How to create a table of contents in a PDF

Outlines or a table of contents is a digital map of your PDF file. It helps you quickly navigate through a book or report without endless scrolling. You can easily add a table of contents to a PDF using PDF Expert. This is a go-to PDF app for Mac, used by millions of people and awarded by Apple.

Download PDF Expert and let’s see how to create a table of contents in a PDF!

How to create a table of contents in a PDF on Mac

With PDF Expert, adding a table of contents to a PDF takes just a few clicks:

1. Get PDF Expert if you haven’t done so yet.
2. Open your file and select a few words that should link to this page. 
3. Right-click and select Add Outline Item. The outline will appear on the sidebar and you can rename it if needed.

Here’s an alternative way to create a table of contents in PDF Expert:

1. Open the sidebar.
2. Select the Outlines tab and click the + button.
3. That’s it! The outline will link to the currently opened page.

All outlines in PDF Expert are flexible. You can easily rename, delete, or change their destination with the right-click.

Sometimes your table of contents needs a more complex structure with items and subitems. This is handy for creating a thesis or report. With a simple drag & drop, you can transform any paragraph into a subitem for a particular chapter. 

A few tips for creating an effective table of contents:

• Don't overwhelm your text with outlines. Otherwise, they will turn from timesavers into troublemakers.
• Use headlines to create outlines and subitems.
• A short sentence could be your table of contents. Just make sure that it helps you understand what a particular paragraph is about.

How to add page numbers to PDF

Adding page numbers to a PDF helps find the right information faster and makes it easier to reference specific sections. Here’s how you can add page numbers using PDF Expert:

1. Open PDF Expert and upload your PDF file.
2. Click on Edit PDF on the top toolbar and select Header and Footer > Add Page Numbers.
3. Choose to number all pages or specific pages, and select the formatting, color, and layout.
4. Once you’re happy with your choices, click Apply to save your page numbers.

You can also use Page Labels when the default "1" label doesn't match the actual page number, especially with scanned documents:

1. Open PDF Expert and upload your PDF file.
2. Click on Edit on the top toolbar and select Page Labels.
3. Select the format of the page numbers. You can choose Label as Cover, Label This Page Forward as 1, 2, 3, …, or Label This Page Forward as i, ii, iii, … to mark the page you open as the first (cover) page and continue numbering from there.

How to link table of contents to pages in PDF

Did you add a table of contents to your PDF? Perfect! The Outlines tool will automatically take you to specific pages in PDF — no additional steps required! However, if you want to create a custom table of contents on a separate page, you can link it to specific pages in your PDF using PDF Expert:

1. Open your PDF in PDF Expert.
2. Create your table of contents.
3. Click on Edit on the toolbar and select the Link tool.
4. Select the text or heading in the table of contents that you want to link to a specific page.
5. Select Link to Page in the link properties on the right side of the app.
6. Specify the page number you want to link to. To ensure you enter the right page number, a thumbnail of the page you’re typing will appear below.
7. Once you’re happy with your choice, repeat these steps for each item in your table of contents. At any time, you can cut, copy, and delete your link by right-clicking on the link.

That’s it! Now, you can click on any item in the table of contents and jump directly to the corresponding page in the PDF.

Download PDF Expert now and add a table of contents effortlessly!