For any long-form document layout, auto-numbered pages are a huge timesaver. Here’s how to add page numbers in InDesign.
Whether you’re laying out a book, white paper, or industry report, InDesign’s automatic page numbering is essential to a professional design workflow. Even documents of just a few pages can benefit from this feature!
In this walkthrough, we’ve shared how to add page numbers in InDesign, so no matter how your content changes during the creative process, the numbers will always reflect the correct page in the sequence. Simply follow the instructions below to set the current page number automatically.
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How Do Page Numbers Work?
Just like with headers and footers in InDesign, you can add page numbers to a Parent page (previously called a Master page), and the numbers will automatically update as the pages change.
When you’re on the Parent page, the number will be displayed as a prefix (such as the letter A), but when you move to a document page, it will show the corresponding number instead. Once you’ve set up these numbers, you can forget about them and focus on the project.
Note: If you aren’t seeing the page numbers, make sure you’ve applied the right Parent page to the pages in question.
How to Add Page Numbers in InDesign
Here’s how to add page numbers in InDesign:
- Load your current InDesign project and choose the Parent page where you want to add page numbers. (If you don’t have a Parent page yet, you can create one by right-clicking in the Pages panel and selecting New Parent.)
- Draw a text frame big enough to show the largest number in your page sequence, and reposition the number where you like it on the page. In this text frame, you can also add words that you’d like to see on every page (like “Pg.” or “Page”).
- Click in the text frame to set your insertion point, and then select Type > Insert Special Character > Markers > Current Page Number. InDesign will place the current page number at the insertion point.
- To add these page numbers to your document pages, Shift+click to select the relevant pages in the Pages panel and then hold the Alt key while clicking the Parent page icon.
Changing the Number Style
To adjust the Arabic numeral style (1, 2, 3) to alphanumeric or Roman numerals, select the pages that you want to change, and then go to Layout > Numbering & Section Options. Here, you can enable or disable automatic numbering, add a prefix (ex. B-7 or B 7), and much more.
You’ll find options to change the numeral style under the Style (Page Numbering) section.
Adding a “Page X of Y” Effect
To show the current and total number of pages (ex. “Page 12 of 50”), first create a current page number by following the instructions above. This will be your X.
Then click into the text frame, type “of,” and select Type > Text Variables > Insert Variable > Last Page Number to create your Y value.
Cover image via Thomas Bethge.
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