How to Insert a Clickable Table of Contents Page into a PDF

Updated 2026-11-04

Bookmarks in the sidebar do not print. If you need a contents page that is part of the document itself - one that shows up on paper, in viewers that do not display bookmarks, and in screenshots - you need an actual page with titles and page numbers.

The PDF editor builds that page from your bookmarks: typeset titles, dot leaders, right-aligned page numbers, and every row is a link to its page. It is generated in your browser and inserted wherever you choose.

Use the tool: Add a Table of Contents to PDF

Before you start: you need bookmarks

The contents page is generated from the bookmark tree, so the bookmarks must exist and be correct first. Open the PDF in the editor and build the outline with "Auto-generate", "Import bookmarks from TOC text" or "Add bookmark" (see the guides on adding bookmarks and adding a table of contents). Edits you have not saved yet count too: the page is built from the bookmarks currently shown in the panel.

If there are no usable entries you will see "No usable bookmark entries. Add, auto-generate, or import bookmarks first."

Insert the page, step by step

In the toolbar above the Bookmarks list, click the "Insert a clickable TOC page" icon (an open book)
Set the "TOC title" (the default is "Table of Contents")
Choose the "Depth": "Level 1 only", "Levels 1-2" (the default), "Levels 1-3" or "All levels". The dialog shows how many entries will be included
Set "Insert before page": 1 puts the contents at the very front, 2 puts it after the cover, and a number one higher than the page count adds it at the very end
Leave "Also add a bookmark for the TOC page" ticked if you want the contents page to appear in the sidebar too
Click "Generate & Insert". The editor tells you how many pages were inserted; click "Save PDF" to keep the result

What the page looks like and how it behaves

The title sits at the top with a thin rule underneath. Each entry is one line: the title, a row of dots, and the page number on the right. Top-level entries are larger and darker; deeper levels are indented, smaller and grayer. Long lists continue on extra pages, numbered like 1 / 2 and 2 / 2 in the footer.

A title that is too long for one line is cut off with an ellipsis rather than wrapped, so shorten very long bookmark titles in the editor first if you want them shown in full.

Every row is a clickable link to its target page, and the contents page has the same size as the page at the insertion point.

The numbers on the contents page are the final PDF page numbers - what your reader shows in its page box after the insertion - not the numbers printed on the pages. If a book’s printed numbering only starts after the cover and front matter, the two will differ.

Inserting pages pushes everything behind them down, and the editor updates your existing bookmarks to match (and puts a bookmark for the contents page itself at the top of the list), so both the sidebar bookmarks and the contents page land on the right pages.

Chinese, Japanese and Korean titles

If any title contains Chinese, Japanese or Korean characters, the page needs a CJK font. The editor loads one from this site the first time; if that fails you will see a message asking you to check your connection and retry. Titles in Latin script use a standard font and need nothing extra.

When the bookmarks change later

The contents page is ordinary page content, not a live field: if you later rename, add or move bookmarks, or add or remove pages, it does not update itself. Finish the bookmarks first, then insert the page. If you need a fresh version, start again from a copy of the file that does not have a contents page yet.

FAQ

Is a contents page the same as bookmarks?

No. Bookmarks are the clickable tree in the reader’s sidebar and do not print; a contents page is an ordinary page inside the document, so it prints and shows up in screenshots. This tool can create both from the same outline.

Will the links on the contents page work in other readers?

Every row is a standard internal PDF link that jumps to its page, so readers with link support will follow it.

Can I include only the chapter titles?

Yes. "Depth" lets you choose "Level 1 only", two levels, three levels or all levels.

Can the contents page go after the cover instead of at the very front?

Yes. Set "Insert before page" to 2 and it is placed after the first page; the existing bookmarks are shifted to match.