{"id":67306,"date":"2026-11-12T21:14:38","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T21:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/pdf-bookmarks-table-of-contents\/"},"modified":"2026-11-13T12:29:43","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T12:29:43","slug":"pdf-bookmarks-table-of-contents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/pdf-bookmarks-table-of-contents\/","title":{"rendered":"PDF bookmarks and table of contents: create and edit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bookmarks are the clickable outline that PDF readers show in the sidebar: click \"Chapter 3\" and the reader jumps there. With PDF24 you get bookmarks into your PDF for free in several ways: when converting from Word, when merging several files, detected automatically from the headings of a finished PDF, or by hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#welcher-weg\">Which way suits you?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#office\">Bookmarks when converting Word, Excel and PowerPoint<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#zusammenfuegen\">Bookmarks when merging: one per file<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#inhaltsverzeichnis\">Insert a table of contents<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#online\">Edit bookmarks online<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#erkennen\">Detect bookmarks from headings<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#toolbox\">Edit bookmarks offline in the PDF24 Toolbox<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#json\">Save bookmarks and reuse them in another PDF<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#anzeigen\">Make the PDF open with the bookmarks panel<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#entfernen\">Remove bookmarks<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#andere-werkzeuge\">What happens to bookmarks in other tools?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#kommandozeile\">Command line<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#probleme\">Problems and solutions<\/a><\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"welcher-weg\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Which way suits you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>You write the document in Word:<\/strong> the headings become bookmarks if you convert instead of printing \u2192 <a href=\"#office\">Word, Excel, PowerPoint<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Several files become one PDF, with a bookmark for each file:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/merge-pdf\">Merge PDF<\/a> with \"Create bookmarks\" \u2192 <a href=\"#zusammenfuegen\">Merging<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>You want a page at the front listing all files with page numbers:<\/strong> \u2192 <a href=\"#inhaltsverzeichnis\">Table of contents<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>The PDF is finished and has no bookmarks:<\/strong> create them from the headings with \"Detect bookmarks\" \u2192 <a href=\"#erkennen\">Detect<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Add, rename, arrange or delete bookmarks:<\/strong> online with <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/bookmark-pdf\">Bookmark PDF<\/a> \u2192 <a href=\"#online\">Online<\/a>, without internet in the PDF24 Toolbox \u2192 <a href=\"#toolbox\">Toolbox<\/a><\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The online tools work on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android. The PDF24 Toolbox comes with the free <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/creator\">PDF24 Creator<\/a> for Windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"office\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bookmarks when converting Word, Excel and PowerPoint<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The key rule first: <strong>bookmarks are only created when you convert the file, not when you print it.<\/strong> Printing, also to the \"PDF24\" printer, only passes on what the pages look like. No printer can carry over bookmarks or links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What each way gives you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Online<\/strong> with <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/word-to-pdf\">Word to PDF<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/excel-to-pdf\">Excel to PDF<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/powerpoint-to-pdf\">PowerPoint to PDF<\/a>: Word headings become bookmarks, with sub-levels (\"Heading 1\", \"Heading 2\" \u2026). An Excel workbook gets one bookmark per sheet, named after the sheet; a presentation one per slide.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>PDF24 Toolbox and PDF24 Creator with Microsoft Office<\/strong> (\"Convert to PDF\", Word files in \"Merge PDF\", files dropped into the Creator window): here the Office program exports the PDF itself. Word currently creates no bookmarks this way, Excel neither; PowerPoint creates one per slide.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>PDF24 Toolbox with LibreOffice installed<\/strong> (when Microsoft Office is missing, or with the method \"LibreOffice Export\", see below): bookmarks as online \u2013 headings, sheets and slides.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>In Word itself:<\/strong> \"File\" \u203a \"Save As\" \u203a PDF, then under \"Options\u2026\" tick \"Create bookmarks using: Headings\" (<a href=\"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/how-to-convert-word-to-pdf-with-pdf24\/#in-word\">how to<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>The \"PDF24\" printer<\/strong> or any other PDF printer: no bookmarks.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Bookmarks on the PC although Microsoft Office is installed:<\/strong> if LibreOffice is installed too, open the PDF24 settings, \"Preferred Methods\", and set \"Convert Word to PDF\" (or \"Convert Excel to PDF\") to \"LibreOffice Export\". The layout is then set by LibreOffice, not by Word; the trade-off is explained under <a href=\"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/how-to-convert-word-to-pdf-with-pdf24\/#einstellungen\">Word to PDF: settings<\/a>. Or convert as usual and create the bookmarks afterwards with <a href=\"#erkennen\">\"Detect bookmarks\"<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>For Word headings to become bookmarks,<\/strong> they must use the styles \"Heading 1\", \"Heading 2\" and so on. Text that is merely bold and large is not a heading to Word. More on Word and PDF: <a href=\"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/how-to-convert-word-to-pdf-with-pdf24\/#lesezeichen\">Convert Word to PDF<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"zusammenfuegen\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bookmarks when merging: one per file<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You are combining several files into one PDF \u2013 an application, a case file, the chapters of a book \u2013 and want to jump to each file with one click:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/merge-pdf\">Merge PDF<\/a> and add the files. PDF24 converts Word, Excel and image files on the way.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Put the files in the right order.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Tick <strong>\"Create bookmarks\"<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Click \"Merge PDF\" and download the result.<\/li>\n\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What you get:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Each file gets a bookmark with its <strong>file name<\/strong> (without the extension, underscores become spaces). So name the files the way the bookmarks should read before merging, e.g. \"01 Cover letter.pdf\", \"02 CV.pdf\".<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Bookmarks the files already had are placed <strong>one level below<\/strong>. If PDF24 converts a Word file online while merging, its headings therefore appear right away as sub-entries under the file name. In the Toolbox, with Microsoft Office installed, Word does the conversion \u2013 without heading bookmarks (see <a href=\"#office\">above<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Without the checkbox<\/strong>, PDF24 simply keeps the existing bookmarks of the files, one after the other.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the <strong>PDF24 Toolbox<\/strong> the tool is also called \"Merge PDF\"; \"Create bookmarks\" is available with the method \"Concatenate\". In the main window of PDF24 Creator (\"Merge all or selected documents\") the bookmarks of the files are kept, but the Creator does not create bookmarks from the file names. More on merging, including order and single pages: <a href=\"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/how-to-merge-pdf-files-with-pdf24\/#lesezeichen\">Merge PDF \u2013 bookmarks<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Images:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/images-to-pdf\">Images to PDF<\/a> can also add one bookmark per image, named after the file, when it puts the images into one PDF: online under the gear icon (\"Additional options\") \"Create bookmarks\", in the Toolbox in \"Images to PDF\" right below the file list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"inhaltsverzeichnis\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Insert a table of contents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bookmarks are only seen by people who open the sidebar. If the PDF should also have a printed overview, PDF24 adds a table of contents as the first page when merging:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Add the files in <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/merge-pdf\">Merge PDF<\/a> (or in the Toolbox).<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Click the gear icon (\"Additional options\") and tick <strong>\"Insert table of contents\"<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Merge.<\/li>\n\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The PDF then starts with a list of all files and the page each one starts on. Clicking a line jumps to that file. With many files the list runs over several pages. The page numbers count the table of contents itself, so they match the page display of your reader. It combines well with \"Create bookmarks\" and \"Insert a cover page before each file\" (also under the gear icon).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Good to know:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The table of contents lists the <strong>files<\/strong>, not the chapters inside them. PDF24 does not build a table of contents page from the bookmarks or headings of a single PDF.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>A table of contents with chapters<\/strong> is best created in Word (\"References\" \u203a \"Table of Contents\"). It is part of the pages and stays clickable if you convert instead of printing.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>The PDF already has a contents page, but without links?<\/strong> \"Detect bookmarks\" can turn that page into bookmarks (<a href=\"#erkennen\">Detect<\/a>). To make single lines clickable, use the \"Link\" tool in the \"Annotate\" mode of the <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/annotate-pdf\">PDF24 editor<\/a>; in the link window choose a page or, under \"Bookmark\", an existing bookmark as the target.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"online\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Edit bookmarks online<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/bookmark-pdf\">Bookmark PDF<\/a> and choose the PDF. The PDF24 editor opens directly in the \"Edit bookmarks\" mode. (In the <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/edit-pdf\">PDF24 editor<\/a> you pick this mode from the mode menu at the top.)<\/li>\n\n\n<li>The existing bookmarks are listed on the left. Click one to jump to its page.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>New bookmark:<\/strong> go to the page and click \"Add bookmark\" (plus icon). The new bookmark appears below the selected one, on the same level, and points to the current page. Type its name and press Enter.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Exact target:<\/strong> with \"Set the target on the page\" you click a position on the page or drag an area. A selected bookmark gets that target; with none selected, every click creates a new bookmark \u2013 a quick way to add many in a row. Esc ends this.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Save:<\/strong> click \"Save PDF\" at the top. The file goes to your download folder; your original stays unchanged.<\/li>\n\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More buttons in the panel (hover over them to see the name):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rename:<\/strong> double-click the bookmark or use the pen icon.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Arrange:<\/strong> drag it by the dots; dropping it onto another row makes it a sub-entry. Or use \"Move up\", \"Move down\", \"Indent\" (becomes a sub-entry of the one above) and \"Outdent\".<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>\"Set target to current page\":<\/strong> the selected bookmark then shows the whole current page.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Style and web link:<\/strong> bold (B), italic (I) and \"Color\" \u2013 many PDF readers show bookmarks that way. With \"Web link (URL)\" a bookmark opens a web address instead of a page.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>\"Delete\"<\/strong> removes the selected bookmark with its sub-entries, \"Delete all bookmarks\" removes all. \"Undo\" in the editor's top toolbar (or Ctrl+Z) brings them back as long as you have not saved.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>\"Named destination\":<\/strong> gives a bookmark a fixed name such as \"chapter-3\". Other programs and links can then open the PDF right there, e.g. with <code>manual.pdf#nameddest=chapter-3<\/code>. \"Create named destinations for all bookmarks\" does this for all of them at once, with names suggested from the titles.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your file is transferred encrypted and deleted from the PDF24 servers automatically after one hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"erkennen\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Detect bookmarks from headings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your PDF has headings but no bookmarks? Then nobody has to add them one by one:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open the PDF online in <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/bookmark-pdf\">Bookmark PDF<\/a> or in the Toolbox in \"Edit PDF bookmarks\".<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>\"Detect bookmarks\"<\/strong> (the icon with the sparkles).<\/li>\n\n\n<li>PDF24 reads the pages and shows the bookmarks it found, indented, with page numbers. The top line says where they come from:\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\"From the headings marked in the PDF\" \u2013 the PDF contains a structure for screen readers, e.g. from Word,<\/li>\n\n\n<li>\"From the PDF's table of contents\" \u2013 the PDF has a contents page,<\/li>\n\n\n<li>\"From the headings on the pages\" \u2013 PDF24 recognises headings by font size and position.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Untick everything that should not become a bookmark. With \"Levels\" you can limit the list to, say, the main chapters. Clicking a page number shows the spot.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Click \"Insert bookmarks\". If the PDF already has bookmarks, choose \"Replace bookmarks\" or \"Add to bookmarks\".<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Check and adjust the bookmarks as described above, then save.<\/li>\n\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If PDF24 says \"This PDF only contains images of pages, no text\", the PDF is a scan. Run text recognition first (<a href=\"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/pdf-ocr-text-recognition\/\">PDF OCR<\/a>); after that \"Detect bookmarks\" can find headings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"toolbox\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Edit bookmarks offline in the PDF24 Toolbox<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Without internet and without uploading anything, you edit bookmarks in the PDF24 Toolbox:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open the PDF24 Toolbox and choose <strong>\"Edit PDF bookmarks\"<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Drag the PDF into the window or click \"Choose file\". The bookmarks appear on the left, the pages on the right.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>New bookmark:<\/strong> drag a frame over the heading on the page. PDF24 suggests the text inside it as the name; confirm with \"OK\". If a bookmark is selected on the left, the new one becomes its sub-entry. For a top-level bookmark, first click into the empty area of the bookmark list to clear the selection.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Change:<\/strong> the menu icon next to each bookmark offers \"Change text\", \"Move up\", \"Move down\", \"Move left\" (one level up), \"Move right\" (sub-entry of the one above), \"Named destination\" and \"Delete\". Keyboard: the arrow keys move the selected bookmark (\u2190 one level up, \u2192 sub-entry, \u2191 \u2193 up\/down), Del deletes, F2 renames. A bookmark you drag onto another one becomes its sub-entry.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Change the target:<\/strong> select the bookmark, switch on \"Change selected bookmark\" (pen icon above the page) and drag the new area on the page.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>\"Save PDF\"<\/strong> (disk icon) and choose folder and name.<\/li>\n\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the top of the bookmark list you also find \"Detect bookmarks\" (<a href=\"#erkennen\">see above<\/a>), \"Create named destinations for all bookmarks\", \"Delete all bookmarks\" and export and import (<a href=\"#json\">next section<\/a>). Bookmarks you add by hand in the Toolbox get the dragged area as their target; many readers zoom into that area when you click the bookmark. If the reader should show the whole page, set the target online with \"Set target to current page\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>PDF24 Reader<\/strong> shows the bookmarks in its sidebar. Editing bookmarks is in the works for PDF24 Reader and will be released with one of the upcoming versions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"json\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Save bookmarks and reuse them in another PDF<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You have a new version of the same document and don't want to create the bookmarks again? Online and in the Toolbox there are two buttons for that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>\"Export bookmarks as JSON\"<\/strong> saves all bookmarks with their levels and targets to a small file.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>\"Import bookmarks from a JSON file\"<\/strong> loads them into another PDF and <strong>replaces<\/strong> its bookmarks. Then save.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The targets are page numbers (with the position on the page). If chapters start on different pages in the new version, adjust those bookmarks afterwards. The files work in both the Toolbox and the online tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"anzeigen\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make the PDF open with the bookmarks panel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many people never notice the bookmarks because their PDF reader opens with the sidebar closed. You can store in the PDF that it opens with the bookmarks shown:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Online:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/set-pdf-viewer-preferences\">Set PDF viewer preferences<\/a>, set \"Page mode\" to \"UseOutlines\", then \"Change preferences\".<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Toolbox:<\/strong> \"Edit viewer preferences\", \"Page mode\" \"UseOutlines\", then \"Change preferences\".<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\"UseOutlines\" is the technical PDF term for \"show bookmarks\". Many PDF readers follow it, PDF24 Reader since version 11.34.0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"entfernen\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Remove bookmarks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>All bookmarks of a PDF:<\/strong> online in <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/bookmark-pdf\">Bookmark PDF<\/a>, click \"Delete all bookmarks\" and save. In the Toolbox (\"Edit PDF bookmarks\") this button doesn't yet remove the bookmarks from the saved file in PDF24 Creator 11.34. This has been fixed; the fix comes with the next version. Until then, use the online tool or \"Remove bookmarks\" when compressing (below).<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Single bookmarks:<\/strong> select them, \"Delete\", then save.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>While compressing:<\/strong> in <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/compress-pdf\">Compress PDF<\/a> tick \"Remove bookmarks\" under the gear icon (<a href=\"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/compress-pdf-guide\/#zusaetzliche-optionen\">more on the options<\/a>). PDF24 remembers this checkbox for your next visit.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>When merging on the command line:<\/strong> <code>-bookmarks clear<\/code> (<a href=\"#kommandozeile\">command line<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"andere-werkzeuge\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What happens to bookmarks in other tools?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Compress:<\/strong> bookmarks are kept unless you choose \"Remove bookmarks\" online.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Text recognition (OCR) online:<\/strong> PDF24 only lays a text layer over the pages, the bookmarks stay.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Split PDF:<\/strong> each new file keeps the bookmarks that point to its pages. PDF24 cannot split by bookmarks.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Page mode of Merge PDF:<\/strong> bookmarks that point to a page you take over are kept.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Removing and extracting pages:<\/strong> online with <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/remove-pdf-pages\">Remove PDF pages<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/extract-pdf-pages\">Extract PDF pages<\/a>, the bookmarks of the pages you keep stay and still point to the right page. Bookmarks of removed pages are dropped, and their sub-entries move up one level. In the Toolbox, \"Remove PDF pages\" and \"Extract PDF pages\" still remove <strong>all<\/strong> bookmarks in PDF24 Creator 11.34; this is fixed and comes with the next version. Until then, use the online tool or the <a href=\"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/how-to-merge-pdf-files-with-pdf24\/#seitenmodus\">page mode of Merge PDF<\/a>: add the one file and take over only the pages you want to keep.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Pages per sheet:<\/strong> bookmarks point to the sheet the page is now on (one exception under <a href=\"#falsche-seite\">problems<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Redact:<\/strong> removes the bookmarks of the whole file so they cannot give away anything redacted (<a href=\"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/edit-pdf-with-pdf24\/#redact\">more<\/a>). So add bookmarks after redacting.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Printing:<\/strong> printing a PDF to a PDF printer loses the bookmarks. Save or edit the PDF with a tool instead of printing it again.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"kommandozeile\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Command line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The PDF24 DocTool merges files without a window and, with <code>-bookmarks create<\/code>, adds one bookmark per file:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>\"C:\\Program Files\\PDF24\\pdf24-DocTool.exe\" -join -bookmarks create -profile special\/justAssemble -silent -outputFile \"C:\\Files\\combined.pdf\" \"C:\\Files\\01 Cover letter.pdf\" \"C:\\Files\\02 CV.pdf\"<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><code>-bookmarks create<\/code> adds one bookmark per file from its name, with the existing bookmarks below.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><code>-bookmarks keep<\/code> (default) keeps the existing bookmarks, <code>-bookmarks clear<\/code> removes all.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><code>-profile special\/justAssemble<\/code> only joins, without processing the pages again; with <code>-silent<\/code> a profile is required.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More examples, e.g. all PDFs of a folder sorted by name, are under <a href=\"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/how-to-merge-pdf-files-with-pdf24\/#kommandozeile\">Merge PDFs from the command line<\/a>. Adding or detecting bookmarks by hand is only possible in the tools above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"probleme\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Problems and solutions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The PDF from Word has no bookmarks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Printed instead of converted, converted with Microsoft Word in the Toolbox, or headings only formatted bold \u2013 the solutions are under <a href=\"#office\">Word, Excel, PowerPoint<\/a>. The quickest fix for a finished PDF: <a href=\"#erkennen\">\"Detect bookmarks\"<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bookmarks are missing after merging<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Did you tick \"Create bookmarks\"? Without it no bookmarks are made from the file names; existing bookmarks of the files are kept anyway. If the single files had no bookmarks (e.g. because they were printed), the merged file has none either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Older versions of PDF24 Creator lost bookmarks in some cases, e.g. bookmarks with a broken target from Word or a very large number of bookmarks. Update to the current version: <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/creator\">PDF24 Creator<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">All bookmarks are gone after removing or extracting pages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This affects the Toolbox in PDF24 Creator 11.34. It is fixed and comes with the next version. Online, <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/remove-pdf-pages\">Remove PDF pages<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/extract-pdf-pages\">Extract PDF pages<\/a> already keep the bookmarks of the remaining pages. On your PC, the page mode of Merge PDF helps until then, see <a href=\"#andere-werkzeuge\">above<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"falsche-seite\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bookmarks point to the wrong page or nowhere<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>After \"Pages per sheet\" in the Toolbox:<\/strong> bookmarks stored as a jump action (many programs do this, e.g. Word) point nowhere afterwards. This is fixed online; for PDF24 Creator the fix comes with the next version. Until then, use <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/pages-per-sheet\">Pages per sheet<\/a> online or recreate the bookmarks afterwards with \"Detect bookmarks\".<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>After inserting or reordering pages in another program:<\/strong> check the bookmarks in the editor; a click shows the target, \"Set target to current page\" corrects it.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>The reader zooms in a lot when you click:<\/strong> the target is an area on the page. Set it online with \"Set target to current page\" (whole page) or with a click on a position instead of a dragged area.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\"Detect bookmarks\" finds nothing or too much<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\"No headings were found that could become bookmarks\": the headings hardly differ from the body text. Add the bookmarks by hand (<a href=\"#online\">online<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n\n<li>\"This PDF only contains images of pages, no text\": run <a href=\"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/pdf-ocr-text-recognition\/\">text recognition<\/a> first.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Too many entries, e.g. image captions: untick them or choose fewer \"Levels\".<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Toolbox does not save the bookmarks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Versions before 11.32.0 could fail to save in \"Edit PDF bookmarks\" with some PDFs, e.g. bookmarks without a target or with a web link, and the \"Save PDF\" button then stayed grey. Update <a href=\"https:\/\/tools.pdf24.org\/en\/creator\">PDF24 Creator<\/a>. If it still fails, use the <a href=\"#online\">online tool<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Missing a feature or something doesn't work? Write to team@pdf24.org or ask in the <a href=\"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/forums\/\">PDF24 forum<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Add bookmarks to a PDF: from Word headings, one per file when merging, detected from headings, edited online or offline. Plus table of contents and fixes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-creator","category-online-tools"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67306"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67306\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67339,"href":"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67306\/revisions\/67339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/help.pdf24.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}