Create and use master pages

To create a new master page, you duplicate an existing master page, edit the duplicate, then save it with a new name. Any pages that are linked to the original master page aren’t affected.

1. Click in the toolbar and choose Edit Master Pages.

2. Click in the toolbar, then choose the master page you want to use as a starting point.

3. Type a name for the new master page, then click OK.

   A new master page appears below the original in the sidebar.

4. Modify the page however you like by adding, deleting, or editing text, placeholders, images, shapes, and other objects.

   You can use any available formatting controls in the Format  sidebar. For more information, see “Edit a master page,” below.

5. When you’re finished, click Done at the bottom of the window.

You can drag the master pages in the sidebar to rearrange them.

When you edit a master page, any changes you make are applied to all pages that use that master.

1. Click in the toolbar and choose Edit Master Pages.

2. Select the master page you want to edit in the sidebar on the left.

3. Do any of the following:

   • Modify existing design elements: Select any design elements on the page, then delete them, or edit them using any available formatting controls in the Format  sidebar. To learn how to change the background of a master page, see Change the page background.

   • Add images: To add a placeholder image, click in the toolbar, then choose an image. Images you add to a master page become placeholders. An image you add to a placeholder in your document will have the same size and placement on the page.

   • Add text boxes: To add a placeholder text box, click in the toolbar, then use the controls in the Format sidebar to style it however you like: add a border, choose a size and font for the text, and so on. Any text you type in the text box in your document will have the same style you applied to the placeholder text box.

   • Set how headers and footers appear on the page: Click the master page in the sidebar on the left (so nothing is selected on the page). In the Format sidebar, select the “Show header and footer” checkbox to show headers and footers on pages that use this master. If you don’t want the headers and footers to match the ones on the previous page in the document, deselect the “Match previous page” checkbox. (If you don’t see these controls, or the top of the sidebar doesn’t say Master Page Layout, make sure nothing is selected on the page.)

     If the header and footer checkboxes aren’t selectable, first turn them on for the document in the Document sidebar.

4. When you’re finished, click Done at the bottom of the window.

You can add persistent alignment guides to master pages to help you with layout. These guides don’t appear on pages that use the master page.

1. Control-click the thumbnail in the sidebar and choose Rename.

2. Type the new name, then click OK.

3. Click Done at the bottom of the window.

If you modified a page and want to use its layout for other pages, you can create a master page based on it.

1. Select the page in page thumbnail view on the left.

2. Choose Format > Advanced > Create Master from Current Page (from the Format menu at the top of your screen).

   The window changes to Edit Master Page view, and a thumbnail copy of the original master page appears at the bottom of the sidebar on the left.

3. Control-click the copy on the left and choose Rename.

4. Type a name for the new master, then click OK.

5. Click Done at the bottom of the window.

You can tag placeholder items (images and text boxes) on master pages to make it easier to switch masters in your document. The tags “tell” the content where to go when you switch masters for a page. For example, an image that’s in a placeholder with the tag “media” will automatically be populated into a placeholder from the new master that also has the tag “media.”

If you’re creating a new master page in a book template with predesigned master pages, check the other master pages to see what tags they already use, then use the same ones, or replace them with your own.

1. Click in the toolbar and choose Edit Master Pages.

2. Select a master page in the sidebar on the left.

3. Select an object on the master page, then click the Style tab at the top of the Format  sidebar.

4. Type a tag in the Tag text field at the bottom of the sidebar.

5. Click Done at the bottom of the window.

You can apply a different master page to any page in your document. See “Tag objects to simplify switching master pages,” above, to learn how to tag text boxes and other objects to make the switch go smoothly.

1. Click anywhere in a blank spot on the page you want to change, or select the page in page thumbnail view.

2. In the Format  sidebar, click Change Master and choose a master page.

3. Adjust the content on the page as necessary to accommodate the new layout.

1. Click in the toolbar and choose Edit Master Pages.

2. In Edit Master Page view, Control-click the master page in the sidebar on the left and choose Delete.

3. If pages in the document are linked to this master page, choose a new master page for those pages in the dialog that appears, then click Choose.

4. Click Done at the bottom of the window.

You can drag the master pages in the sidebar to rearrange them.