Save as Optimized destroys hyperlinks

[hengwen]

I design a publication for print and web in InDesign. The document contains lots of images and a couple hundred hyperlinks, which I set up in the ID hyperlinks panel. When I export it as an interactive PDF, everything looks and works fine, but the file size is almost 10Mb. If I Save As Optimized PDF, it is reduced by about 3 megabytes and still looks good, but many hyperlinks quit working. In particular: if the link text is all caps; if the link text is in a shaded/colored textbox; if a long link breaks across 2 lines (oddly, some that break still work fine).

In addition, any hyperlink destinations for a specific page within the PDF completely disappear. 

I've unchecked everything relating to hyperlinks and bookmarks in the Optimization options, to no avail.

What am I doing wrong?

[m1b · Accepted solution]

For anyone else finding this old thread, like me, here is a fix that worked in my case:

1. In Acrobat, export, save as Optimized, save as Reduced file size, whatever way you want, and don't worry about losing hyperlinks. Call that file "tmp.pdf" for example. You won't be keeping it.

2. Close "tmp" and re-open you original file with working hyperlinks.

3. Select all the page thumbnails, right-click on a page thumbnail and choose "Replace Pages..."

4. Choose the entire page range, from page start to page last, and OK.

5. Save this as a different name. It will (hopefully!) combine the optimization of tmp.pdf while keeping all your hyperlinks, form elements, etc.

- Mark

Edit 2025-03-27: just to clarify, the method I describe here is necessary if you have done anything in Acrobat such as configure form elements,  show/hide logic, javascript, etc. These changes will be lost each time you generate a new interactive pdf. This method is how to update your interactive pdf (eg. exported from Indesign) while keeping your Acrobat work too.

[Test Screen Name]

This is pretty much expected. Transparency flattening often loses links. What you're Doing wrong is using the optimize step. 

[hengwen]

Thanks for your reply, Test...

Unfortunately, the same thing happens to my hyperlinks when I uncheck the Transparency flattening/resolution option.

I think something else is going on. 

In the meantime, I got the file down to 6.15 Mb by Saving as a Reduced file size, and then replacing one very complex vector graphic with a jpg. All my hyperlinks, internal and external, still work fine.

I guess I'll skip Optimization from  now on.

[m1b · Accepted solution]

For anyone else finding this old thread, like me, here is a fix that worked in my case:

1. In Acrobat, export, save as Optimized, save as Reduced file size, whatever way you want, and don't worry about losing hyperlinks. Call that file "tmp.pdf" for example. You won't be keeping it.

2. Close "tmp" and re-open you original file with working hyperlinks.

3. Select all the page thumbnails, right-click on a page thumbnail and choose "Replace Pages..."

4. Choose the entire page range, from page start to page last, and OK.

5. Save this as a different name. It will (hopefully!) combine the optimization of tmp.pdf while keeping all your hyperlinks, form elements, etc.

- Mark

Edit 2025-03-27: just to clarify, the method I describe here is necessary if you have done anything in Acrobat such as configure form elements,  show/hide logic, javascript, etc. These changes will be lost each time you generate a new interactive pdf. This method is how to update your interactive pdf (eg. exported from Indesign) while keeping your Acrobat work too.

[Filip34224093soxz]

This is the sollution of all sollutions.
So far works great for me. Many thanks pal!

-F

[ni-zabo]

That's genius! Thank you!

[brilliant_Shimmer5E67]

Saved my day, thanks.

[betht81716989 · Accepted solution]

Maybe there was an update since this post. I found that if you uncheck "Discard external cross-references " in the "Discard user data" pannel, the links are retained

[Inky27]

This is the way. Depending on use-case, you want to uncheck form related content from discard objects and discard user data. I actually had to update my custom pdf optimization presets today as they changed somehow and no longer preserved interactive features.

[TrishMeyer99]

Thanks for the clue. The Mobile settings work because Transparency is disabled completely. So Uncheck Transparency and uncheck Discard User Data > Discard external cross references. I did that to my regular preset and it works now. 

Or, just start with Mobile, uncheck that one box, and then set the Images to high resolution (300 ppi above 300ppi is what I usually choose). Then Save new Preset.