This browser does not support basic Web standards, preventing the display of our site's intended design. May we suggest that you upgrade your browser?

Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional

Navigating PDF Files

PDF files offer a variety of navigational options depending on your specific purpose. Bookmarks give you an overview of sections, subjects, or topics. Clicking one takes you directly to a specified place in the document. Page thumbnails show the pages of the document in miniature. Clicking a page takes you directly to it. You can also page through the document like you would with any publication. Finally, you can specify a page number and go directly to it. This document shows you how to use each of these options.

Return to TopNavigating with Bookmarks

Bookmarks in a PDF file generally follow the hierarchical structure of the document and, therefore, act much like a table of contents. At a glance you can see the sections, subjects, or topics in the publication. Clicking a bookmark takes you to a specified place in the document. For information on how to create bookmarks, refer to Creating Bookmarks.

  1. From the Navigation pane, click BOOKMARKSBookmarks icon
    NOTES:
    This action toggles between hiding and displaying the Bookmarks pane.
    Once the Bookmarks pane is displayed, if you do not see any bookmarks, none were created; you will not be able to use this method of navigation unless you create your own bookmarks.

  2. To see sublevel bookmarks, expand the list by clicking the plus (+) next to the bookmark
    To see only the top level bookmarks, collapse the list by clicking the minus (-) next to the bookmark

  3. To go to the section/topic indicated by the bookmark, click the bookmark
    The bookmarked location appears in the Document pane.

Return to TopNavigating with Page Thumbnails

Page thumbnails are miniature representations of the pages in the PDF document. Clicking a page thumbnail takes you to that page. You might use page thumbnails to get an overall sense of the document or you may know that the information you want is on a page that is formatted in a specific way or contains a specific graphic. Using thumbnails helps you to locate the page quickly. For more information about page thumbnails, refer to Page Thumbnail Basics.

  1. To display/hide the Page Thumbnails pane, click PAGESPages icon
    NOTE: This action toggles between hiding and displaying the Pages pane.

  2. To adjust the size of the thumbnails, in the Page Thumbnails pane, from the Options pull-down list, select Reduce Page Thumbnails or Enlarge Page Thumbnails

  3. To view additional thumbnails not displayed in the Pages pane, use the scroll bar

  4. To go to a page represented by a page thumbnail, click the page thumbnail
    The page appears in the Document pane.

Return to Top Navigating with the Navigation Toolbar

The Page Navigation toolbar allows you to navigate by moving one page at a time or jumping to the beginning or end of the document.

  1. To display the Page Navigation toolbar, from the View menu, select Toolbars » Page Navigation
    NOTE: A checkmark will appear next to navigation if the Page Navigation toolbar is displayed.

  2. To navigate through a document, in the Page Navigation toolbar, click the appropriate button

    Button Name Action
    Previous Page button Previous Page Navigates to the previous page of the document
    Next Page button Next Page Navigates to the next page of the document
    Page Number option Page Number Navigates to the page number typed in the text box
    EXAMPLE: Page 2 of 17
Excellence. Our Measure. Our Motto. Our Goal.