Three Ways to Create Bookmarks in PDFs with Adobe Acrobat

In PDFs, bookmarks are links that appear in the Bookmarks panel. They are usually organized as a table of contents. Let’s look at three ways to create bookmarks in PDFs using Adobe Acrobat.

Method 1: Create a Bookmark without a Selection

Method 2: Create a Bookmark with a Selection

Method 3: Create a Bookmark from the Bookmarks Panel

But first, we’ll explore the differences between bookmarks and internal links in PDFs.

Attention Acrobat Reader Users: Acrobat Reader, Adobe’s free PDF software, doesn’t have an option for creating bookmarks. However, you can create basic bookmarks by first creating a Microsoft Word document with heading styles and then converting the Word file to a PDF. The Word headings should be converted to bookmarks accessible in Acrobat Reader.

This tutorial is also available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.

Watch more than 100 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.

The images below are from Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. The steps are the same in Acrobat Standard DC, Acrobat 2020, and Acrobat 2017.

What Are the Differences between Bookmarks and Internal Links in PDFs?

In PDFs, bookmarks are links connected to pages, specific text (e.g., chapter titles, headings, subheadings), or to objects (e.g., images, tables, figures). The bookmarks appear as linked navigation in the Bookmarks panel.

Image of Adobe Acrobat Bookmarks Panel — Figure 1. Bookmarks panel

Internal links connect text or objects to specific page views in the PDF. Internal links don’t appear in the Bookmarks panel.

Further Reading: How to Create Internal Links in PDFs with Adobe Acrobat

Method 1: Create a Bookmark without a Selection

These steps show how to add a bookmark in your PDF without selecting a specific piece of text or individual object. Therefore, this method is best if you want to bookmark a whole page without opening the Bookmarks panel.

1. Right-click on the page you want to bookmark.

2. Select Add Bookmark from the pop-up menu.

Image of Adobe Acrobat Pro Pop-Up Menu with Add Bookmark Option | Step 2 in Create a Bookmark without a Selection — Figure 2. Add Bookmark option in pop-up menu

3. Enter a label for your new bookmark in the text box labeled Untitled in the Bookmarks panel.

Image of Adobe Acrobat Bookmarks Panel with Untitled Bookmark | Step 3 in Create a Bookmark without a Selection — Figure 3. Bookmarks panel with Untitled bookmark

Pro Tip: If you need to edit a bookmark label, right-click on the bookmark and then select Rename from the pop-up menu.

Image of the Rename Bookmark Option in Adobe Acrobat — Figure 4. Rename bookmark option

4. Save your PDF in order to save your new bookmark.

Method 2: Create a Bookmark with a Selection

These steps show how to add a bookmark in your PDF by selecting specific text. The selected text becomes the bookmark label automatically, so this method is best when you want to turn short pieces of text such as chapter titles, headings, and subheadings into bookmarks.

1. Select the Selection tool (arrow) in the toolbar.

Image of Adobe Acrobat Selection Tool | Step 1 in Create a Boomark with a Selection — Figure 5. Selection tool

2. Select the text that should be linked to the bookmark.

Image of Text Selected for Bookmark in Acrobat | Step 2 in Create A Bookmark with a Selection — Figure 6. Text selected for bookmark

3. Right-click on the selected text.

4. Select Add Bookmark from the pop-up menu (see figure 2).

Note that the selected text becomes the bookmark label in the Bookmarks panel.

Image of Bookmark Created from Selected Text in Acrobat — Figure 7. Bookmark created from selected text

5. Save your PDF in order to save your new bookmark.

Method 3: Create a Bookmark from the Bookmarks Panel

These steps show how to create a bookmark from inside the Bookmarks panel. This method can be used to add a bookmark to a whole page or to a specific piece of text.

1. Select the text you want to bookmark or scroll to the page you want to bookmark in general.

2. Select the New bookmark button in the Bookmarks panel.