Bookmarks of table of contents not appearing in Acrobat Pro 2024

[gifted_member3980]

I am on Windows 10 OS.

I created an automatic table of contents within InDesign (2024) and checked the box "Create PDF bookmarks" within the "Table Of Contents" dialog box. I exported the PDF for print and checked the boxes "Bookmarks" and "Hyperlinks" within the "Include" section of the "Export Adobe PDF" dialog box. When I open Acrobat Pro, the bookmarks do not appear in the bookmarks panel of Acrobat.  I also exported the PDF as an "interactive PDF" and Acrobat still will not display any bookmarks within the bookmark panel. Any help is appreciated.

[Eugene Tyson]

Make sure you're exporting your PDF with compatibility set to Acrobat 6 (PDF 1.5) or higher. Some features, like bookmarks, may not be supported in older PDF versions.

Double-check that you've selected the "Bookmarks" option in the "Include" section of the "Export Adobe PDF" dialog box in InDesign. Sometimes, if this option is not selected, bookmarks won't be included in the exported PDF

When generating the table of contents in InDesign, verify that you've selected the correct options, including "Create PDF Bookmarks." Sometimes, overlooking this step can lead to issues with bookmark generation.

Even if bookmarks are included in the PDF, they might not be immediately visible in the bookmarks panel in Acrobat Pro. Try expanding the bookmarks panel or searching for specific terms that should match your bookmarks.

Ensure that your version of Acrobat Pro is up to date. Sometimes, compatibility issues arise with older versions of Acrobat Pro that may prevent bookmarks from displaying correctly.

Open the exported PDF in different PDF viewers to see if the bookmarks appear. This can help determine if the issue is specific to Acrobat Pro or if it's a problem with the PDF itself.

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In rare cases, issues with PDF export settings might be related to InDesign preferences. Resetting preferences or troubleshooting them might resolve the problem.

Windows: Start InDesign, and then press Shift+Ctrl+Alt. Click Yes when asked if you want to delete preference files.
macOS: While pressing Shift+Option+Command+Control, start InDesign. Click Yes when asked if you want to delete preference files.
A dialog will appear asking to delete the InDesign Preferences, select 'Yes' on this dialog.
Further info and instructions here if needed:
https://helpx.adobe.com/in/indesign/kb/indesign-preferences-support-file-locations.html

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If a document is not behaving well then try 

File>Export 

Choose IDML

Open the IDML in InDesign
Save the file as a new InDesign file with a new name
See if the issue persists.

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Reinstalling rarely fixes everything - you can do a complete reinstall using the
Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/cc-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html

[gifted_member3980]

I will try this recommendation and let you know if it works.

Thanks!

[gifted_member3980]

I tried all of the above options and the bookmarks still do not appear within the bookmark side panel of the PDF. The table of contents links works fine. When I click on each link within the table of contents, the PDF navigates to the correct page. 

[Eugene Tyson]

Can you share a sample file and sample pdf?

[gifted_member3980 · Accepted solution]

I resolved the isssue. Within the Table of Contents dialog box, I had the wrong style selected. 

[Eugene Tyson]

Great, glad you found the solution