Bookmarks let you jump to a specific spot in your document

A bookmark in Word is a named location you can jump to later. Instead of scrolling through pages to find a section, you click the bookmark name and Word takes you there when ready. Bookmarks are invisible in the final document — they're just navigation tools for you while you're working.

You can bookmark a single word, a paragraph, a page, or any chunk of text. You can also create a bookmark at a blank spot with no text selected. Once you've made bookmarks, you can navigate between them using the Go To dialog or by creating a table of contents that links to them.

Key Takeaways

  • Select the text or position where you want the bookmark, then use the Insert tab to add it with a specific name.
  • Bookmark names cannot contain spaces, but you can use underscores or hyphens to separate words.
  • Jump to any bookmark by pressing Ctrl+G (or Cmd+Option+G on Mac) and choosing it from the Go To dialog.
  • Bookmarks are useful for long documents where you need to move between sections quickly without scrolling.
  • You can delete a bookmark by opening the Bookmark dialog and selecting the name you want to remove.

How to create a bookmark in Word

Start by selecting the text you want to bookmark. Click and drag to highlight a word, sentence, paragraph, or as much text as you need. If you want to bookmark a location with no text — like the start of a new section — just click once to place your cursor there without selecting anything.

Next, go to the Insert tab at the top of the ribbon. Look for the Bookmark button. In Word for Windows, it's usually in the Links group. In Word for Mac, it's in the Insert group. Click it, and a dialog box opens asking you to name the bookmark.

Type a name for your bookmark. The name must start with a letter and can contain letters, numbers, underscores, and hyphens — but no spaces. If you want to mark a section called "Client Feedback," type Client_Feedback or Client-Feedback. Click Add and the bookmark is created.

Jumping to a bookmark you've already made

Once you have bookmarks in your document, you can navigate to them quickly. Press Ctrl+G on Windows or Cmd+Option+G on Mac to open the Go To dialog. A list of all your bookmarks appears. Click the one you want and press Go To — Word jumps directly to that location and selects the bookmarked text.

On Mac, you can also use the Navigation Pane. Go to View and turn on Navigation Pane. A panel opens on the left side showing your bookmarks. Click any bookmark name to jump to it.

Viewing and managing your bookmarks

To see all the bookmarks in your document at once, go to Insert and click Bookmark again. The Bookmark dialog shows every bookmark you've created. From here you can add new ones, delete ones you no longer need, or jump to an existing bookmark by selecting it and clicking Go To.

If you want to see bookmark brackets around your bookmarked text while you work, go to File > Options > Advanced (Windows) or Word > Preferences > View (Mac). Look for an option to show bookmarks and turn it on. The brackets won't print — they're just visual guides for you.

Using bookmarks with links and tables of contents

Bookmarks become more powerful when you link to them. You can create a hyperlink that jumps to a bookmark instead of to a website. Select the text you want to turn into a link, go to Insert > Link, and choose Place in This Document. Your bookmarks appear in the list — select one and click OK.

If you're building a table of contents, you can make it link to bookmarks instead of just headings. This is useful if your document structure doesn't match the standard heading styles. Create bookmarks for each section you want in the table of contents, then insert the table of contents and configure it to use bookmarks as reference points.

Common bookmark naming mistakes to avoid

The most common error is using spaces in bookmark names. If you type "Client Feedback" with a space, Word rejects it. Use underscores, hyphens, or no separator at all: ClientFeedback, Client_Feedback, or Client-Feedback all work.

Another mistake is creating bookmarks with names that are too similar. If you have bookmarks called Section1 and Section_1, it's straightforward to pick the wrong one when jumping. Use clear, distinct names that describe what's at that location — Introduction, Methods, Results are clearer than S1, S2, S3.

If you delete bookmarked text, the bookmark disappears too. If you delete text that's in the middle of a bookmark, the bookmark shrinks to cover only what remains. Keep this in mind if you're editing heavily — you may need to recreate or adjust bookmarks as your document changes.

Bookmarks in different versions of Word

The bookmark feature works the same way in Word 2019, Word 2021, and Microsoft 365 on Windows. On Mac, the steps are nearly identical — the buttons are in the same places, just organized slightly differently in the ribbon. If you're using Word Online (the browser version), bookmarks are not available, so you'll need the desktop version to create them.

If you share a document with someone using an older version of Word, bookmarks will still be there and work normally. They're a stable feature that hasn't changed in years, so compatibility is not a concern.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I bookmark a bookmark?

No. A bookmark marks a location or a piece of text. You can't nest bookmarks inside each other. However, you can create as many separate bookmarks as you need in a single document — there's no limit.

Do bookmarks show up when I print or save as PDF?

No. Bookmarks are internal navigation tools in Word only. When you print the document or convert it to PDF, the bookmarks disappear. The text and content remain, but the bookmark markers and links don't transfer.

What happens to bookmarks if I move text to a different part of the document?

If you cut and paste bookmarked text to a new location, the bookmark moves with it. If you delete the bookmarked text, the bookmark is deleted too. If you delete text that's part of a larger bookmark, the bookmark shrinks to cover only the remaining text.

Can I use bookmarks to create an automatic index?

Yes. You can create a table of contents that links to bookmarks instead of headings. This is useful if your document doesn't use standard heading styles. Insert a table of contents, configure it to use bookmarks as reference points, and it will generate clickable links to each bookmarked section.

How many bookmarks can I create in one document?

Word doesn't set a hard limit on the number of bookmarks. In practice, you can create hundreds without performance issues. Most documents work well with 10 to 50 bookmarks — enough to navigate major sections without becoming cluttered.