How to Add Bookmarks to PDF

Navigating a lengthy PDF is by no means fun. If you’re a student poring over multiple chapters, a professional reviewing sections of a contract, or looking for a way to get to certain parts in your PDF, then you know how easy it is to get lost in a single document.

This is where a simple PDF bookmark can help. Creating bookmarks in PDF documents can save you the time needed for more important PDF tasks. So if you’re looking to better organize and structure your PDF, then this guide is for you. 

We're delving into the usefulness of PDF bookmarks and how to:

• Create bookmarks in PDF documents
• Edit PDF bookmarks
• Use PDF comments as bookmarks

Join us as we go over each method and show you how to enhance the overall PDF user experience for your readers and yourself!

The benefits of adding bookmarks to PDF files

If you're new to working and adding bookmarks in PDF files, then you might be wondering about how they work. Think of a PDF bookmark as a shortcut to a specific section in your PDF. It’s essentially a link that directs your reader to a page in the PDF.

Once you create a bookmark in your PDF, your readers can click on the bookmark displayed in the side panel and the PDF viewer will take them to the page. With that capability, you can already get a sense of the advantages of a PDF bookmark. You can:

• Organize long PDF content into sections. 
• Read and sift through lengthy files faster.
• Keep your place in the PDF and pick up where you left off.
• Get a bird’s eye view of the PDF’s content.

Now, you may think that editing a PDF and adding a PDF may be hard, but it isn’t.

How to create bookmarks in PDF

If you use Xodo, you can instantly and easily start adding PDF bookmarks to your PDF online without having to install any software.

1. Open your PDF in Xodo’s PDF Editor.

2. Click on the Panel icon in PDF viewer toolbar to expand the side panel.

3. Click on the bookmark icon.

4. Go the page you wish to bookmark and click on Add Bookmark.

5. Enter the title you wish to name your bookmark and click on Add.

6. Repeat steps 4-5 above for every bookmark you wish to create for the PDF

7. Once you’re done adding bookmarks to your PDF, download the newly bookmarked PDF or save a copy to your cloud storage.

Easily edit PDF bookmarks with Xodo

When you have your bookmarks in place, can you edit them? Yes. There are a few ways to modify them by using Xodo as a PDF bookmark editor online. Simply click on the Edit button in the bookmark panel and you can:

• Display bookmarks on the page: Toggle the View Bookmarks on Page option on and you can easily display and see the bookmark on the page.
• Rename bookmarks: While in bookmark editing mode, you can rename a PDF by clicking on the pencil icon. Enter your new bookmark title and then Save it.
• Delete bookmarks: Using Xodo’s bookmark editing mode, you can bulk delete PDF bookmarks. Simply select the bookmark and click on the garbage icon at the bottom.

When you’re finished editing your PDF bookmarks, click on Done at the top of the bookmark panel.

Note that you can also edit PDF bookmarks when simply viewing your PDF by clicking on the 3 horizontal dots next to a bookmark. You’ll have options to quickly rename or delete any bookmark individually.

Expert Tip: If you’re bookmarking the page for yourself, you can also use the bookmark title field as a place to leave your own note about the page to distinguish it from others.

Add PDF comments to bookmark specific content

Another trick for bookmarking sections and content is to add comments to your PDF. They can point to direct sections of text, let you jot down notes, and act as a workaround to create nested bookmarks.

You can add a discreet annotation to your PDF and add your comment to it, which essentially bookmarks the page content. You can do this through the annotation feature accessible under the PDF Editor tool.

1. With your PDF opened in the PDF Editor tool, select Annotate from the drop-down menu.

2. Select your annotation from the tools available and mark the content you wish to bookmark.

3. Once added, click on the annotation and go into the side panel to add your comment.

4. Click on Save to add the comment. You can also edit it if you wish.

5. When you’re done with adding comments, download your PDF.

To view and use the comments later on while viewing the PDF, click on the Comments icon in the upper right corner of the interface and click on the comment to get to the page.

You’ll be able to use the regular PDF bookmarks and the comments section as a roadmap in your PDF documents. Perfect for getting to more specific pages between two bookmarked sections.

How to add bookmarks to PDF on iOS and Android

Thus, far we’ve shown you Xodo as a web tool, but you can also access it on your mobile device. Xodo is cross compatible and available as an iOS App or an Android app.

In other words, you can add bookmarks to PDF files on the spot from anywhere! Note that the tutorial below is for Android devices, but the steps are similar to iOS so you can follow them on an iPhone, as well.

1. Tap on the Xodo icon on your device.

2. Open your PDF from the list of file locations available.

3. Once your PDF is opened, go to the page you wish to bookmark.

4. Then tap on the Bullet list icon at the bottom of the screen and tap on Bookmarks.

5. Tap on the plus icon on the next screen to add a bookmark for the page. The bookmark will automatically be added.

6. To rename a bookmark, tap on the three vertical dots and type in a new name. You’ll also have options to delete an individual bookmark or all bookmarks in the PDF.

Tapping the back button will automatically save your PDF and can be found either in your Processed Files folder or Xodo Drive.

From Novice to Pro: Transform Your PDFs with Xodo

Whether you’re on your mobile or online, you now have a few quick and easy ways to add bookmarks to your PDF. And if you need to do more with your PDF documents, Xodo can help you there, as well.

Xodo has more than 30 online tools to help you with a wide range of PDF tasks – from editing PDF text and cropping out margins to resizing PDF files and rotating individual pages. 

Check out Xodo's online platform and start transforming your PDF documents like a pro.