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Put toc in the command where you want the table of contents to appear. wkhtmltopdf writes document objects in command-line order, so wkhtmltopdf toc input.html output.pdf creates a front TOC, while wkhtmltopdf input.html toc output.pdf places it after the content. A cover remains outside the generated TOC: wkhtmltopdf cover cover.html toc input.html output.pdf.
Position the TOC by changing object order
wkhtmltopdf treats a table of contents as a document object, not as HTML that is automatically inserted into your page. The objects are written to the output PDF in the order specified on the command line. This rule controls placement.
Front TOC without a cover
wkhtmltopdf toc input.html output.pdfThe toc object is first, so the generated contents pages precede the pages rendered from input.html.
TOC after the main document
wkhtmltopdf input.html toc output.pdfPutting toc after the page object appends the contents to the end of the PDF. This is useful when the contents is intended as an index or reference section rather than front matter.
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Cover, then TOC, then content
wkhtmltopdf cover cover.html toc input.html output.pdfA cover object is rendered first, the TOC follows it, and the content comes last. The cover is excluded from the generated TOC. For a book assembled from several page objects, keep the same principle: list cover, toc, and each content object in the exact order you want them printed.
Content followed by a back-of-book TOC
wkhtmltopdf cover cover.html chapters-1.html chapters-2.html toc book.pdfHere the TOC is generated after all chapter objects. Headings from the input page objects are used to build the entries; the cover still does not become an entry.
Make sure the headings you expect are detected
wkhtmltopdf builds the TOC from heading tags in the input documents. Use semantic h1 through h6 elements instead of styling ordinary paragraphs to look like headings.
<h1>Installation</h1>
<h2>Linux packages</h2>
<h2>Windows installer</h2>
<h1>Configuration</h1>The heading levels form the hierarchy shown in the contents. Keep levels logically nested: an h2 should normally belong to the preceding h1, and an h3 to the preceding h2. If an expected entry is missing, inspect the actual rendered HTML and confirm that the element is a real heading in the document object being converted.
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Inspect the detected outline before styling
Use --dump-outline to see what wkhtmltopdf detected. This separates an outline or heading problem from a visual styling problem. Once the outline contains the expected titles and nesting, adjust indentation, links, or typography.
Separate visual depth from PDF outline depth
--outline-depth <level> limits the depth of the PDF viewer’s outline (bookmark) tree. It does not change the indentation or text-size treatment of the printed TOC. Configure the two independently when you want detailed printed contents but a shallower bookmark panel, or the reverse.
Use the built-in TOC styling options
These switches affect the default TOC stylesheet. Put TOC-specific options in the TOC object area when using per-object options; keep global settings such as page size, orientation, and margins in the global area required by the command synopsis.
| Option | Purpose | Default or effect |
|---|---|---|
--toc-header-text <text> |
Changes the heading printed above the contents | Default is Table of Contents |
--toc-level-indentation <width> |
Sets the indentation applied for each deeper heading level | Default is 1em; for example, use 1.5em for a wider hierarchy |
--disable-dotted-lines |
Removes the leader dots between an entry and its page number | Dotted leaders are shown unless disabled |
--disable-toc-links |
Removes links from TOC entries to their sections | Entries are linked by default |
--toc-text-size-shrink <real> |
Scales text at each deeper heading level | Default is 0.8 |
--outline-depth <level> |
Limits the PDF bookmark outline | Applies to the viewer outline, not printed TOC indentation |
A front TOC with a custom title and no leaders
wkhtmltopdf
--toc-header-text "Contents"
--toc-level-indentation 1.5em
--disable-dotted-lines
toc chapters.html book.pdfThis keeps clickable entries, changes the heading to “Contents,” increases each level’s indentation, and removes the dotted leaders. Add --disable-toc-links only when you deliberately need a non-interactive contents page.
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Why a flag may appear to do nothing
The built-in switches style the default stylesheet. If you supply --xsl-style-sheet, your custom XSLT controls the generated markup and presentation, so the default TOC flags no longer apply. Check for an active custom stylesheet before changing command-line values repeatedly.
Use XSLT when the default layout is not enough
wkhtmltopdf generates the TOC by transforming an outline XML document with XSLT. This is the extension point for a different title position, custom fonts, bespoke leader behavior, extra columns, or CSS that the built-in flags cannot express.
Export the default stylesheet
wkhtmltopdf --dump-default-toc-xsl > toc.xslEdit toc.xsl and its CSS rather than starting from an empty transform. The default file shows the expected templates and makes it easier to preserve page-number and link behavior while changing appearance.
Inspect the outline XML
wkhtmltopdf --dump-outline outline.xml toc input.html output.pdfThe outline namespace is http://wkhtmltopdf.org/outline. Each item can contain nested items and carries title, page, link, and backLink attributes. Use these values in the XSLT to decide what is printed and where links point.
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Apply the custom stylesheet
wkhtmltopdf toc --xsl-style-sheet toc.xsl input.html output.pdfWith a custom transform, implement indentation, font-size changes, dotted leaders, forward links, and back links in XSLT/CSS. Do not expect --toc-header-text, --toc-level-indentation, or the other default-style flags to alter the custom result.
Control TOC behavior from libwkhtmltox
If you embed wkhtmltopdf through libwkhtmltox instead of invoking the executable, create a TOC object between the relevant page objects. The TOC object exposes settings for caption text, indentation, dotted-line behavior, forward and back links, and font scaling. Object settings also include includeInOutline, pagesCount, and tocXsl.
Use the same conceptual model as the CLI: object insertion order controls physical position, heading tags control entries, and tocXsl switches from the default stylesheet to your own XSLT. Keep page size, orientation, and margins at the global or page-object level so the TOC has enough printable width.
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Quick Recap
Troubleshoot placement, entries, and appearance
The TOC is at the wrong end
- Cause:
tocis in the wrong position amongcoverand page objects. - Fix: Move the token itself. Use
cover toc chapters.htmlfor cover-then-front-matter, or puttocafter the final content object for a back TOC.
The cover appears as a TOC entry
- Cause: The cover was supplied as an ordinary page object or its content was duplicated in the chapter HTML.
- Fix: Pass it with the
coverobject syntax and keep cover-only headings out of the content documents used to build the outline.
Headings are missing
- Cause: The text is styled as a paragraph, is outside the converted document object, or uses malformed heading markup.
- Fix: Use valid
h1–h6tags, then run--dump-outlineand inspect the resulting hierarchy before changing CSS.
Indentation or text shrink has no effect
- Cause: A custom XSLT stylesheet is active.
- Fix: Remove
--xsl-style-sheetto test the default stylesheet, or implement the desired change directly in your XSLT and CSS.
Links do not work
- Cause:
--disable-toc-linkswas supplied, or the custom XSLT omitted the generated link and back-link attributes. - Fix: Remove the disabling flag for the default stylesheet. In custom XSLT, preserve the
linkandbackLinkvalues from each outline item.
The TOC is clipped or wraps unexpectedly
- Cause: Global page size, orientation, or margins leave insufficient printable width.
- Fix: Increase the usable page width, choose a suitable orientation, or shorten long headings. Apply these as global rendering settings rather than trying to solve a page-margin problem with indentation alone.
The command behaves differently across machines
- Cause: Different wkhtmltopdf builds expose different patched-Qt capabilities.
- Fix: Record and compare
wkhtmltopdf --version, verify that the binary supports the TOC features you use, and test the same input with the same page size and margins.
Practical checks before shipping the PDF
- Run a minimal front-TOC command with one known
h1and oneh2. - Confirm object order, especially when a cover or multiple chapter files are present.
- Inspect the outline with
--dump-outlineif an entry or nesting level is wrong. - Choose default flags for straightforward title, indentation, dots, links, and scaling changes.
- Move to XSLT only when the required layout is outside those flags, and then style every desired behavior in the custom transform.
- Check the final PDF in a viewer: printed contents pages, bookmark depth, internal links, page numbers, margins, and clipping can be affected independently.
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