Instead of copy and pasting text, use the Navigation pane in Word to restructure your document. This pane allows you to quickly update the layout of the document without accidentally missing text when you copy/paste from one section to the next. You can also use it instead of scrolling, scrolling, scrolling… instead just go directly to the heading or section you want to update. Here’s how to use the Navigation pane.
Tip: To go to a chapter heading in Word without scrolling, use the Navigation pane.
How to Quickly Organize Chapters in MS Word
Here’s how to move sections around your document without losing text.
How to access the Navigation pane?
On the ribbon, click the View tab > Navigation Pane.
Browse by headings
Any headings you’ve applied to the document appear in the Navigation pane. It doesn’t display headings in tables, text boxes, or headers or footers.
To go to a heading in your document, click its heading in the Navigation pane.
Tip: To show or hide subheadings, click the arrow next to the heading.
Browse by page
In the Navigation pane, click PAGES (middle tab). This displays a thumbnail image of each page.
Click the thumbnail to go to that page.
Search in your document
To search the document, use the search box at the top of the Navigation pane. In the RESULTS pane (third tab), browse through the results by clicking the up and down arrows.
Reorganize your document
You can reorganize your document by dragging sections up and down in the Navigation pane. You can also change the level of headings, and add new headings.
In the Navigation pane, select the HEADINGS tab, select the heading, and drag it to a new location.
Browse by headings
To change the heading’s level or add a heading, right-click the heading, and choose the action you want.
Note: You cannot move protected regions.
