Numbering pages, chapters, and sections

Determine what kind of numbering you want to use for your document or book. For long documents, you can assign chapter numbers. Each document can be assigned only one chapter number. If you want to use different numbering within a document, you can define ranges of pages as sections; these sections can be numbered differently. For example, the first ten pages of a document (the front matter) might use Roman numerals, and the rest of the document might use Arabic numerals.

A single InDesign document can contain up to 9,999 pages, but page numbers can be as large as 999,999. (For example, you can correctly number a 100‑page document that starts on page 9,949.) By default, the first page is a recto (right) page numbered 1. Odd-numbered pages always appear on the right; if you use the Section Options command to change the first page number to an even number, the first page becomes a verso (left) page.

For information on creating basic page numbering in a document, see Add basic page numbering.

Add an automatically updated chapter number

You can add a chapter number variable to your document. Like page numbers, chapter numbers can be updated automatically and formatted and styled as text. A chapter number variable is commonly used in documents that are part of a book. A document can have only one chapter number assigned to it; if you want to divide a single document into chapters, you can create sections instead.

You can update the starting number and format of chapter numbering by choosing Layout > Numbering & Section Options.

Add an automatically updated section marker

Change the format of page and chapter numbering

Define section numbering

By default, page and chapter numbers in a book are numbered consecutively. Using Numbering & Section Options, you can restart page numbering at a specified page, add prefixes to page numbers, and change the numbering style of both pages and chapters.

You can define a section prefix to label section pages automatically. For example, if you specify A– for Section Prefix on page 16 of a document and include the section prefix, the page will appear in the table of contents or index as A–16. Text you type for a section marker appears when you choose Type > Insert Special Character > Markers > Section Marker.

Define sections in a document

Edit or remove section numbering

Display absolute or section numbering in the Pages panel

The Pages panel can display absolute numbering (labeling all pages with consecutive numbers, starting at the first page of the document) or section numbering (labeling pages by section, as specified in the Section Options dialog box).

Changing the numbering display affects how pages are indicated in the InDesign document, as in the Pages panel and in the page box at the bottom of a document window. The numbering display also affects how you specify page ranges when printing and exporting the document. However, the numbering display does not change the appearance of page numbers on document pages.

Document numbering options

You can change document numbering options when you select a document page (not a parent page) and choose Layout > Numbering & Section Options. You can also change these options when you choose Document Numbering Options from the Book panel menu.

Select if you want the page numbers of the current section to follow the numbering of the previous section. Using this option, the page numbers in the document or section update automatically when you add pages prior to it.

Type the starting number for your document or for the first page of the current section. For example, if you want to restart the numbering for a section, type 1 . The remaining pages in the section will be renumbered accordingly.

Type a label for the section. Include the spaces or punctuation you want to appear between the prefix and the page number (for example, A–16 or A 16). The prefix is limited to eight characters.

You cannot enter a blank space by pressing the spacebar—copy and paste a fixed-width space character from the document window instead. Note that plus (+) or comma (,) symbols cannot be used in section prefixes. (See Insert white space characters.)

Choose a page-numbering style from the menu. The style applies to all pages in this section only.

Type a label that InDesign inserts on the page at the location of a section marker character that appears when you choose Type > Insert Special Character > Markers > Section Marker.

Select if you want the section prefix to appear when you generate a table of contents or index, or when you print pages that contain automatic page numbers. Deselect this option to display the section prefix in InDesign but hide the prefix in the printed document, index, and table of contents.

Choose a chapter-numbering style from the menu. This chapter style is used throughout the document.

Select this option to number chapters sequentially in a book.

Specify the starting number of the chapter numbering. This option is useful if you don’t want chapters to be numbered sequentially in the book.

The same chapter number as the previous document in a book is used. Select this option if the current document is part of the same chapter as the previous document in a book.

Create headers and footers

Headers and footers run through the top and bottom of the pages in your document, providing important background information. To create a simple header or footer that includes page numbering, see Add basic page numbering.

Headers and footers can include such items as page, chapter, or section numbers; title or heading text; the author’s name; and the document’s filename and creation or modification date.

You can add many of these items by using text variables. InDesign includes several preset variables, such as Creation Date and File Name. You can modify these variables, and you can create your own. For example, you can create a variable that displays the first use of a Heading paragraph style in the header or footer. Once you create or edit the variables you need, you assemble them on the parent page to create your header and footer, and then you apply the parent page to the appropriate document pages.

Create a header or footer on a parent page

Create variables for running headers and footers

By default, the Running Header variables insert the first occurrence (on the page) of the text to which the specified style is applied. Running Header variables are especially useful for displaying the current heading or title in the header or footer.

Add automatic page numbers for story jumps

You can easily maintain the jump lines of stories that continue to other pages, such as a line that says “Continued on page 42.” Use a jump line page number to automatically update the number of the page containing a story’s next or previous threaded text frame when you move or reflow the story’s threaded text frames.

Usually the jump line page number should be in a separate text frame from the story it tracks. That way, the jump line page number remains in position even if the story’s text reflows.