Why PDF Bookmarks Don’t Work?
Before introducing the solution to this problem, you need to understand what causes PDF bookmarks to not work. Here are the common reasons I searched online:
- PDF is damaged: If the PDF file itself is damaged, bookmarks may not load or work properly.
- Incompatible or outdated reader: Different PDF readers may have different support for bookmarks. Some readers may not fully support PDF bookmarks. When using an outdated PDF reader, bookmarks may not open.
- Bookmark setting problem: If the bookmarks in the PDF file itself are not set correctly, then the bookmarks may not work properly.
- Cache problem: Sometimes, the PDF reader may have cache problems, causing bookmarks to fail to load.
How to Fix PDF Bookmarks Not Working
Here are 3 effective solutions to help you fix PDF bookmarks not working. Please continue to read.
Fix 1: Update PDF Reader
When you encounter PDF bookmarks not working, you can consider whether your reader is outdated or incompatible with the system. If it is because the version of the PDF reader is outdated, then you need to go to the settings interface and click update.
Fix 2: Verify Whether the Bookmark Is Correct or Not
To verify that your PDF bookmarks are correct, you need to open your PDF reader and go to the bookmark interface, then check whether the name or title of each bookmark is correct. If you added the bookmark as a link, you need to check whether the bookmark link is valid. If the bookmark link does not jump, then there is a problem with the bookmark and you need to add it again.
Fix 3: Use Alternative PDF Editor – MiniTool PDF Editor
If you have tried the above two methods and still cannot solve the problem, you can try to use a different PDF reader to see if the PDF bookmarks working or not.
There are many PDF editors on the market. Here I recommend a good PDF editor - MiniTool Partition Wizard for you.
MiniTool PDF Editor is an all-in-one PDF manager offering a wide range of features. With this program, you can create/view PDFs, convert files between PDF and other formats, split/merge PDFs, annotate/sign PDFs, crop/rotate PDF pages, etc.
MiniTool PDF EditorClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
If trying to use MiniTool PDF Editor bookmarks still doesn't work, then I suggest you use this software to add bookmarks again.
Here are the full steps:
Step 1: Download and install MiniTool PDF Editor on your computer. Please be aware that this interactive PDF creator is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP.
Step 2: After installing, right-click on the PDF file that you need to add bookmarks, and choose the Open with option.
Step 3: Click the Bookmark icon from the left side.
Step 4: Then you can click the + icon to add bookmarks to the pages or locations you want.
Bonus Tip: Fix PDF Bookmarks Not Working in Chrome/Edge
If you are viewing the PDF in Chrome or Edge browser and the bookmarks are not working, then you need a different solution. Here are two effective ways to effectively fix the problem of bookmarks not working in Edge/Chrome.
Fix 1: Update the Browser
PDF bookmarks may not work if your browser is outdated or not updated in time. To solve this problem, you need to open Chrome, and click the three dots icon from the top choose Settings, and then select About Chrome from the left panel. The browser will automatically check for updates and install them.
Fix 2: Clear Cache and Cookies
If updating your browser doesn’t solve the problem of bookmarks not working, you can try clearing your browser’s cookies and cache.
Based on this, you need to open your browser Settings, go to the Privacy and security section, and then select the option to delete browsing data. Remember to check the Cache and Cookies checkboxes. Once you’ve done this, click Delete Data to refresh your browser’s performance.
Bottom Line
This article shows you how to fix the problem of bookmarks not working. And how to solve the problem of PDF bookmarks not working in Chrome/Edge.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Cecilia is a new member of MiniTool. She works as an English editor on the MiniTool team. She likes to learn articles about computers and is passionate about partition management and Windows operating systems. She is committed to allowing readers to use simple, efficient, and fast methods to solve the computer problems they encounter. To provide more professional solutions, she will continue to learn and master computer knowledge.