Free WordPress Table of Contents Plugin That’s Super Easy to Use

Most of the table of contents plugins I came across were either way too basic or locked behind a paywall. You get a simple list, sure. But if you want to tweak anything, like colors, layout, or mobile visibility, you’re suddenly hitting upgrade buttons.

So I decided to build one.

Table of Contents Simplified is a lightweight, fully customizable plugin that’s completely free. No upsells. No bloated features. No weird styling that breaks your site.

You can make it boxed, grid-style, collapsible, or keep it super minimal. It’s all in the settings.

What the Plugin Actually Does

When this plugin is active, it automatically adds a table of contents to the top of every single post. You don’t have to add shortcodes, blocks, or mess with anything inside the editor.

It also adds a new menu item to your WordPress dashboard called Table of Contents, where you can customize everything.

Here’s what it does:

• Scans your post content for headings (H2 to H6)

• Builds a clean, numbered list of those headings

• Adds it right before the post content on the frontend

• Links each item so readers can jump to different sections

• Gives you an admin settings page to control the look and behavior

Just activate the plugin, tweak the settings, and you're good to go.

Key Features

Here’s what you can do:

• Set your own title for the table of contents

• Pick custom text, hover, and background colors

• Hide the TOC on mobile with one click

• Remove underlines on hover if that bugs you

• Choose which heading levels to include (H3 to H6)

• Collapse nested items with a toggle icon you pick

• Adjust the overall font size

• Switch between boxed and unboxed layouts

• Use a compact grid style if that fits your design

• See live changes as you edit, with a reset button to start fresh

Every option lives in the settings page right in your dashboard. No extra tools. No code. Just simple controls that do what they’re supposed to.

How to Install It

This plugin is open source and fully available on GitHub. You can check out the code or just grab the ZIP file to use it right away.

Here’s how to install it:

1. Download the ZIP file from my GitHub repository.

2. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.

3. Select the ZIP file and click Install Now.

4. Once it's installed, click Activate.

After activation, the plugin will automatically register a new menu item in your dashboard called Table of Contents. That’s where you can adjust all the settings.

No extra setup needed. Once it's active, it just works.

How to Use It

After you activate the plugin, just head over to the Table of Contents menu in your dashboard. That’s your control center.

The settings page has everything in one spot. You can:

• Adjust how the TOC looks

• Choose what heading levels show up

• Test different styles in the live preview

• Reset everything if you change your mind

There’s no need to insert anything into your posts. The plugin handles it automatically. Once your settings are saved, every single post will show the TOC right above the content.

It’s a simple set-it-and-forget-it setup.

Final Thoughts

I built this because I wanted something simple, free, and actually useful. And figured someone else might want that too.

If you try it out, let me know what you think. Found a bug? Got an idea to improve it? Open an issue or a pull request on GitHub.

Thanks for checking it out.