Disappearing Bookmarks

Report · Jan 20, 2024

In my job, I download copies of real property documents from various websites and save them as .pdf files, using a specific naming convention that allows me to sort them in the order I need. I then combine all of the documents for a single property into one PDF file, and then click on the bookmarks to go through the document as I collect certain information and type my Title Certificates. For years, when I combined these files into a single .pdf file, each document had a separate bookmark (the name I assigned to the document) in the combined document. Within the last month, the combined document began showing only the first bookmark. I completely uninstalled Adobe and then re-installed and it worked for a couple of days. Now it's happening again. Nobody else at my office is having this problem with Adobe, and nobody seems to have a solution. I have tried all of the suggested fixes with no luck. Any ideas?

Report · Jan 20, 2024

Hi @Cathy27575598nqxs ,

please be more specific about the method that you're employing to combine all PDFs into a single PDF document.

Report · Jan 21, 2024

I highlight the files I want to combine, right click on them, click "show
more options", then click on "combine files in Acrobat". I have used the
exact same method for years, and (before now), I get one large document
that uses the individual file names as bookmarks.

Now, Acrobat arbitrarily leaves out some of the files, and my entire
document has one bookmark - usually but not always, the first file name in
the document.

I use the bookmarks to rapidly go through the document and type a Limited
Title Certificate - sort of glorified index of documents that are recorded
in the official public records that affect whichever tract I am researching
title for. Some of these combined documents are more than 1,000 pages, so
scrolling through them one page at time is not a viable option.

I have made no changes to my computer or any of its settings. By the way,
it worked correctly for most of the day yesterday and then messed up.
Today, it worked the first time I used it, but the second time, it screwed
up again.

--
Regards,
Cathy G. Land
409.273.4548
cathygeeland@gmail.com

Report · Jan 21, 2024

Interesting! You're like the third Acrobat user that I've read recently in the forums reporting a problem with the Combine Files tool.

I this hapening on a Windows 10 or 11 computer?

Report · Jan 29, 2024

It is Windows 11, but I have been using that since I got this computer last year, and I have had no trouble with Adobe until the last few weeks.

By the way, the disappearing bookmarks I mentioned now seem to be only happening when I try to sort the documents before combining them. We have to sort our documents into reverse chronological order, which is not the default sort order for Adobe. Maybe it has something to do with sorting the docs? Who knows. I DO know I am fed up with it, as my job depends on the amount of files I turn out, and this is KILLING my production.

Report · Jan 29, 2024

I too have discovered this problem during the past year.

I'm combining multiple PDFs for bank statements and the Combine tool only puts in the first file's bookmark. And yes, it's erratic, too.

I'm logging it in the prerelease forum to notify the engineers.

Report · Jan 30, 2024

Thanks for reporting the issue. Unfortunately, we are unable to replicate the issue at our end.
Please share some test files and steps you are taking to combine the PDFs with which issue is reproducible.
Please confirm if the preference "Always add bookmarks in Adobe PDF" is checked by going to Combine files > Options.

Thanks
Tanvi

Report · Jan 31, 2024

I have been combining files exactly the same way since I began using Adobe,
many years ago:

Highlight the files I want to combine
Right-click
Show More Options
Combine files in Acrobat.

I move the files around to get them in the order I need and then click
Combine.

The combined document has always shown a bookmark for each of the files I
combined, using the document names I gave them when I saved the individual
files. Within the last several weeks, I get one bookmark, and it is
usually (though not always) for the first file in the combined
document, with the rest of the bookmarks being missing. Sometimes it
arbitrarily leaves a few files out of the combined document - sometimes 2
or 3, sometimes 5 or 6 files.

I cannot duplicate the problem at will, either. It will work fine for a
few days, and then all Hell breaks loose. I lose one or two day's work,
and then it miraculously starts working again. I wasted all day Friday and
Saturday with it not working properly, but it has worked fine since Sunday
morning.

--
Regards,
Cathy G. Land
409.273.4548
cathygeeland@gmail.com

Report · Oct 09, 2024

Hi Cathy,

I started having this issue today when I combined title documents into one pdf, and only the first bookmark showed. I restarted my computer, as that often fixes whatever problems I'm having, but it didn't help with this one. Were you ever able to get this resolved?

-Carrie

Report · Oct 09, 2024

I had to revert to the "old" adobe to fix the problem. I had to buy a new
computer last week, and re-install all of my programs, including Adobe. I
forgot to "revert" on the new computer, and had the exact same problem.
Only one bookmark on a 600 page pdf. I googled how to revert to the old
Adobe and fixed the problem. Sorry, I don't remember the steps, but it's
pretty easy to find on google.

--
Regards,
Cathy G. Land
409.273.4548
cathygeeland@gmail.com

Report · Oct 09, 2024

Thank you so much for your response. Wow - if I revert to a past version of Adobe, I bet all my settings will be lost. One more question- is this only happening with title documents, or did it happen with other docs as well. I most often have to use the combine function on title docs.

Report · Oct 10, 2024

I use Adobe to view individual documents, but I only use it to combine
documents when I am working title for right of way projects. We have to
combine all of the documents into 1 pdf file for the clients, but they have
to be able to quickly find any document that they need. Without the
bookmarks, they would have to scroll through up to 1500 pages to find what
they need!

Seems like all of the "new and improved" features that Adobe adds only help
a small percentage of the people that use it. The rest of us have to keep
continuously navigating new releases, just to do the same things we have
been doing for the past 10 years or so. I have yet to read a comment from
ANYONE who liked the latest release.

--
Regards,
Cathy G. Land
409.273.4548
cathygeeland@gmail.com

Report · Jan 30, 2024

Thanks for reporting the issue. Unfortunately, we are unable to reproduce the issue at our end.
Please share some test files and steps you are taking to combine the PDFs with which issue is reproducible.
Please confirm if the preference "Always add bookmarks in Adobe PDF" is checked by going to Combine files > Options.

Thanks
Tanvi

Report · Feb 15, 2024

I have been experiencing a similar issue for the past 2 weeks. If I combine files and then redact, the bookmarks disappear. If I don't redact anything in the document, then the bookmarks remain.

Are you able to offer any assistance on this issue?

Thank you

Report · Feb 20, 2024

Hi,

While Redaction, if you choose to Sanitize the document, it removes bookmarks as well. If you want to keep your bookmarks intact, choose to do skip Sanitize or selectively remove hidden information.
Refer to helpx for detailed explanation on usage.
Thanks,

Charu Karwa