Guide

How to make an index of exhibits

Updated on 24 October 2026.

An index at the front of the bundle, with a link to every exhibit and the right page numbers. What goes in it, why clickable makes the difference, and how to make one without looking up page numbers.

What goes in an index

One line per exhibit, with:

the exhibit number;
a short description, preferably starting with the type of document and the date ("Invoice of 12 March", "Letter to the contractor");
the party filing the exhibit, if there are several;
the page where the exhibit starts in the bundle.

At the top goes the title of the case or the bundle. A summary of each exhibit does not belong in it: the description only has to help the reader find the exhibit.

Why clickable

Bundles are mostly read on a screen these days. A paper index says "exhibit 5, page 41", and then you scroll. A clickable index takes you there in one click, and getting back to the index is just as quick. Bookmarks do the same in the sidebar of the PDF reader.

By hand

You type the index in Word, merge the exhibits, look up for each one the page it starts on and fill that in. For links, you create a link to the right page for every line in a PDF editor. It works, but every change to the bundle shifts the page numbers, and then it all has to be done again.

With the free web tool

Open the web tool and drop in your PDFs.
Fill in the number, the title and, if needed, the party for each exhibit. That becomes its line in the index.
Give the bundle a title if you like. It goes at the top of the index.
Click Make the bundle. The web tool works out the page numbers itself, puts the index at the front, makes every line clickable and gives every exhibit a bookmark.

If you change the order or add an exhibit later, just make the bundle again. The page numbers and links are right again by themselves. Your files are not uploaded.

Try it with your own documents

It costs nothing and you need no account. Your PDFs stay on your computer.

Open the web tool

Need more?

The CourtMerge desktop app for Windows does the same, and on top of that puts your office stamp on every exhibit, makes a bundle per party, compresses large scans and saves your case files. It comes with CourtMerge Pro, €149 once.

Questions

Does the index work in every PDF reader?

Links and bookmarks are standard parts of a PDF. Common PDF readers and browsers show them. On paper the index stays readable, with the page numbers.

Do I have to fill in the page numbers myself?

No. The web tool knows how many pages each exhibit has and puts the right start page in the index.