BYTETOOLS

Add Bookmarks to PDF

Type a list of titles and page numbers and get a real, nested PDF outline in the sidebar of Acrobat, Preview and every browser — all done in your browser.

Drop a PDF here or click to browseThe outline is written into the file on your device — nothing is uploaded
7
Bookmarks
2
Levels deep
—
Pages in PDF

Preview

  • Coverp. 1
  • Introductionp. 2
  • Why this mattersp. 2
  • How to read itp. 3
  • Chapter Onep. 4
  • Getting startedp. 4
  • Appendixp. 6

What is the Add Bookmarks to PDF?

A long PDF without bookmarks is a scroll bar and a guess. Bookmarks — properly called the document outline — give readers a clickable table of contents in the viewer's sidebar, and most tools that export a PDF simply never create one.

  • Real nested PDF outline, not a text page — it appears in every viewer's sidebar
  • Up to six levels of nesting, controlled by indentation
  • Live preview showing every title with the page it will jump to
  • Warns about lines with no page number or a page past the end
  • Optional setting to open the bookmarks panel automatically
  • Full Unicode titles, written as UTF-16 hex strings

How to use the Add Bookmarks to PDF

  1. 1

    Drop the PDF onto the upload area — the tool reads its page count so page numbers can be checked.

  2. 2

    Type your bookmarks in the text box, one per line, as “Title, page number”.

  3. 3

    Indent a line with two spaces or a tab to nest it under the line above; indent twice for a third level.

  4. 4

    Choose whether sub-bookmarks start expanded and whether the bookmarks panel opens with the file.

  5. 5

    Check the live preview, then click Add Bookmarks and download the result.

About the Add Bookmarks to PDF

A long PDF without bookmarks is a scroll bar and a guess. Bookmarks — properly called the document outline — give readers a clickable table of contents in the viewer's sidebar, and most tools that export a PDF simply never create one.

This tool builds a genuine outline tree. You type one bookmark per line as “Title, page number” and indent a line to nest it under the one above. The tool then writes real outline dictionaries into the file, with the first, last, next, previous and parent links and a page destination for each entry, exactly as the PDF specification requires.

Everything runs locally in your browser with pdf-lib, so your document is never uploaded and the tool keeps working offline. Titles are stored as UTF-16 text, which means accented characters, curly quotes, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew and CJK headings all survive intact rather than turning into question marks. A live preview shows each title with the page it will jump to before you commit.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add bookmarks to a PDF for free?

Upload the file here, type each bookmark as “Title, page number” on its own line, indent to create sub-levels and click Add Bookmarks. No account, no upload and no watermark.

What is the difference between a bookmark and a table of contents page?

A table of contents is printed content on a page. A bookmark lives in the PDF's outline structure and appears in the viewer's sidebar, so readers can jump around without scrolling. This tool creates the second kind.

How do I create nested or sub-bookmarks?

Indent the line with two spaces or one tab. Each extra level of indentation nests the bookmark one level deeper under the entry above it, up to six levels.

Will this replace bookmarks the PDF already has?

Yes. The outline you type replaces any existing one. If you want to keep what is there, extract the current outline first with the PDF Bookmark Extractor and paste it into the box as a starting point.

Do bookmarks work on phones and in web browsers?

Yes. Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Acrobat, Preview and most mobile readers all show the outline, usually behind a sidebar or contents icon.

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