I am trying to use the save as Adobe PDF with use of headings as bookmarks. The problem I have is that while I am able to distinguish which levels are shown in the Word Document TOC, I am unable to find a way to limit which headings become bookmarks. I would like to only have the top two levels become bookmarks, but I am getting all levels. My document is set up using all heading levels as directed in How to create numbered headings or outline numbering in Word 2007 and Word 2010 | ShaunaKelly.com

I do not know that it will make a difference, but it may...
What method are you using to convert to the pdf? (There are a number of them.)

The built-in Headings all have an unchangeable Outline Level which is the setting that determines the bookmarks in Acrobat (when using Save As PDF with options set to make headings bookmarks).

To avoid the lower level headings going in to the Acrobat bookmarks you have two choices:
1. Use alternative styles for those headings which you can set to have an outline level = Body Text
2. Put those headings into Table cells (with no fill or borders). For some reason headings in tables won't become bookmarks in Acrobat.

Note that both these options will hide those headings if you are in the habit of using the Navigation Pane to view the headings so it has an impact in how you use the Word document too.

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Andrew Lockton
Chrysalis Design, Melbourne Australia

I haven't found a simpler way of doing this than Guessed detailed; use a different type of style than a heading. We have some long documents where there are level 3 headings that the department's manager doesn't want in the table of contents; there I choose only levels 1 and 2. But they do show up in the PDF; I usually just leave them and collapse them in the bookmark panel. You could also delete them from the panel, of course - an extra step. I usually end up doing the flip side of that - adding a few bookmarks for figures that have to be inserted, and so forth.

Headings inside tables will not show up in a pdf as bookmarks, nor will they show up in the Navigation Pane. If you want them to, they will show up in a Table of Contents. The TOC depends on which styles or levels you include, not on the presence in a Table.
Headings that do not show up in the Navigation Pane or in a Table of Contents (or in Cross-References / Hyperlinks)