Accessibility - Step-by-step instructions for assigning and changing Heading styles

Headings are a great way to tell people what they need to know quickly.  Learn how to use styles for headings to make your documents easier to navigate.

How to assign a Heading style to text

Step 1: Open your document

1. Open your Word document.
2. Scroll to the text you want to turn into a heading.

Step 2: Select the Heading text

1. Click and highlight the text that should be a heading (for example, a section title).

Step 3: Go to the Home tab

1. Click the Home tab on the ribbon at the top of Word.
2. Locate the Styles group.

Step 4: Choose the appropriate Heading level

Click the heading style that matches your document structure:

• Heading 1 → Main section titles
• Heading 2 → Subsections under Heading 1
• Heading 3 → Subsections under Heading 2

The selected text is now assigned as a heading.

Example of proper Heading structure (indented for emphasis only)

Heading 1 – Texas A&M University

Heading 2 – Graduate and Professional School

Heading 3 – Prospective Students

Heading 3 -  Current Students

Heading 3 - Faculty and Staff

Heading 2 - Undergraduate Programs

Heading 3 - Majors and Minors

Heading 3 - Undergraduate Courses

This hierarchy helps Word organize your document correctly.
Note: Unlike "Heading 1" through "Heading 9," the Title style is not always navigable by screen readers or the Navigation Pane. For highly accessible documents, experts recommend using Heading 1 for the main title instead.

Optional: Use keyboard shortcuts (Windows)

You can assign headings quickly using shortcuts:

• Ctrl + Alt + 1 → Heading 1
• Ctrl + Alt + 2 → Heading 2
• Ctrl + Alt + 3 → Heading 3

Verify Headings using the Navigation Pane (recommended)

1. Click the View tab.
2. Check Navigation Pane.
3. Select Headings.

If your headings appear in the list, they are assigned correctly.

Important Tips

• Do not manually format headings using bold or font size. Always use Styles.
• Use headings consistently to enable:
  • Automatic Table of Contents
  • Easy navigation
  • Accessibility features (screen readers)
• Headings can be reformatted later by modifying the style—no need to reapply them.

How to change a Heading style

Change an existing Heading style (recommended method)

This updates the style everywhere it’s used in the document.

Step 1: Open the Styles pane

1. Open your Word document.
2. Go to the Home tab on the ribbon.
3. In the Styles group, locate the heading you want to change (for example, Heading 1).

Step 2: Modify the Heading Style

1. Right‑click the heading style (e.g., Heading 1).
2. Select Modify… from the menu.

Step 3: Adjust formatting

In the Modify Style window:

1. Change any of the following as needed:
   • Font (typeface)
   • Font size
   • Font color
   • Bold / Italic
   • Alignment
2. Click Format (bottom‑left) for more options:
   • Paragraph (spacing, indentation)
   • Font (advanced settings)
   • Numbering (for numbered headings)

Step 4: Choose scope (important)

At the bottom of the window, choose one:

• Only in this document → affects the current file only
• New documents based on this template → affects future documents

Step 5: Apply the changes

1. Click OK.
2. All text using that heading style updates automatically.

Alternative: Update a Heading style from selected text (quick method)

Use this if you already formatted a heading manually and want the style to match it.

Steps:

1. Select text that already looks the way you want.
2. Go to Home → Styles.
3. Right‑click the heading style you want to update.
4. Click Update [Heading] to Match Selection.

Warning: This immediately changes all headings using that style.

Tips and best practices

• Always use heading styles instead of manual formatting. This enables:
  • Automatic tables of contents
  • Easier navigation
  • Consistent formatting
• Modify Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, etc., to maintain a clear document structure.
• Avoid changing headings by highlighting text and formatting it manually, This breaks consistency.