Restart or continue numbered lists

Last updated on Jun 2, 2026

Learn how to restart or continue numbered lists in Adobe InDesign, including controlling numbering across stories and book documents.

Restart a numbered list

Place the insertion point in the paragraph where you want numbering to restart.

Select Type > Bulleted & Numbered Lists > Restart Numbering.

  • In a normal list, InDesign assigns 1 (or A) to the paragraph and treats it as the first item in the list.
  • In a multi-level list, InDesign assigns the first lower-level number to the nested paragraph.

Continue numbered list

Place the insertion point in the paragraph where you want to resume numbering.

Select Type > Bulleted & Numbered Lists > Continue Numbering.
InDesign resumes the list sequence after interruptions such as commentary, graphics, or nested list items. You can also use related commands to continue numbering across stories or across documents in a book.

Number a list from a previous or current story

Select Type > Bulleted & Numbered Lists > Define Lists.

Select the list, then select Edit. Don't select the Default list, because it can’t run across stories.

Select Continue Numbers Across Stories to resume numbering from the previous story or clear the option to start numbering in the current story at 1 (or A).

Select OK twice.

Number a list from a previous or current document

Select Type > Bulleted & Numbered Lists > Define Lists.

Select the list, then select Edit.

Select Continue Numbers Across Stories to allow numbering to continue from the previous document.

Select Continue Numbers from Previous Document in Book to resume numbering the list from the previous document, or clear the option to start numbering in the current document at 1 (or A).

Select OK, then select OK.

To ensure numbering updates correctly in a book, synchronize the documents, then select Update Numbering > Update All Numbers from the Books panel menu.

To update numbering in a book, synchronize the documents, then select Window > Utilities > Book. Select the panel menu    icon, then choose Update Numbering > Update All Numbers.