# Add Table of Contents to PDF - Clickable TOC Page Generator

> Create a clickable table of contents page for a PDF from bookmarks or detected headings: editable levels and pages, dotted leaders, links that stay correct.

- URL: https://qilingtools.com/en/pdf/toc
- Category: PDF Tools (https://qilingtools.com/en/pdf)
- Tags: [PDF](https://qilingtools.com/en/tags/pdf), [Documents](https://qilingtools.com/en/tags/document), [Printing](https://qilingtools.com/en/tags/print)
- Last updated: 2026-10-26
- Price: Free, no sign-up
- Privacy: Runs locally in the browser; files are never uploaded

A merged bundle, an OCR’d scanned book or an exported report missing its contents page? This tool builds one or more genuinely clickable table-of-contents pages and inserts them into the PDF. Entries can come from the file’s existing bookmarks, from automatically detected headings — judged by font size relative to the body text and by short, fully bold lines, with running headers, footers and page numbers ignored — or be typed in by hand. Every entry’s title, level and page can be edited, and entries can be added or removed. The layout offers a TOC heading, indentation by level, bold top-level entries, dotted leaders and right-aligned page numbers; long titles are shortened to fit and long lists flow onto extra pages. Place the TOC at the very start or after the cover or any other page, and show page numbers either as they are after insertion or as in the original file. Each line is a link to the target page object itself rather than to a page number, so the jumps stay correct after the new pages are inserted. You can also write the entries out as bookmarks, plus one pointing at the TOC page. Chinese and other non-Latin text is embedded as a high-resolution image, as elsewhere on this site, while Latin text and page numbers are searchable text. Everything runs in your browser; files are never uploaded.

## How to use

1. Upload a PDF and choose where entries come from: existing bookmarks, detected headings or typed in
2. Edit titles, levels and pages, then set the position, font size, indent, leaders and page numbering
3. Check the TOC page preview and click Insert TOC & download

## Features

- Entries from bookmarks, detected headings or manual input
- Heading levels detected by font size and boldness, headers and footers ignored
- Editable titles, levels and pages; add or remove entries
- Level indents, dotted leaders, right-aligned numbers, automatic extra pages
- Every line is a clickable link that stays correct after insertion
- Page numbers as after insertion or as in the original
- Optionally writes bookmarks too
- Runs locally, nothing uploaded

## FAQ

### Will inserting the TOC break page numbers or links?

No. Each TOC link, like existing bookmarks and internal links, points at the page object itself, so it still lands on the right page after new pages are inserted. Page numbers shown in the TOC default to the real numbers after insertion (matching what your reader shows), or you can show the original file’s numbers instead.

### How accurate is heading detection?

It works best when the document has a clear size hierarchy — chapter titles noticeably larger than body text, or headings on their own short bold line — and it ignores headers, footers and page numbers repeated on every page. Scanned books need OCR first so there is text to read. You can edit, delete or re-level every result, or switch to bookmarks or manual input.

### Why can’t I select Chinese text in the TOC?

PDF’s standard fonts don’t include Chinese, and embedding a multi-megabyte CJK font would bloat the file, so non-Latin text is embedded as a high-resolution image: crisp when printed or zoomed, but not selectable. Latin titles and page numbers are real text, and clicking still jumps to the right page either way.

### Can the TOC go after the cover? Is my file uploaded?

Yes — enter 1 in ‘Insert after page’ to place it after the cover, or 0 to put it first. Everything is processed in your browser and nothing is uploaded.

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