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Export to EPUB
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Create and save book files
Last updated on
Jun 2, 2026
Learn how to combine multiple Adobe InDesign documents into a single book file for consistent page numbers, shared styles, and coordinated output.
A book file lets you manage multiple InDesign documents as a single project while keeping each file separate. It’s ideal for long or collaborative projects and supports shared formatting through a designated style source.
Create book files
Type a name for your book file and choose a save location.
Select Save to create the book file with the INDB extension. The Book panel opens automatically, displaying your empty book file.
Save book files
Book files store the structure and settings of a multi-document project, not the content. They track document order, numbering, sync settings, and the style source, while individual INDD files remain separate.
Book files use the INDB format and should be saved after changes to the document order or structure.
To save changes to an existing book file with the same name, select the Book panel menu icon and then select Save Book.
To save a book file with a new name, select Save Book As from the Book panel menu, set a new filename and location, and select Save.
Note
If you are sharing book files over a server, make sure that you have a file management system in place so that you don’t save over each other’s changes accidentally.
Open book files in Explorer or Finder
When working with book files, you may need to locate the source documents for sharing, backup, or verification. Use the Reveal command to open the folder containing the selected document, without having to search manually.
Open your book file in InDesign.
In the Book panel, select the document you want to locate.
Select the panel menu icon and then select Reveal in Explorer (Windows) or Reveal in Finder (macOS). A file browser window opens, displaying the selected document in its storage location.
You can use the Reveal option for each document in the book to verify that all files are stored in the correct project folder before packaging or archiving.
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