Hide and unhide spreads

Last updated on Jun 2, 2026

Learn how to use the Pages panel to control which spreads appear in export and presentation mode in Adobe InDesign.

Hidden spreads let you exclude layouts from output without deleting content. They remain editable and don’t affect text threads, layers, or links, but at least one spread must remain visible in the document.

Hide a spread

Select the spread you want to hide by selecting its page numbers in the Pages panel.

Select the Pages panel menu   icon and select Hide Spread.

Tip

To view hidden spreads temporarily, select View > Show Hidden Spreads, or toggle Show/Hide Hidden Spreads in the Pages panel.

Unhide a spread

Select the hidden spread in the Pages panel.

Select the Pages panel menu   icon and select Unhide Spread.

Navigation alerts for hidden spreads

InDesign displays alert messages with two options when workflows attempt to navigate to hidden spreads, preventing unexpected behavior.

Alert option

Function

Show Hidden Spreads

Reveals all hidden spreads on the canvas and navigates to the target spread.

Unhide Spread

Reveals only the target spread and completes the navigation.