How to Create a PDF Bookmark to Open a Specific Page in Another PDF
Question details
The user needs to set up a bookmark in a PDF file that automatically opens and navigates to a precise page or section within a different PDF document, rather than just opening the target document to its first page.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Creating interactive navigation between multiple related PDF files.
- Observed behavior
- The user wants a bookmark to act as a cross-document deep link to a specific page view in another PDF document.
Ensure both the source PDF and the destination PDF are saved in a stable folder location on your computer to prevent the bookmark link from breaking later if the files are moved.
Use the 'Go to a page view' Action in Bookmark Properties
Configure the bookmark action to target a specific page view in the destination PDF instead of just opening the file.
By default, linking to another file will only open the document. To jump to a specific page or section in the second PDF, you must use the 'Go to a page view' action and manually set the view while the action dialog is active.
Open the source PDF document. Right-click the bookmark you want to modify (or create a new bookmark) and select 'Properties' from the context menu.
Go to the 'Actions' tab. Under the 'Select Action' dropdown, choose 'Go to a page view' and click the 'Add' button.
A small 'Create Go to View' dialog box will appear on your screen. Do not close this box yet.
While the dialog box is still open, open your destination PDF document. Scroll to the exact page and adjust the zoom level exactly how you want it to appear when the bookmark is clicked.
Switch back to the 'Create Go to View' dialog box and click 'Set Link'. Finally, click 'OK' in the Properties window and save both PDF documents to test the bookmark.
Easily Link Between PDFs with WPS Office
WPS Office provides an intuitive and powerful PDF editor that allows you to easily add bookmarks, create cross-document hyperlinks, and manage PDF navigation. It seamlessly handles complex PDF linking and formatting tasks.
- 1. Open PDF in WPS Office: Launch WPS Office and open your source PDF document using the WPS PDF tool.
- 2. Add a Link or Bookmark: Navigate to the 'Edit' tab and click on 'Link' to draw a clickable area, or go to the Bookmark pane to add a new bookmark.
- 3. Set Destination File and Page: In the properties dialog, choose the option to link to an external file, browse for your destination PDF, and specify the exact target page number.
- 4. Save Changes: Click 'OK' to apply the settings, then save your PDF document to ensure the cross-document link is preserved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my PDF bookmark open the other document but not the specific page?
This happens if the bookmark action is set to 'Open a file'. To jump to a specific page, you must delete the 'Open a file' action from the bookmark properties, add the 'Go to a page view' action, and navigate to the target page before clicking 'Set Link'.
Will these cross-document bookmarks work if I email the PDFs to someone else?
Cross-document bookmarks rely on file paths. If you email the files, the paths will break on the recipient's computer. To share linked PDFs, place them in a single folder, set up relative links, and compress the folder into a ZIP file before sending.
Can I link to a specific location on a webpage instead of another PDF?
Yes. In the bookmark properties under the 'Actions' tab, select 'Open a web link' from the dropdown list, click 'Add', and enter the full URL of the specific webpage you wish to open.
