PDF Structure & Navigation Tools

11 tools built around one thing: a PDF's bookmark tree — reading it, writing it, splitting a document along it, or building one from scratch. Each does one job distinctly; this table is the fastest way to find the right one for what you have.

ToolInputOutputBest for
PDF TOC Generator
Any PDF (with or without bookmarks)PDF with a new bookmark outline + printed contents pageDocuments that don't have structure yet — AI detects headings from the text.Open
Bookmark Editor
PDF with existing bookmarksThe same PDF, bookmarks fixedBookmarks that already exist but are wrong, misnamed, or badly nested.Open
Split by Bookmarks
PDF with existing bookmarksZIP of one PDF per chapter/sectionTurning one large PDF into many smaller files along its existing structure.Open
Merge with Bookmarks
Several PDFs, in the order you want themOne PDF, every source outline carried across, optional contents pageCombining documents without losing the bookmarks a plain page-copy merge drops.Open
Outline Extractor
PDF with existing bookmarksMarkdown, JSON, CSV, text, or HTML — no PDFGetting the structure out as data for a script, spreadsheet, or LLM prompt.Open
Bookmarks to TOC
PDF with existing bookmarksThe same PDF plus a printed, clickable contents pageBookmarks that are already correct but have no printed contents page.Open
Search PDF Text
One or many PDFs with a text layerEvery hit with page and context; CSV, Markdown or grep-style exportLocating something across a stack of documents without opening each one.Open
Markdown to PDF
Markdown text or a .md filePDF with nested bookmarks, optional contents page, clickable linksREADMEs, specs and notes that should ship as a navigable PDF, not a scroll.Open
Password Protect PDF
Any PDF (already-protected ones too, with their password)The same PDF, encrypted — bookmarks, links and metadata keptSending a document that should need a password to open, or that should not be copied or edited.Open
Unlock PDF
An encrypted PDF, plus its password if it needs one to openThe same PDF with no encryptionFiles that ask for a password every time, or refuse to print or copy — when you know the password.Open
Batch Add Bookmarks
Many PDFs sharing a structureZIP of every file, bookmarkedVolume — dozens of files that all need the same kind of bookmarks applied.Open

Not sure where to start?

If your PDF has no bookmarks at all, start with the TOC generator. If it already has bookmarks and something about them is wrong, the bookmark editor is almost always the right next stop — everything else in this cluster builds on a bookmark tree that's already correct.