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How to Change or Remove Numbers and Bullets in Easy Table of Contents

21 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Easy table of contents

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Many users of the Easy Table of Contents plugin want to customize the appearance of their table of contents, particularly the numbers or bullets that appear next to each list item. This is a common request for branding purposes, design consistency, or to avoid confusion when headings already contain numbers.

Based on community discussions, here are the most effective ways to manage the counters and bullets in your table of contents.

How to Remove Numbers Entirely

The simplest way to remove numbers from your table of contents is to use the built-in plugin setting.

  1. Navigate to your WordPress admin dashboard.
  2. Go to Settings > Table of Contents.
  3. In the General section, locate the Counter option.
  4. Select None from the dropdown menu.
  5. Click Save Changes.

This will remove all numbering from your table of contents, leaving just the plain text headings.

Using Custom CSS for Bullet Points

If you want to replace numbers with custom bullet points (like circles or dashes), you will need to add some custom CSS. This is because, while the 'None' option removes numbers, it does not automatically add bullets. The plugin has added some built-in bullet styles like 'Hyphen' and 'Dot' in updates, but for full customization, CSS is required.

Here is a common CSS snippet used by the community to add disc bullets:

#ez-toc-container ul.ez-toc-list li {
    list-style-type: disc;
}

To add this CSS to your site:

  1. Go to Appearance > Customize in your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Select Additional CSS.
  3. Paste the CSS code into the text area.
  4. Publish your changes.

You can change disc to other values like circle, square, or even use a custom image.

Why Your Custom CSS Might Not Be Working

If you've added CSS but don't see the changes, a few things could be happening:

  • CSS Specificity: Your theme's CSS might be overriding your custom styles. Try making your CSS selector more specific, for example: #ez-toc-container.counter-none ul li.
  • Caching: Clear your browser cache and any caching plugins on your site to see the changes.
  • Plugin Conflict: Another plugin might be interfering. Try temporarily deactivating other plugins to test.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

  • Numbers in Headings Appear in TOC: If you manually add numbers to your headings (e.g., '1. Introduction'), these will appear in the table of contents. The plugin cannot automatically strip these numbers out. The solution is to either remove the numbers from your headings or set the counter to 'None'.
  • Widget Counters Not Showing: Some users have reported that counter settings do not apply to the sidebar widget. This could be due to a plugin conflict. Troubleshoot by deactivating other plugins to see if the issue is resolved.
  • Numbers are Hyperlinks: By default, the numbers are part of the clickable link. To unlink just the numbers while keeping the text as a link, more advanced CSS is needed.

Customizing your table of contents with these methods should help you achieve a look that better matches your website's design and improves the user experience for your readers.

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