We are all living in a world of heavy digital information exchange. Often information is documented and shared for both personal and professional purposes using PDF documents. It is common that people to create very long PDF documents. This makes it necessary to add bookmarks to PDF documents so one can easily navigate and find the information in a PDF document. This article details how to add bookmarks to PDF documents with two methods, including UPDF - the best PDF editor on the market.
Part 1. Why Bookmarks are so Important? Why Do You Need to Add Bookmarks to PDF?
It is natural that a PDF document can run on a large number of pages. Sometimes so much content can be overwhelming for a reader to consume. This is especially true for academic documentation. In such cases, as a good practice, the writer of the document must always add bookmarks to the PDF to mark the start of a new section. This helps the reader of the document.
In the digital age, everyone reads novels and books in electronic PDF format. It is usually impossible to finish reading an e-book in one sitting. Just like reading a physical book requires us to use a bookmark to mark our point of the break, a bookmark is also required in PDF documents. Once the reader is back from a break he/she can resume reading from the bookmarked position.
When studying a PDF document, it is likely that a reader wishes to create bookmarks in PDF to mark some noteworthy points in the document, so he/she can come back and revise the same. In this situation, it is required to place multiple bookmarks in a PDF document.
In all the above situations, users may want to add bookmarks to PDF documents.
Part 2. The Best Tool to Create Bookmarks in PDF
If you are looking for the best tool to create bookmarks in PDF documents, UPDF - PDF editor is the software that you must try out. UPDF allows you to add bookmarks and child bookmarks to PDF. Its reading mode is also very comfortable. There is also a thoughtful dark mode to protect your eyes.

UPDF is a high-quality PDF editing suite with rich PDF tool options. The interface of the tool is very delightful and offers a seamless way to add bookmarks to PDF documents. One can also make use of the in-built PDF reader to annotate PDF documents with ease. Users can easily edit any part of the PDF document if required as well.
One can easily extract pictures from PDF without the requirement of any kind of tool training. UPDF also offers users a way to resize, reposition, crop, replace, copy, and delete pictures from the PDF document in seconds.
The software is very lightweight and easy to use, unlike other software. A beginner can also achieve all PDF editing actions with great ease.
Part 3. How to Insert Bookmarks in PDF Step-by-Step
Let us now explore how to add a bookmark to PDF documents using the UPDF tool. You will be able to understand by the end of the below tutorial that the tool is extremely intuitive and requires a minimal learning curve.
The steps to create a bookmark to PDF using UPDF are as follows:
Step 1. Open a PDF Document
The first step is to install the UPDF tool on your system. The tool is readily available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android operating systems.
To create a bookmark in PDF, you will first need to open the PDF file in the UPDF tool. Click on the "Open File" button that appears upon launching UPDF. Choose the PDF document on your computer to open it.
Step 2. How Can I Add Bookmarks to PDF
You will now need to head to the bookmarks section. You can go to the bottom-left corner of the interface and click on the "Bookmarks" icon. This will reveal the bookmark panel.
Now click on the "+ Add Bookmark" button on the left-button section. You will see there is a "New Bookmark" appearing on the bookmark list. Double-click to rename it. You can also manage all the bookmarks easily.

Step 3. Create Child Bookmarks in PDF by Dragging
UPDF allows you to create child bookmarks in PDF as per your requirements. All you need to do is just to drag the bookmarks to their right position. Easy, right?
If you are a Mac user, you can learn how to add bookmarks to PDF on Mac here.

Video Tutorial on How to Add Bookmark
Part 4. How to Use Adobe Acrobat to Add Bookmark
You can also choose to add bookmarks to PDF using Adobe Acrobat. You may follow the below steps.
- Launch Adobe Acrobat and click on the "Bookmarks" button on the left to open the bookmarks panel.
- Open the page in the PDF where you want the bookmark to link to, and adjust the view settings.
- Choose "Tools". Select the "Edit PDF" option. Under the More selection click on "Add Bookmark".
- In the bookmarks panel, type or edit the name of the new bookmark.

Part 5. Comparison between UPDF and Adobe Acrobat
After introducing the two products to add bookmarks to PDF, you may have a question in your head, which tool should I choose? Now, we are going to make a 360-degree comparison between UPDF and Acrobat to help you make your choice.
UPDF | Acrobat Acrobat | |
Pricing | US$39.99/Yr US$59.99/Perpetual (One purchase, all platforms) | Pro (Windows and Mac): US$239.88/Yr Standard (Only Windows): US$155.88/Yr |
Compatibility | Windows Mac iOS Android | Windows Mac iOS Android |
Speed | Super Fast | Fast |
Reading Experience | 4.5 | 4.0 |
Add Bookmarks to PDF | ||
Edit Text and Images in PDF | ||
Convert PDF | ||
Advanced Features such as OCR | ||
Easy to Use | 4.8 (Intuitive interface) | 3.9 (Complicated to use) |
After checking the comparison chart, it is quite clear that UPDF is the best choice for you. It is much cheaper than Acrobat, and it is easier to use. Compared to Acrobat, UPDF is faster and more lightweight, and you can open a large PDF file quickly with it. Most importantly, with such a nice price, UPDF has the features to edit, convert, encrypt, organize, and OCR PDF files. Click the "Free Download" button below to start using it now!
Part 6. FAQs about Adding Bookmarks to PDF
1. How Do I Add Bookmarks to a PDF without Acrobat?
You can use UPDF - the best alternative to Acrobat to add bookmarks to PDF. To do this, you need to open PDF with UPDF and then click the "Bookmark" icon on the left-bottom corner. Next tap on the "+ Add Bookmark" button and enter the name for the specific page.
2. Where Do I Find Bookmarks in PDF?
To find bookmarks, you can tap the "Bookmark" icon on the left-bottom corner in UPDF, and then you will see the bookmarks in PDF.
Conclusion
It is clear from the above article that there is a cost-effective and high-quality tool to add bookmarks to PDF documents. UPDF is the perfect tool for Windows and Mac users. The tool is a complete suite of PDF editing, annotating, and bookmarking utilities nicely packaged in one software. The rich editing options make your job with PDF documents seamless and quick. There are no other tools of such high quality that can help achieve what UPDF can. Therefore, if you are looking to create bookmarks in PDF documents on Windows and Mac, UPDF is indeed the best option.
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