Use the free Add Table of Contents to PDF below: your PDF never leaves your browser — all work happens on your device, and nothing is uploaded to any server.
The problem with long PDFs
A long PDF without a contents page is like a book without one. Readers scroll blindly, guessing where a chapter starts. They search, they skim, they give up. A contents page fixes that in one glance: every section, with its page number, in order. This tool adds that page to the front of your PDF, so any reader can find their way at once.
It is most useful for documents people actually navigate: reports, manuals, course notes, ebooks, meeting packs, and guides. A ten-page memo may not need one. A sixty-page manual without one is a daily frustration for everyone who opens it.
Where the entries come from
Many PDFs already contain a hidden chapter list, called bookmarks or an outline, even if the reader never sees it. When your PDF has one, this tool uses it. Each bookmark becomes a contents entry, with its target page number, keeping the nesting — chapters, then sections inside them. That is the most accurate source, because it reflects the structure the author intended.
If your PDF has no bookmarks, the tool falls back to a sensible alternative: the first line of each page becomes that page entry. This works well for documents where each page starts with a heading, such as slide decks or structured notes. It is less perfect for flowing prose, where a page may start mid-sentence. In that case, check the generated contents page and judge whether it helps your readers; you can always keep the original file unchanged, since this tool creates a new PDF and never overwrites your upload.
How to use it
Upload your PDF and type the title for the contents page, or keep the default. Press the button and download the new file. The contents page is inserted at the very front, and every page number in the list counts it as page one. That keeps the numbers honest: the number printed in the contents list is the number the reader sees in their PDF viewer.
If your document is very long, the contents list may need more than one page. The tool handles that by continuing the list onto extra pages at the front, so nothing is cut off.
Making a contents page that actually helps
A good contents page is short and specific. Chapter titles like “Introduction” and “Results” are fine, but “Results: survey of 200 customers” helps a reader decide faster. If your PDF relies on the fallback of first lines, make sure each section genuinely starts with a heading line. A small edit to your source document — adding clear headings — produces a far better contents page than any automatic trick.
Also think about order. The tool lists entries in document order, which is almost always what readers expect. If your document has appendices or references at the end, they appear at the end of the list, exactly where a reader would look for them.
When a contents page is not enough
A contents page helps navigation, but it does not replace bookmarks. Bookmarks let a reader jump with one click in the sidebar of a PDF viewer, while a contents page requires finding the number and going there. Ideally a document has both. This tool adds the visible page; if your PDF already has bookmarks, they remain in the new file, so readers get both aids.
For documents shared mainly on paper, the contents page matters even more, because printed readers have no sidebar at all. It is the only map they get.
Privacy and limits
Your PDF is read in your browser by pdf.js and rebuilt locally with pdf-lib. Nothing is uploaded or stored. The tool does not edit your text, restyle your pages, or change fonts. It only adds pages at the front.
Be aware of one subtlety: because a new page is added at the front, the page numbers of your original pages all shift by one (or more, for a long contents list). If your document text refers to pages by number — “see page 12” — those references will now be off by the same amount. For most documents this is harmless, but for documents with many internal page references, consider whether the trade-off is worth it.
Common questions
What if my PDF has no bookmarks and no clear headings? You still get a contents list, one entry per page from its first line. It may be rough, but it still shows the document shape.
Does the original file change? No. You download a new file; the original stays as it was.
Can I change the title? Yes, type any title before generating.