Overview
Add Navigation Buttons creates on-page navigation controls that let readers jump to the first, previous, next, or last page of a PDF document. Buttons can be created as either Link Annotations (simple click regions with optional borders) or Form Buttons (interactive push-button widgets with rich visual states).
Each button is rendered with a visible appearance stream and an optional text label. You can choose from preset positions or specify custom X/Y coordinates for each button individually, set the button size in points, inches, or centimetres, and configure the visual appearance including colours, border style, and click feedback. Named configurations can be saved for reuse across documents.
How to use
- Open a PDF document in Acrobat.
- Go to Plug-Ins > Pages > Add Navigation Buttons.
- Select the page range to add buttons to.
- Tick the checkboxes for the buttons you want: First, Previous, Next, Last.
- Choose a Button Type: Link Annotations or Form Buttons.
- Choose the button position on the page. Select Custom to specify individual X/Y coordinates for each button.
- Set the Unit (points, inches, or centimetres) and the button Size (width and height).
- Optionally enable Show text labels to display button names.
- Configure the button appearance using the Link Appearance or Form Appearance controls (depending on the selected button type).
- Optionally save your settings as a named configuration for reuse.
- Click OK to add the buttons.
Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Page range | The pages to add navigation buttons to. Choose All pages, specify a From / To range, or enter a Custom range (e.g. 1-5, 8, 12-20). |
| Button Type | Choose Link Annotations (simple click regions) or Form Buttons (interactive push-button widgets). See the comparison section below for details on when to use each type. |
| Buttons | Select which navigation buttons to create: First (go to page 1), Previous (go back one page), Next (go forward one page), Last (go to the final page). At least one must be selected. |
| Show text labels | When checked, each button displays a text label (e.g. "First", "Prev", "Next", "Last") alongside its icon in the appearance stream. |
| Position | Where to place the buttons on each page. Choose from six presets: Top-Left, Top-Center, Top-Right, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Center, Bottom-Right, or Custom to specify individual X/Y coordinates for each button. |
| Unit | Unit of measurement for size and position values: Points, Inches, or Centimetres. The size and coordinate labels update to reflect the selected unit. |
| Size | The width and height of each button. Accepted range is 8 to 72 points (equivalent values in other units). |
| Custom X/Y | When Position is set to Custom, specify the X (from left edge) and Y (from bottom edge) coordinates for each of the four buttons individually. |
Link Appearance (when Link Annotations selected)
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Link Type | Visible Rectangle draws a border around the button. Invisible Rectangle hides the border (the button icon and text label are still visible). |
| Highlight | Visual effect when the link is clicked: None, Inverted, Outline, or Inset. |
| Thickness | Border line width: Thin, Medium, or Thick. |
| Line Style | Border style: Solid, Dashed, or Underline. |
| Color | The colour used for both the border and the button icon. |
Form Appearance (when Form Buttons selected)
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Border Color | Colour of the button border. |
| Fill Color | Background fill colour of the button. |
| Text Color | Colour of the button icon and text label. |
| Thickness | Border line width: Thin, Medium, or Thick. |
| Line Style | Border style: Solid, Dashed, Beveled (3D raised effect), Inset (3D recessed effect), or Underlined. |
Other
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Preview | A live preview panel showing the button positions on the page. Updates automatically as you change settings. |
| Configurations | Save your current settings as a named configuration for reuse. Select a previously saved configuration from the drop-down to load it, or click Delete to remove one. |
Link Annotations vs Form Buttons
The two button types differ fundamentally in how they are represented in the PDF. Link Annotations are simple click regions that trigger a GoTo action pointing to a fixed page number. They are lightweight, universally supported, and add no form infrastructure to the document. Form Buttons are interactive Widget annotations backed by the PDF's AcroForm dictionary. They use Named Actions (FirstPage, PrevPage, NextPage, LastPage) that are evaluated at view time rather than stored as fixed page numbers.
For most simple documents and read-only reports, Link Annotations are the better choice — they are smaller, have no side effects, and work in every PDF viewer. For interactive PDFs, presentations, and kiosk displays where visual feedback and reorder-safety matter, Form Buttons are the better fit.
| Aspect | Link Annotations | Form Buttons |
|---|---|---|
| Navigation method | GoTo action (fixed page number) | Named Action (FirstPage, PrevPage, etc.) |
| Page reorder safety | Buttons may point to the wrong page if pages are reordered after creation | Always correct — Named Actions are evaluated at view time |
| Visual feedback | Subtle highlight on click (None, Inverted, Outline, or Inset) | Push-button effect with a distinct pressed appearance |
| Colour options | Single colour (border and icon) | Separate border, fill, and text colours |
| PDF structure impact | None — no form infrastructure added | Adds AcroForm dictionary and Fields array |
| Form field warnings | No | Some viewers may show "this document contains form fields" |
| File size | Smaller per button | Slightly larger (Widget annotation + appearance streams) |
| Viewer compatibility | Universal — all PDF viewers support links | Most viewers support widgets; lightweight viewers may not |
| Best suited for | Simple documents, read-only reports | Interactive PDFs, presentations, kiosk displays |
Tip
For presentations, use Form Buttons with Previous and Next at Bottom-Center for slide-show navigation with visual feedback on each click.
Note
When using Link Annotations, the Previous button on the first page and the Next button on the last page are automatically omitted, as they would have no valid destination. Form Buttons using Named Actions handle boundary pages automatically — Acrobat simply ignores PrevPage on the first page and NextPage on the last page.
Tip
Use Configurations to save your preferred button setup for quick reuse across documents.
Note
If you have enabled Place under Mapsoft menu in Preferences, the menu path is Plug-Ins > Mapsoft > Pages > Add Navigation Buttons.