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sergiol7649739
sergiol7649739
Participant
March 5, 2016
Answered

Acrobat Pro DC (Mac OS X) does not keep Word hyperlinks

  • March 5, 2016
  • 8 replies
  • 7928 views

Hi,

I am using the Mac OS X versions of Acrobat Pro DC and MS Word (Office 2016).

All software updated to latest versions as of March 2016.

When I save the Word document as pdf, or use Acrobat Pro DC to convert the Word document to pdf,

the TOC hyperlinks are not created in the pdf file.

How to solve this problem?

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer JR Boulay

Hi.

As a Mac user, if you want to convert Word/Excel/PowerPoint files AND their structure (hyperlinks, bookmarks, TOC, etc.) to PDF as well as using PDF Maker on Windows, you must use this online Adobe converter : https://cloud.acrobat.com/convertpdf

8 replies

Phillip M Jones
Phillip M Jones
Inspiring
March 1, 2017

In Office 2016 you use a different method, after years of ignoring the problem by Adobe. Microsoft  has taken the bull by the horns and corrected the issue.  But it's only in the subscription version of Office

Follow these steps:

  1. Create your document. And save as an original file as a Backup.
  2. Next go to Edit Menu Click on Save as
  3. Scroll down to Export
  4. Choose Best for Electronic Distribution.
    (there is another option "best for printing)

If you use this every item you make as a URL be it from auto-correct of the the URL Manager where you select a Word or Phrase and assign a link to it. Works either way.

M
markg40000751
Participant
February 22, 2017

I have read all the posts and I would like to share my knowledge here with you all.

As a long established Acrobat user on Windows (from v7!), I discovered Adobe's neglect of Mac users only last night when I Saved As Adobe PDF in Word for Mac 2016 for DC Pro on my new iMac. Its appalling. Yes I tried the native Microsoft Save As but its useless: all the links are gone as before. With my previous Office for Windows, the Add-In link was under the file tab and before that direct from Adobe - it was never an issue and you only needed it once if at all. I recall my own XI Pro for Windows, the download package from Adobe came with everything included.  So when you started office or Internet Explorer: the bars just appeared. I downloaded DC Pro agin direct from Adobe this time as well, but nothing just a huge loss to my functionality. If I had known all this before I doubt I would have purchased DC Pro for Mac.

So the last post was November 2016: what's new?  I have done some research from other Adobe forums. Apparently Adobe were very late in correcting the issue for very angry 365 users which caused a lot of flack with crashing as well from late 2015 to early/mid 2016.  A Senior Adobe Manager wrote that they were waiting for the shipment outcome of 365/2016 for Windows. The Add-In was eventually released late last year.

Mac I now learn is worse but this morning I read another Adobe Staff Member writing that Office for Mac apps 2016 should have an Adobe ribbon. That was posted on 4th January 2017, but the question on how to set it up if you don't have one was not answered!  On this Forum I have just clicked on the cloud.acrobat.com/convertpdf link given by another Staff Member as the answer, but its on a subscription basis and not available in my current expat country.

On the menu bar in my DC Pro>About Adobe Plug-Ins, the file is called "Convert2PDF" dated 24th December 2016, V.15.006.30279.  So unless that's a lie, its out there somewhere.  Why Adobe did not update their download servers I have no idea.  Other unofficial Acrobat user sites call it PDF Maker, but from official Adobe Staff Members and my own updated DC Pro there is a lot of conflicting statements.

What I and all of us please must know officially and reliably from Adobe once and for all is where can we can access the correct file and how to install it, so that Mac Acrobat users have the reliable Office integration we thought we already had.  For all of us its a must have pre-requisite and not something we should have to pay extra for.

We await your answer please Adobe - thank you.

    F
    franzau
    Participant
    November 6, 2016

    A far less expensive solution: drop the Office file into Google Drive (allow conversion to Google format), then open the file in Google Drive and download it as PDF. I have converted quite a number of PowerPoints and the quality of Google's conversion is good.

    Cannot figure out why I have to go this way this when my company pays for Acrobat for Mac, but so it is.

      JR Boulay
      Community Expert
      JR BoulayCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      May 26, 2016

      PS :

      About TanviRastogi's answer, Office 2016 is now supported on Mac and Windows since the latest update (may 2016).

      Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe
      TanviRastogi
      Adobe Employee
      TanviRastogi
      Adobe Employee
      May 27, 2016

      Hi all

      Just to clear the confusion around creation of links, Acrobat DC still doesn't support link creation with Word 2016 on Mac. You can however, use Acrobat to create flat PDF files with Word 2016.

      Thanks

      Tanvi

      R
      RobothamM
      Participant
      September 18, 2016

      When is word 2016  mac osx support planned?

      Having just trialed the Acrobat DC i am sorely disappointed to find:

      - No support for TOC lnks in word doc.

      - if you add a section break in a word doc to shft paper layout from portrait to landscape you get two separate docs.

      JR Boulay
      Community Expert
      JR BoulayCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      May 26, 2016

      Sorry, I meant that PDF Maker Windows version features were never available on Mac OS.

      PDF Maker is not the same on Mac OS and on Windows.

      The Mac OS version is just another setting for Apple PDF Services which produce "flat" PDF files. It cannot handle tags, hyperlinks, bookmarks, etc.

      It's not an issue, it's "by design".

      Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe
      Phillip M Jones
      Phillip M Jones
      Inspiring
      September 18, 2016

      Finally after trying to get a Straight answer from Adobe someone has actually spoken the truth.

      For years they have been shoveling the bull that word didn't have proper "Hooks" even though a file created in Acrobat Mac opened on a PC all the links are live. The several years ago the created a Partial solution where you could to Print menu and click on PDF the choose Adobe PDF. As long as the links were created using Word's Auto-correct Auto-format feature links were active how ever if Word Format →create PDF . Where you select a word go this feature and attach a link. That still doesn't work. It has been that way since Apple switched from C++ and Objective C in OS9 and Previous to OSX which is Unix Based. It unconscionable that a Major Company such as Adobe refuses repeated begging since OSX com on Market at least 10 years ago.

      VL Branko
      VL Branko
      Inspiring
      October 11, 2016

      You are right this is totally unacceptable. I am using Office 2011 with Mavericks and can only create flat PDFs. I was thinking if I installed Office 2016 then it would work. But no it doesn't. This is just crazy. But now if I read it right, that I could make usable PDFs with embedded links in Office 2011 if I upgraded to Acrobat DC. So just to be able to do what people on a PC can do I have to upgrade when I already have CS6. )-:

      JR Boulay
      Community Expert
      JR BoulayCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      May 25, 2016

      It acts as the PDF Maker virtual printer on Windows (which was never available on Mac OS).

      Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe
        A
        Anonymous
        May 26, 2016

        Actually, the "PDF maker" virtual printer exists under mac as a native feature, but as for PDF maker, the PDF created doesn't keep the hyperlinks. So the issue is still unsolved and the answer from TanviRastogi (Adobe Employee) on Mar 5, 2016 2:10 PM above seems to be accurate... unfortunately.

        JR Boulay
        Community Expert
        JR BoulayCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
        Community Expert
        May 23, 2016

        Hi.

        As a Mac user, if you want to convert Word/Excel/PowerPoint files AND their structure (hyperlinks, bookmarks, TOC, etc.) to PDF as well as using PDF Maker on Windows, you must use this online Adobe converter : https://cloud.acrobat.com/convertpdf

        Acrobate du PDF, InDesigner et Photoshopographe
          A
          Anonymous
          May 24, 2016

          Hi JR, thanks for your reply. I've tried your weblink and to convert a Word file with an "active" TOC and cross references, and none are working in the PDF created. It seems it acts as the print PDF feature. Am I doing something wrong?

          TanviRastogi
          Adobe Employee
          TanviRastogi
          Adobe Employee
          March 5, 2016

          Hi

          Currently Acrobat DC only supports link creation with Office 2011 and not with Office 2016.

          Thanks

          Tanvi

          sergiol7649739
          sergiol7649739Author
          Participant
          April 19, 2016

          I tried saving to PDF using MS Word from Mac Office 2011, version 14.6.3.

          The resulting PDF file has bookmarks listed in the left navigation pane, however the bookmark names are a bunch of gibberish strings, not the titles of the chapters and sections.

          So I still do not know how to generate useful PDF bookmarks with Adobe Acrobat DC Pro in the Mac.

          TanviRastogi
          Adobe Employee
          TanviRastogi
          Adobe Employee
          April 19, 2016

          Hi Sergio

          The created PDF will contain only those bookmarks which are present in the Word document. So if the titles of chapters and sections appear as bookmarks in the Word document, only then they will appear as bookmarks in the PDF otherwise not..

          Thanks

          Tanvi

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