you are indexing.
4. Click Add.
5. Place the insertion point somewhere in the area you applied the bookmark to.
6. On the Insert menu, click Index And Tables.
7. Select the Index tab.
8. Click Mark Entry.
9. In the Main Entry box, type the word as you want it to appear in the index.
10. Select the Page Range option.
11. In the Bookmark box, select the bookmark name you applied.
12. Click Mark.
13. Click Close.

When you insert the index, it will include the range over which the word appears. An en dash separates the page numbers. If you want to change this character, see the "More Information" section of this article.

By default, Word uses an en dash to separate the beginning and ending pages in an indexed range. You can specify a different separation character by using the \g switch.

To specify a different separator, add the \g switch and the separator character, with the separator in quotation marks.