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Rahul29827631i2x0
Inspiring
Oct 19, 2026 8:35 PM UTC
Question

Bookmarks are missing after splitting PDF files in Adobe Acrobat.

When splitting a PDF file in Adobe Acrobat -26.002.22031 using the "Split by File Size" option, the bookmarks are not properly retained in the resulting files. For example, if the original PDF contains 50 bookmarks and is split into two files, both output files retain only the first 9 bookmarks from the beginning of the document. The remaining bookmarks are missing, even though the corresponding pages exist in the split files.

    10 replies

    DFWTechGuy
    Participating Frequently
    Oct 20, 2026 5:46 PM UTC

    It sounds like Acrobat is only keeping the first few bookmarks in each split file, even though the pages are still there.

    As a workaround, you could try splitting the PDF using a different option, then check if the bookmarks are preserved. If they are, it may be an issue specifically with Split by File Size in your current Acrobat version.

    Since you're using version 26.002.22031, I’d also check if there’s an update available. It would be helpful to know if this happens with every PDF or just this particular file.

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    Anand Sri Bhattacharya
    Community Manager
    Anand Sri BhattacharyaCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    Oct 20, 2026 12:11 PM UTC

    Hello ​@Rahul29827631i2x0 

     

    I hope you are doing well, and thanks for reaching out. Sorry for the trouble you had hat **Acrobat 26.002.22031 loses bookmarks when splitting by file size**, even though the pages those bookmarks point to remain in the split PDFs.

     

    Please try the following:

    1. Test the same PDF using Organize Pages > Split > Number of Pages instead of File Size and check whether the relevant bookmarks are retained.
    2. If possible, test another PDF containing multiple bookmarks to determine whether the behavior is specific to this document.

    If bookmarks are preserved when splitting by page count but are lost when using the "Split by File Size" option, please provide the following information: your operating system version, the file size threshold you used, and, if possible, a sanitized sample PDF. Additionally, include a screen recording of the steps you took and the workflow. This information will help us determine if the behaviour is reproducible and whether it requires further investigation.

    Also, collect the logs from the machine, and share the log id with us, to collect the logs, please refer to this article: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/acrobat-diagnostics.html

     

    I hope this helps, and please reach out if you need any assistance.

    Regards,

    Anand Sri.

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    Rahul29827631i2x0Author
    Inspiring
    Oct 20, 2026 12:49 PM UTC

    Hi,
    Our workflow requires us to split PDFs by file size, as the system we upload the documents to only accepts PDFs below a specific size threshold. The issue occurs only when using Split > File Size, where the bookmarks are not retained in the resulting files.

    This functionality worked as expected when we were using Adobe Acrobat version 25.1.20918.0. The issue appears to have started after upgrading to a newer version.

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    Anand Sri Bhattacharya
    Community Manager
    Anand Sri BhattacharyaCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    Oct 20, 2026 3:38 PM UTC

    Thank you for sharing the deails ​@Rahul29827631i2x0 

     

    As a temporary workaround, try Split by Number of Pages, then use Save as Other > Reduced Size PDF on each output and verify the bookmarks and final file sizes before uploading.

     

    For further investigation, please share your operating system version, file-size threshold, whether another bookmarked PDF shows the same behavior, and, if possible, a sanitized sample PDF along with a screen recording, and the logs from the affected machine. To collect the logs, please refer to this article, and share the log ID with us: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/acrobat-diagnostics.html

     

    Regards,

    Anand Sri.

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    Astonished_portfolio467f
    Participating Frequently
    Oct 20, 2026 10:09 AM UTC

    I've seen the same with Split by File Size: the bookmark destinations get rebuilt against the new files, and anything past the first chunk tends to drop. This looks like a bug worth reporting with your exact version number. In the meantime, I've been using the "Top-level bookmarks" split option instead, which keeps the bookmark structure intact in each output file.

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      Rahul29827631i2x0Author
      Inspiring
      Oct 20, 2026 1:01 PM UTC

      Hi,

      Thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately, using Top-level Bookmarks is not a viable workaround for our process. We need to split documents by file size because the system we upload them to has a maximum PDF size limit.

      Split by File Size used to retain the bookmarks correctly in Adobe Acrobat version 25.1.20918.0. This behaviour only started occurring after upgrading to a newer version.

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      Astonished_portfolio467f
      Participating Frequently
      Oct 22, 2026 7:54 AM UTC

      That lines up with what I’ve seen — the version detail is the giveaway, since splitting by pages usually keeps bookmarks fine. I’d test the same file on 25.1.20918.0 to confirm it’s the update, and honestly I’d roll back to that build for now if the file-size workflow is critical. Worth flagging to Adobe too, sounds like a regression on their side.

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