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Participant
March 4, 2026
Question

Duplicate Bookmarks when converting from word to pdf. what can be the reason and solution for it?

  • March 4, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 15 views

User converting word  file  to pdf by using Adobe PDF convertor. User sets levels to be only 1 and 2. PDF comes with more  than 1 and 2 levels. Moreover bookmarks are dublicated.

1 reply

AnandSri
Community Manager
Community Manager
March 4, 2026

Hello ​@hayrullaha11953135 

 

I hope you are doing well, and thank you for reaching out. We’re sorry for the trouble you had.

 

Could you please confirm the version of Acrobat installed? Please ensure you have the latest version of Acrobat installed on the machine: Version: 25.001.21265. Planned update. Mar 02, 2026. Check for any pending updates by navigating to Menu > Help> Check for Updates. Install the updates, restart the app and the machine, and try again.

 

When converting a Word document to PDF using Adobe PDFMaker (the Acrobat tab in Word), duplicate and extra‑level bookmarks can occur if both of the following are true:

  1. Multiple bookmark sources are enabled
    PDFMaker can create bookmarks from:

    • Word Heading styles
    • Word Styles
    • Word Bookmarks

    If more than one of these is enabled, Acrobat will generate duplicate bookmarks and unexpected levels, even if you set the visible level limit to Heading 1 and 2.

  2. Document structure tags are included while Word styles are inconsistent
    Adobe Community cases confirm that Word structure tagging combined with certain Word builds can cause duplicated or expanded bookmark hierarchies during conversion.

  3. Please check these similar community articles, and try the suggestions: 

 

 

Suggestions:

Correct the PDFMaker settings: 

  • Open the Word document
  • Go to Acrobat tab > Preferences
  • Open the Bookmarks tab
  • Enable Convert Word Headings to Bookmarks

  • Disable Convert Word Styles to Bookmarks
  • Disable Convert Word Bookmarks to Bookmarks (unless explicitly needed)
  • Confirm that only Heading 1 and Heading 2 are assigned bookmark levels
  • Create the PDF again

If duplication persists with PDFMaker:

  1. In Word, select File > Save As
  2. Choose PDF as the file type (not Save as Adobe PDF)
  3. Click Options
  4. Enable Create bookmarks using: Headings
  5. Save

Let us know how it goes.

Regards,

Anand Sri.