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How to Link Text Boxes in InDesign

When InDesign text boxes are linked, you can add as much text as needed and the words will flow perfectly, no matter how long or short your document is. Once you know how this helpful feature works, you can design your book, magazine, or newspaper with placeholder text boxes and then fill them with copy at any time—without worrying about the hassle of adjusting your layout over and over again.

Let’s look at how to link text boxes in InDesign.

Note: A common alternative term for linking text boxes in InDesign is “threading text frames.”


Are you a visual learner? Check out this quick YouTube tutorial on how to link text boxes in InDesign.


  1. Open your current InDesign project and choose the Type tool (the letter T). 
  2. Click and drag on the page to create a new text box (or “text frame”). At any point, you can click on the box with the Selection tool (i.e. the black arrow), and then reposition or resize it to your needs. 
  3. Repeat the previous step to create a second frame. 
  4. Add text to your first text box by clicking it with the Type tool selected and then typing or pasting your text.
  5. Choose the Selection tool (the black arrow) and click on the first text box. With the frame selected, you’ll see squares on the four corners, as well as a larger square in the bottom right area (called the “out port”). There’s also a larger square on the top left, which is called the “in port.” 
  6. Click on the out port of the first text box, and your cursor will transform so that it has text underneath it. Then click on the second text box to link them together. (You’ll know that the boxes are linkable because the cursor will change to a chain icon right before you click.)

Once you’ve linked your text boxes, any overset text from the first text frame will automatically flow into the second text frame. Keep in mind that if your current text is too short, you may not see anything flow into the second text frame until you add more words.


How to Add More Text Boxes to the Linked Sequence 

To add more text boxes anywhere in a threaded sequence:

  1. With the Selection tool enabled, click on any frame’s out port to set the new text box location. When you release the mouse button, your cursor will look like it has text lines below it. 
  2. Drag anywhere on the page to create a new text box, or click on an existing text box to thread it into the sequence. 

You can insert text boxes anywhere in a sequence: after the last threaded frame, between threaded frames, etc. It just depends on which out port you’ve selected before clicking and dragging to add the new text frame.


If your layout has changed and you no longer want text frames to be threaded, no problem! It’s easy to break the connection:

  1. Choose the Selection tool, select the first text frame, and click the larger box in the lower right corner.
  2. Then click the second text box to undo the link. (Essentially, you’re repeating the original link steps, except the text boxes are already linked together. Before clicking the second text box, you’ll see the cursor change to a broken chain icon, indicating that you are breaking the link.)

Here’s a video tutorial showing you the unlinking process.


Cover image via christakhova

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