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Question

Can the Box PDF preview viewer navigate to a PDF boomark

  • May 21, 2025
  • 10 replies
  • 65 views
C
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Hi,

We have numerous large PDF files shared by hundreds of users through the Canvas LMS, which is backed by Box file storage.

Our PDF files are meticulously bookmarked by chapter and topic.

When one of our PDF files is viewed through a standard browser plugin, we can write a hyperlink to directly navigate to a specific bookmark (e.g. ...#nameddest=my-chapter)

This feature seems absent from the default PDF Box Previewer.

One can list a URL to a specific file on Canvas (e.g. my_course/files/34567), but the nameddest parameter fails (you are always dropped at the front page.)

The bookmarks within the PDF work fine inside the Box PDF previewer (e.g. the Table of Contents internal links), but we can't seem to devise a hyperlink which navigates directly to the named destination (bookmark.)

Any advice? 

I've already read through everything returned by the search [PDF AND preview AND (bookmark OR link)]

If this is currently impossible, would someone please consider it as a futre feature enhancement?

Thanks!

-D

    10 replies

    C
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    Hi ,

    Thank you for your post, that's a really interesting idea! We have heard this feature request and have filed it with our product team.

     

    The Box Community team shares selected conversations on the community back to other Box teams from time to time, including product feedback. If more users agree with this use case and feature request, comment below or kudo 's post!

    Thanks for your help and time in the Community!

    "

    C
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    Hi, revisiting this topic (as there seems to be no progress.)

    Would it be possible to use the "New Box View" to accomplish this task?

    For instance, upload a large, composite PDF and generate URLs to individual chapters within the PDF.

    Thank you!

    -D

    C
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    Hi,

     

    I would like to add slightly to this request - I have large pdf's which are created with the initial view set to show the Bookmarks panel as well as the page. All the pdf viewer apps I've tried do successfully open up with the correct initial view, except the Box viewer.

     

    Is it possible that the Box pdf viewer could be modified so it shows the document with the same initial view options as are saved in the file?

     

    Thanks,

    Jim

    C
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    Would like to add that we would also welcome such an option - modern PDFs can get quite large - scrolling through several hundred pages to find a correct item, when bookmarks exist, is inefficient, and it would be a clear time saver to have this feature added.

    C
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    Would like to add that we would also welcome such an option - modern PDFs can get quite large - scrolling through several hundred pages to find a correct item, when bookmarks exist, is inefficient, and it would be a clear time saver to have this feature added.

    C
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    I need the ability to see and navigate bookmarks in a PDF when in preview mode in Box.  Please let me know if this functionality already exists.

    Thank you,

    Jennifer

    C
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    I am having a similar problem.  I would be happy if you could simply do a text search.  That is disabled in Previewer mode.  We have a need to not allow download but the viewer still needs to be able to search PDFs. 

    C
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    We need this ability also, is there an update around a way to open a specific page within a pdf hosted on Box?

     

    C
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    I need this ability as well.

    C
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    Hi, checking in on this feature request that was "filed" over 5 years ago, and subsequently requested at least once every year since then. Still majorly needed. Please address and add soon. Thank you kindly!

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