How to Edit Master Page in Adobe InDesign

Updated on:

April 6, 2026

By:

Madhav Bhandari

Use this interactive demo to learn how to edit the master page in Adobe InDesign.

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Here’s a simple and quick guide on how to edit Master (Parent) page in Adobe InDesign:

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To edit a Master (Parent) page in Adobe InDesign, first open the Pages panel from the Window menu.
Go to the Master (Parent) page, then right-click it to access additional settings such as Page Attributes.
The creation of a new Parent page and the option to override Parent page items are also available from the list of available options.
For elements such as page numbers, use the available tools and the File menu options to modify the page layout.

📌 Why this matters

Master pages control the consistent elements that appear across multiple pages in your document, like headers, footers, page numbers, and logos. When you edit a master page, those changes instantly propagate to every page based on that master, saving you from manually updating dozens or hundreds of individual pages.

Beyond basic consistency, master pages become powerful when you create multiple masters for different section types - like chapter openers, standard content pages, and appendices - allowing you to maintain distinct layouts while preserving design cohesion throughout complex documents.

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