How to use the pdf bookmark viewer
- Choose a PDF or drop it on the box. Only the first bytes are used to confirm it is a PDF, and nothing is uploaded.
- The bookmarks appear as an indented outline. Each line shows the bookmark title and the page it opens. A short summary gives the number of bookmarks, how many levels deep they go and the number of pages.
- Use Copy as text to paste the outline into a document, or Download CSV for a table with the level, title, page and any web link.
- If the file has no bookmarks, the tool says so. Many scans and simple exports are made without them.
A five page report
A report with seven bookmarks lists them in order: Introduction on page 1, Chapter 1 on page 2, then under Chapter 1 the subsection Section 1.1 on page 2 and Section 1.2 on page 3 with the item Detail inside it, also on page 3, then Chapter 2 on page 4 and Appendix on page 5.
The summary shows 7 bookmarks, 3 levels deep, in a file with 5 pages. The CSV has a header row and seven rows, such as 3, Detail, 3. These results were checked against a separate PDF library that read the same file.
What bookmarks are
Bookmarks, also called the outline, are the entries in a PDF viewer's side panel that let you jump to a chapter or section. They are stored in the file with a title and a destination, and may be nested. A destination can point to a page by its position in the file or by a name that the file defines elsewhere. The tool follows both to find the page number.
Some bookmarks open a web address instead of a page. These are shown as web links, with the address in the CSV. A bookmark whose destination cannot be found is shown with no page, so you can see that it is broken rather than guessing.
When to use it
A quick list of bookmarks is a fast way to see how a long document is organized, to copy a table of contents, or to check that a document you made has the sections you expect. To read the text itself, use the PDF to text tool. To see or change the document's properties, try the PDF metadata editor, and to pull out the pictures, the image extractor.
The tool only reads the file. It does not add, remove or rename bookmarks. The list is capped at 5,000 bookmarks and 24 levels, and a message tells you if a file goes past that.
Privacy and limits
The PDF is read in your browser and never uploaded. Files up to 25 MB and 500 pages are supported. Password protected files cannot be opened, and the tool does not try to guess or remove passwords.
Assumptions and limits
- Only the document outline is read. Page labels, named destinations and links inside pages are not listed.
- Titles have control characters and extra spaces cleaned up, and an empty title is shown as (untitled).
- The page number is the position in the file, counted from 1, which may differ from a printed page number.
- Lists are limited to 5,000 bookmarks and 24 levels.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my PDF show no bookmarks?
It was probably made without them. Scans and many quick exports have no outline. Bookmarks are not the same as the table of contents printed on a page.
Why does a page number differ from the number printed on the page?
The tool counts pages from the start of the file. Front matter such as a cover and contents page makes the printed number lower than the file position.
Can it edit the bookmarks?
No. It only reads and lists them. The original file is never changed.
What does no page mean?
The bookmark's destination could not be found, or it opens something other than a page. Web link bookmarks are labeled as such.