How to Add a Table of Contents to a PDF
Updated July 13, 2026
A long report, ebook, or manual is a much easier read when someone can open the bookmarks panel and jump straight to the section they need instead of scrolling. That panel is built from a PDF’s outline, which you can create or edit directly.
Steps
- Open Edit Bookmarks and drop your PDF above (or click to select) — any existing bookmarks load in automatically.
- Add, rename, or repoint bookmarks and set the target page for each.
- Click Save and download the PDF.
Building the outline
Each bookmark is just a title paired with a target page — add one per chapter or section, name it clearly, and point it at the right page. If the PDF already has bookmarks, they load into the editor so you can rename them, fix a target page, or delete ones you don’t want, rather than starting from scratch. When you save, HivePDF writes a standard PDF outline that shows up correctly in Acrobat, Preview, browsers, and other readers.
What it doesn’t do
The editor writes a flat list of bookmarks — there’s no support yet for nested sub-levels within a chapter — which is fine for most simple tables of contents but worth knowing if you need a deeper hierarchy. Each bookmark jumps to the top of its target page rather than a specific position within it.
Notes
Everything happens in your browser, so nothing is uploaded — even a confidential document stays on your device while you build the outline. To reorder the actual pages rather than the table of contents, use Organize PDF; to add visible page numbers to match, use Add Page Numbers.