Custom TOC nightmare

To fix the issue with KDP not recognizing your custom Table of Contents (TOC), you should manually insert the TOC field code instead of relying on Word’s built-in custom TOC options. In your Word document, place the cursor where you want the TOC, press Ctrl + F9 to insert field brackets, and type this inside: TOC \o "1-1" \h \z \u. Then press F9 to update the field. This creates a TOC using only Heading 1 styles, removes page numbers, and ensures compatibility with Kindle requirements. KDP prefers this method because it follows their guidelines for navigation without relying on Word’s auto-formatting features.