Tutorial: Batch Setting the Initial View for PDFs — Make Files Automatically Expand the Bookmarks Panel When Opened

When a PDF document has many pages, the bookmark table of contents can help readers quickly locate chapters. However, many files with bookmarks are hidden in the sidebar by default when opened, which affects browsing efficiency. This article uses batch setting of PDF initial views as an example to introduce how to use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to uniformly set multiple PDFs to automatically expand the bookmark table of contents after opening, and explains the effects before and after processing, specific steps, and operational precautions.

In daily office work, PDF is one of the most common delivery formats. Project reports, technical proposals, policy documents, training handouts, thesis materials, contract attachments, and other content are often organized into PDFs and sent to others for reading. The problem is that many PDFs already have bookmark navigation, but after opening, only the body page is displayed by default, and the bookmark navigation on the left side is not automatically expanded. For readers who want to jump to a chapter, they must first click the bookmark icon on the left, and then find the location from the table of contents.

If there is only one PDF, manually setting it is not too troublesome; but when you need to process dozens of reports, multiple project files, or a whole set of materials, modifying the PDF opening method one by one will be very time-consuming. This article will introduce a more suitable approach for batch office work: using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to uniformly set the initial view of multiple PDFs so that bookmarks are displayed when opened. In this way, as soon as the file is opened, the left directory panel will automatically appear, making it easier to read, review, and archive.

Applicable scenarios: Why batch modify the PDF opening method

The initial view of a PDF determines the first impression when the file is opened, including whether the navigation panel is displayed, which sidebar is shown, how the page is presented, and how the zoom ratio is set. This article focuses on the bookmark display in the navigation panel, that is, making the PDF automatically show the bookmark directory after opening.

This setting is especially suitable for long PDFs. For example, for an 80-page project report, if bookmarks are not displayed when opened, readers need to slowly search for chapters from the page content; if the bookmark directory is displayed directly after opening, readers can quickly click entries such as Cover, Introduction, and Background to jump. For files that need to be submitted to clients, review experts, management, or external partners, displaying bookmarks by default can also reflect the standardization of document organization.

In batch processing scenarios, the value of this operation is even more obvious. Administrative staff may need to organize multiple policy PDFs, training staff may need to publish a batch of courseware materials, consultants may need to deliver multiple project reports, and archival staff may need to uniformly archive a large number of scanned and processed PDFs. With the batch processing capability in office software, the same settings can be applied to multiple PDFs at once, reducing repetitive work.

Effect preview: From hidden bookmarks to automatically displayed bookmarks

Before processing: The bookmark entry exists, but the directory is not expanded

Before processing, when opening the PDF, you can see a row of tool icons on the left side of the page, with the bookmark icon located in the sidebar position. The red arrow points to this entry, indicating that readers need to manually click it to expand the bookmark directory. The body page itself can be read normally, but chapter navigation is not directly presented.

This effect may be acceptable for internal viewing, but it is not intuitive enough for externally distributed materials. Especially when the PDF has many pages and a complex hierarchical structure, hidden bookmarks will reduce retrieval efficiency and may also cause readers to overlook the existing directory navigation in the document.

After processing: Multi-level bookmark directory is visible as soon as the file is opened

After processing, when opening the same type of PDF again, the bookmark panel on the left will be displayed automatically. As shown in the screenshot, the bookmarks are presented in a tree structure, including multi-level entries such as Cover, Results in Brief, Report, Table of Contents, Introduction, and Background. Readers can directly view the directory and jump without needing to click the bookmark button.

The change after processing is very clear: the body content has not been reformatted, and the page numbers and text reading area remain normal; what has changed is the default navigation state when opening. For PDFs that already have bookmarks, this is a low-cost way to improve the reading experience.

Operation steps: Use office software to batch set the PDF initial view

Step 1: Find the setting for PDF initial view in the PDF tools

First, open HeSoft Doc Batch Tool . From the left side of the interface, you can see multiple tool categories, including Home, Task Flow, All Tools, File Name, Folder Name, File Organization, Word Tools, Excel Tools, PowerPoint Tools, PDF Tools, and so on. Because the object of this processing is PDF, you need to enter the PDF Tools category.

In the PDF tools list, find 35. Set PDF Initial View. The description on this function card shows that it can batch set the navigation panel, page display mode, and default zoom ratio when PDF files are opened. In other words, it is exactly the function entry used to unify the opening effect of PDFs.

After clicking this function, you will enter a step-by-step processing interface. Unlike single PDF editing tools, the design focus here is batch processing: first select files, then set options, then set the save location, and finally start processing uniformly.

Step 2: Import the PDF files that need unified settings

After entering the Set PDF Initial View page, the first step is to select the records to be processed. The upper right area of the interface provides operation entries such as Add Files, Import Files from Folder, Clear, and More. You can choose the import method according to the number of files: if the PDFs are scattered in different locations, you can use Add Files; if the PDFs are concentrated in one folder, using Import Files from Folder will be more efficient.

In the screenshot, 4 PDF files have been successfully imported, namely 1.pdf, 2.pdf, 3.pdf, and 4.pdf. The list also displays information such as file path, extension, creation time, and modification time, making it convenient to check whether the files are correct before processing.

It is recommended to carefully check the list at this step. Because the batch operation will take effect on all files in the list, if a PDF that does not need to be processed is mistakenly added, unnecessary modifications may occur. Each row on the right side of the interface has a delete operation to remove a single file; if there are too many incorrect imports, you can also clear them and add again.

Step 3: Select the open display as Show Bookmarks

After confirming the file list, click Next at the bottom to enter the processing options. Here you can set how the sidebar is displayed when the PDF is opened. In the interface, Open Display is a required setting, with three options below: Do Not Show Sidebar, Show Bookmarks, and Show Page Thumbnails.

To automatically expand the bookmark directory after opening the PDF, you need to select Show Bookmarks. The red arrow in the screenshot points to this option, indicating that it is the key setting for this batch processing. After selecting it, all imported PDFs will be written with the same initial view setting.

On the same page, you can also see two areas for Page Display Mode and Default Zoom Mode. They are related to page layout and zoom ratio. If you only want to change whether the bookmark panel is displayed and do not want to affect the zoom effect after the user opens the file, you do not need to enable these additional settings. In this way, the processing result is more focused and more suitable for scenarios that only standardize bookmark navigation.

Step 4: Set the output location and start batch processing

After completing the processing options, continue to click Next to enter Set Save Location. Although the screenshot does not show the specific details of the save location, the progress bar clearly shows that the third step is Set Save Location. In actual use, it is recommended to save the processed files to a new output folder, for example, create a folder named "Bookmark Display Set" or "Initial View Processed" to distinguish the original files from the processing results.

After the save location is set, enter the fourth step to start processing. The software will batch modify the initial view of these files according to the previously selected PDF list. After processing is complete, you can open the output files for verification: if the bookmark panel on the left side of the PDF automatically expands and displays the original bookmark directory, it means the batch setting has taken effect.

Frequently asked questions and precautions

If the PDF has no bookmarks, is it useful to set the display to Show Bookmarks

If the PDF file itself has no bookmark directory, setting Open Display to Show Bookmarks will not automatically generate a directory. The purpose of this function is to make existing bookmarks displayed by default when opened, not to create a new bookmark structure. If your file has no bookmarks, you need to first create bookmarks through other methods, and then use the method in this article to set the default display.

Will the PDF body content be changed after processing

From the perspective of the function positioning, Set PDF Initial View mainly adjusts the display state when the file is opened, such as the navigation panel, page display mode, and default zoom ratio, and does not edit the body text or images. Nevertheless, it is still recommended to keep the original files before batch processing important files, so that you can roll back in case of misoperation.

Can PDFs in different folders be processed at once

You can import multiple PDFs according to the Add Files method provided in the interface. If the files are scattered in different locations, you can add them multiple times; if the files are concentrated in a directory, you can import files from the folder. Before processing, as long as these PDFs appear in the list, they will be batch set according to the same options.

Why the display may differ slightly in different readers after processing

The PDF initial view is a file setting, but different PDF readers may present the sidebar, bookmark panel, and zoom mode differently. Before officially sending the files, it is recommended to open a sample using the PDF reader commonly used by the target users to confirm that the bookmark panel can be displayed normally.

How to reduce the risk of errors during batch processing

It is recommended to follow three principles: first, back up the original PDFs before processing; second, check the list after importing files and remove files that do not need to be processed; third, output to a new folder and spot-check the results. In this way, batch processing can improve efficiency while avoiding the risk of overwriting the originals.

Summary: Make the PDF directory appear automatically and improve the reading efficiency of long documents

Batch setting PDFs to display bookmarks when opened is a very practical document standardization action. It does not require modifying content page by page, nor does it require recreating the PDF; it simply adjusts the file's initial view to a state more suitable for reading. For long reports, material collections, training documents, specification manuals, and other PDFs, automatically displaying the bookmark directory after opening can help readers find the required chapters more quickly.

HeSoft Doc Batch Tool , as batch file processing software oriented to office scenarios, is suitable for solving such tasks with high repetitiveness and clear rules. You only need to enter PDF Tools, select Set PDF Initial View, import the PDFs that need processing, select Show Bookmarks, set the save location, and start processing, and you can complete the work in batches that originally required manual setting file by file. Before delivering a large number of PDFs next time, it is recommended to first use this function to uniformly check and set the opening effect, making the files more standardized and more convenient for readers.