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 fifty other videos about Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat 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.
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.
3. Enter a label for your new bookmark in the text box labeled Untitled in the Bookmarks panel.
Pro Tip: If you need to edit a bookmark label, right-click on the bookmark and then select Rename from the pop-up menu.
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.
2. Select the text that should be linked to the 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.
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.
3. If you bookmarked a whole page, enter the label for your new bookmark in the text box labeled Untitled in the Bookmarks panel (see figure 3).
Note that if you selected text to bookmark, that text will become the bookmark label automatically.
4. Save your PDF in order to save your new bookmark.
In an upcoming post, we’ll explore several advanced tips for creating and using bookmarks in PDFs—so bookmark this blog and come back soon!
Related Resources
How to Create External Links in PDFs with Adobe Acrobat
How to Attach Files to PDFs in Adobe Acrobat
How to Create In-Text Links to Attached PDFs in Adobe Acrobat
How to Create Navigation Buttons in PDFs with Adobe Acrobat
How to Create Buttons to Page Views in PDFs with Adobe Acrobat
How to Create a Blank PDF in Adobe Acrobat
How to Open Links in Separate Tabs in Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader
Updated March 28, 2021
Erin – you are a superstar for posting all of these videos. They are really helpful and you are so easy to understand. Really appreciate what you’ve done so that I can understand Adobe Acrobat DC much better. Thank you so much.
I really appreciate your positive feedback!
Hi Erin, I’ve noticed in the past month or so with Method 2 the selected text no longer becomes the bookmark label. It is “Untitled” for me now. I was searching for a solution to this problem when I came across your post. Wondering if this happened to anyone else and if there’s a solution. It’s very annoying :)
Hi, Judy. Thank you for visiting my blog. I just checked Method 2, and it’s still working correctly on my end. No one else has contacted me about it here or on my YouTube channel, so you may want to contact Adobe directly because you might have an annoying glitch. Best of luck! (If others do start to contact me about this issue, I will be sure to update this blog post.)
~Erin
which version of pdf software this bookmark option will get
These steps will work in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, Adobe Acrobat Standard DC, Adobe Acrobat 2020, and Adobe Acrobat 2017. The bookmarks will also work in Acrobat Reader; however, you can’t create bookmarks in Reader. Best of luck!
Yes, Method 2 does not work in Adobe Acrobat Pro 2017. New bookmarks are always named “Untitled”. It is not possible to create Bookmarks based on the selection.
I am sorry to hear that this method no longer works in Acrobat 2017. I will make a note in the text. Thank you for visiting!
As of 3/18/21, I have no trouble creating bookmark to selected text with Adobe Acrobat 2017.
Great, I’m glad to hear that!
~Erin