I have a problem with Word 2016 (native not compatible format) where the page numbers in a TOC are being positioned incorrectly.

I read up on Jason tabs and this seems to be a related but different problem.



The problem I'm having is that when a title is shorter than the indent of the hanging indent, the page number aligns at the hanging indent rather than at the right margin. i.e. it seems like the hanging indent is acting as an unwanted tab stop.

I use an incrementally indenting TOC with each level set to have a hanging indent of 2 cm (to accommodate the long section numbers.) e.g left margin is set as 2+ ((outline level-1)/2) cm , the hanging indent is at (left margin -2cm).

TOC 2 is derived from TOC 1 etc.

All TOC levels have two tabs,

• Left justified, no leader, at the left margin
• Right justified, with a '.' leader at 16 cm for the page number

The right margin is set at 15.5 cm

If I remove the tab stop in the TOC style that aligns with the Hanging Indent the problem persists.

If I increase the size of the hanging indent then the problem persists.

The TOC, like all my styles, are set programmatically.

There are no tabs set in the TOC base style ('Normal').

Unlike earlier versions of word the right tab is not respected so page numbers align at the right margin rather than a short distance beyond it.

Does anyone have suggestion on how to correct this problem.

Our temporary solution is to use a longer heading name (e.g. 'List of Definitions', rather than 'Glossary').