Arrange, group, and sort bookmarks

Last updated on Jun 2, 2026

Learn how to organize bookmarks in Adobe InDesign to create a hierarchical structure for exported PDFs.

Organize bookmarks in InDesign to improve navigation in exported PDFs. Bookmarks can be grouped and reordered to match the structure of your document. Changes to bookmark hierarchy affect only their order in the exported PDF and do not alter the actual document layout. When you update a table of contents that generates bookmarks, InDesign reorders those TOC-generated bookmarks and moves them to the end of the Bookmarks panel list.

Nest bookmarks under a parent bookmark

Select Window > Interactive > Bookmarks.

Select the bookmark or range of bookmarks you want to nest.

Drag the selected bookmarks onto the bookmark you want to set as the parent.

You can view a right-arrow next to parent bookmark. Select the arrow to expand or collapse the hierarchy.

Reorder bookmarks in the list

Select Window > Interactive > Bookmarks.

Select the bookmark you want to move and drag it to the new location.

Release the mouse when a black horizontal bar appears at your desired location.

Remove a bookmark from its nested position

Select Window > Interactive > Bookmarks.

Select the nested bookmark you want to move out from under its parent.

Drag it below and to the left of the parent bookmark until it aligns with the parent's indentation level.

Release the mouse when the black bar indicates the new position.

Sort bookmarks automatically by page order

Select Window > Interactive > Bookmarks.

Select the panel menu icon, then choose Sort Bookmarks.