Write one entry per line
The Table of contents box takes one bookmark per line in the form title|page. Chapter 1|1 creates an entry named Chapter 1 that opens page 1. Page numbers start at 1 and must exist in the file. Blank lines are ignored.
Edit a PDF table of contents
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- One PDF
- You set
- One line per bookmark entry
- You get
- The PDF with your new outline
A PDF's table of contents, also called its outline or bookmarks, is the clickable list a viewer shows beside the pages. On this page you write that list as text. Each line holds a title, a vertical bar and the page the entry opens, for example Chapter 1|1. A third value nests the entry under an earlier line. When you run the job, the entries you typed become the whole outline: a PDF with no bookmarks gains them, and a PDF that already has bookmarks loses the old set and gets yours. The pages themselves are not changed, and no contents page is added to the document.
What can you do when you edit a PDF table of contents?
Nest sections under chapters
Add a third value to place an entry under an earlier one. Lines are counted from 0, so Section 1.1|2|0 puts Section 1.1 beneath the first line. A nested entry can be a parent too, which gives you deeper levels.
Replace an outline that is wrong
Whatever outline the PDF had is removed and yours takes its place. That suits bookmarks that point at the wrong pages or carry the wrong titles, as long as you retype the full list.
Keep the rest of the document
Only the outline is rewritten. The pages are copied as they are, and form fields and file attachments stay in the PDF.
What editing the table of contents keeps and what it changes
Stays the same
- Every page, in the same order, with its content.
- Form fields and attachments, which are carried over unchanged.
- The file on your device. You download a new copy.
Changes
- The outline the PDF came with is deleted first, then each valid line you typed becomes one bookmark.
- Each bookmark opens the page number you gave, counted from 1 over the physical pages.
- A third value nests a bookmark under an earlier line, and the first line counts as 0.
- Only the bookmark outline changes. No visible contents page is added.
How to edit a PDF table of contents in 3 steps
Add the PDF
Drop the PDF that needs bookmarks on the upload box, or press Choose file. Note the page where each chapter starts before you begin, because the tool shows no page preview.
Type the entries
In Table of contents, write one line per entry as title|page, and add a third value for a nested entry. For example, put Chapter 1|1 on the first line and Section 1.1|2|0 on the second.
Run the job and check the bookmarks
Press Run Edit Table of Contents, then Download. Open the file and click each bookmark to confirm it lands on the right page.
Why edit a PDF table of contents with indox?
Bookmarks are written here as plain text, which you can draft in any editor, keep beside the document and paste in again when a new edition moves the page numbers. The format is three values per line and nothing more. Your entries are checked before the outline is written: a page number outside the document, a page that is not a number or a parent that does not point to an earlier line stops the job with a message that names the entry, and no file is produced. A single PDF runs without an account. The upload is sent over HTTPS, and on the free tier the source file and the bookmarked copy are deleted automatically within 24 hours after the job finishes.
- Plain text format: title, page, parent
- Nested levels through a parent value
- Entries checked before the outline is written
- Form fields and attachments kept
- One PDF without an account
What are the limits when you edit a PDF table of contents?
- Size
- The free tier has a file size limit. Signing in raises it, and paid plans raise it further.
- Formats
- This tool works on PDF files. To change a file's type, use the PDF converter.
- Privacy
- Files are encrypted in transit and processed on indox infrastructure.
- Deletion
- Free-tier files are deleted automatically within 24 hours after the job finishes. Signed-in output stays in your history for your plan's retention period.
Limits worth knowing
- The tool replaces the whole outline. It cannot add one entry to an existing list, so type every bookmark you want to keep.
- The page shows neither the bookmarks the PDF already has nor a page preview. Run Extract Bookmarks for the current outline as JSON, and look up page numbers in a viewer.
- A line with no vertical bar, or with nothing before the bar, is skipped without a warning. Skipped lines are not counted, so they shift the numbers you use for parents. If every line is skipped, the old outline is removed and nothing replaces it.
- A title cannot contain a vertical bar, because that character separates the values. An entry opens a page, not a spot on it, and the box has no styling options.
- This page has nowhere to type a password, so a PDF with an open password must be unlocked with Unlock PDF before you add bookmarks.
When the result is not what you expected
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The job stops and names a bookmark | A page number is outside the document, or a title is missing. The message counts entries from 0 | Fix that line and check the page count in a viewer. Bookmark 0 is your first line. |
| A section lands under the wrong chapter | The parent value counts only the lines that were kept, so a skipped line shifts the numbers | Check that every line has a title, a bar and a page, then recount the parent values from 0. |
| All your old bookmarks are gone | The tool replaces the whole outline | Read the old list with Extract Bookmarks, retype the ones to keep, and run again from your original. |
| Clicking a bookmark opens the wrong page | The number counts physical pages from 1, not the numbers printed on the pages | Use the page counter of your viewer, not the number in the page footer. |
| A title is cut off at a vertical bar | The vertical bar separates the title from the page | Leave the bar out of titles. Use a dash or a slash instead. |
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Free
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- Priority conversions
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Highest priority
Premium
- Everything in Basic
- Highest priority queue
- Larger file limits
- Priority support
Pay-As-You-Go
- No subscription
- Credits never expire
- Opt-in auto-refill
- Access to all features
What else can you do with a PDF?
Who edits a PDF table of contents?
Authors and self-publishers
A manuscript exported to PDF often arrives without bookmarks. Type the chapter list once and readers can jump between chapters.
Students and researchers
A scanned textbook or a long paper is easier to study when each chapter and section has a bookmark you wrote yourself.
Technical writers and office teams
Manuals, policies and reports get revised and their page numbers move. Keep the outline as a text list, update the numbers and run it again.
When to edit a table of contents, and when to pick another tool
- A long PDF has no bookmarks and readers cannot find their way around.
- The existing bookmarks point to the wrong pages after pages were added or removed.
- Bookmark titles are generic or misspelled and need rewriting.
- A file put together from several documents needs one outline that covers every part.
- You only want to read the bookmarks a PDF already has. Extract Bookmarks returns them as a nested JSON outline.
Where can I read more?
Sources
- Handling Outlinespypdf documentation
- The PdfWriter classpypdf documentation
Facts checked on October 16, 2026
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Edit Table of Contents FAQs
How do I write a bookmark entry?
Type the title, a vertical bar and the page number, such as Introduction|3. Put each entry on its own line.
How do I nest a section under a chapter?
Add a second bar and the line number of the parent, counting the first line as 0. With Chapter 1|1 on the first line, Section 1.1|2|0 becomes its child.
What happens to the bookmarks my PDF already has?
They are removed. The entries you type become the complete outline, so include any old bookmark you still want.
Can I see the current bookmarks before I replace them?
Not on this page. Run Extract Bookmarks on the file to get the current outline as JSON, then rewrite it in the line format.
What if a page number is not in the document?
The job stops and no bookmarked file is produced. The message names the entry and the valid page range, and it counts entries from 0, so bookmark 0 is your first line.
Does this add a contents page to the document?
No. It writes the bookmark outline that PDF viewers show beside the pages. Its pages are copied into the new file with nothing added to them.
Can a parent come after its child in the list?
No. A parent value must point to an earlier line, so list each chapter before its sections.
Do I need an account, and are my files kept?
One PDF runs without an account. It is uploaded over HTTPS, and a free-tier file and its bookmarked result are deleted automatically within 24 hours after the job finishes.