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Ray319651792t4w
Participant
August 5, 2025
Question

PDF Files Fail to Create Bookmarks After Inserting Pages — Any Ideas?

  • August 5, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 170 views
 
Hi everyone,

Hoping someone can help me figure this out.

I have a tool that generates PDF reports, which I then save and sometimes edit. My workflow involves either adding or removing pages from these reports using a PDF editor.

Here's the issue:

  • Files with pages removed combine just fine and bookmarks are created as expected.

  • Files with pages added (even if the pages are from the same report) do not generate bookmarks when I combine them.

  • If a file with inserted pages is first in the list when combining, no bookmarks are created at all for any of the files.

  • If it's lower in the list, only the unedited files get bookmarks — the manipulated one does not.

I checked the PDF versions:

  • Unedited files are PDF 1.6

  • Edited files with inserted pages show up as PDF 1.7

Interestingly, if I use Print as PDF, bookmarks are generated correctly — but that's not feasible with 60–70 files.

Any ideas why inserting pages causes this issue with bookmarks? Could the PDF version difference be the culprit? Or something with how the file structure changes after merging?

1 reply

T
Community Manager
Tariq AhmadCommunity Manager
Community Manager
August 5, 2025

Hi @Ray319651792t4w,

 

 

Thanks for the detailed description — it helps a lot. Here’s a breakdown of why this issue might be happening and how to resolve or work around it.

 

 

What’s Likely Happening, When you insert pages into a PDF:

  • The document structure (objects, cross-references, outlines) becomes more complex.

  • The combining tool (likely Acrobat) generates bookmarks using standardized metadata (like /Title in the Info dictionary or outline tree).

  • If inserted pages alter or strip this metadata (e.g.,/PageLabels, /Outlines, /Title), bookmarks fail to appear.

 

 

Suggested Workflow:

  1. Open the host PDF (the one you’ll insert pages into).

    • In Acrobat:

      File > Save As Other > Optimized PDF → Click on Audit space usage or set Make compatible with: Acrobat 8.0 and later (PDF 1.7).

      Save As / Optimize / Preflight to update the version to PDF 1.7.

  3. Now insert the additional pages.

  4. Combine files and verify bookmarks.

 

 

 

Related Tips:

  • If you’re using Adobe Acrobat Pro, try:

    • Preflight > PDF Standards to upgrade version precisely.

    • Bookmark generation settings under Combine Files → Gear icon.

     

Let us know how it works, and wait for more inputs from experts. 

 



Best regards,
Tariq | Adobe Community Team

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