PDF Bookmark Generator: Add Bookmarks Automatically
Create PDF bookmarks automatically from the headings in your document, then rename, nest, add or delete them before saving. Free and in your browser.
Most tools never upload your files
How to add bookmarks to a PDF
Bookmarks are the clickable outline in the side panel of a PDF reader. In a long report, manual, thesis or contract they turn endless scrolling into one click per chapter. Many PDFs, especially those exported from older tools, scanned and OCRed, or merged from several files, have none. The PDF Bookmark Generator finds the headings in your document automatically and builds a nested bookmark outline that you can review and edit before saving.
How to add bookmarks to a PDF
- Add your PDF. Drop it onto the page or click Choose file. Headings are detected right away.
- Choose how much to detect. Main headings only, headings and subheadings, or all levels.
- Edit the list. Rename a bookmark, change its page, use the arrows to nest it or move it up a level, delete what you do not need and add missing entries.
- Save. Click Add bookmarks and download the PDF.
Detection levels
| Setting | What becomes a bookmark |
|---|---|
| Main headings | Only the largest heading size, such as chapter titles |
| Headings and subheadings | Two levels, for example chapters and sections |
| All levels | Three levels, including smaller and bold headings |
How it works
The tool reads the text of every page with its exact font size, position and font name. It works out the size of normal body text, then picks lines that are clearly bigger or set in bold, ignores page numbers and running headers that repeat on many pages, and joins headings that wrap onto two lines. Distinct heading sizes become bookmark levels. When you save, the outline is written into the PDF with each entry pointing to the exact spot of its heading, and the document is set to open with the bookmarks panel so readers see it immediately. Nothing else in the file changes.
Private by design
Detection and saving run in your browser. The PDF is never uploaded and nothing is stored.
Who uses it
Students submitting a thesis that must have a navigable outline, technical writers publishing manuals, lawyers preparing long contracts and court bundles, teachers sharing course readers, and anyone who merged several PDFs and lost the chapter structure. Bookmarks also improve accessibility, because screen reader users and keyboard users can jump between sections, and many publishing and archive standards expect them in long documents. Adding them takes a minute and makes a document of hundreds of pages easy to use on any reader.
Tips
- Scanned document? Add a text layer with PDF OCR so headings can be found.
- Joining chapters from several files? Merge PDF first, then add bookmarks to the result.
- Want clickable links inside the pages too? Use Add Links to PDF.
- Need to remove old bookmarks without adding new ones? Clean PDF can strip them.
Features
- Detects headings automatically from font size and bold text
- Up to three bookmark levels with automatic nesting
- Edit everything: rename, change the page, indent, outdent, delete or add bookmarks
- Each bookmark jumps to the exact heading position, not just the top of the page
- The PDF opens with the bookmarks panel visible
- Runs in your browser: the PDF is never uploaded
Frequently asked questions
How are headings found?
The tool reads every line of text with its font size and weight. The most common size is the body text; lines that are clearly larger, or bold short lines, are treated as headings. Larger sizes become higher bookmark levels. Repeated running headers are ignored.
Can I edit the bookmarks before saving?
Yes. Every detected bookmark can be renamed, moved to another page, made a sub-bookmark or moved up a level, or deleted, and you can add new bookmarks by hand.
What happens to bookmarks my PDF already has?
They are replaced by your new list. The tool tells you how many bookmarks the file already contains before you save.
Does it work on scanned PDFs?
Scanned pages have no text to detect. Run PDF OCR first, or add the bookmarks by hand with page numbers, which works on any PDF.
Will the rest of the PDF change?
No. Pages, text, images, links and form fields stay exactly as they were. Only the bookmark outline is written, and the file is set to open with the bookmarks panel.
Is my document uploaded?
No. Detection and saving run in your browser, so the file stays on your device.