Create running headers and footers

Last updated on Jun 2, 2026

Learn how to build dynamic running headers and footers in Adobe InDesign using text variables and parent pages for consistent, automatic page information updates.

Headers and footers appear at the top and bottom of your pages and help share key information, such as page numbers. You can build them using text variables, including preset options like file name or date, or custom variables that pull titles, headings, or other styled text. After creating or editing the variables you need, place them on a parent page to assemble the header or footer, then apply that parent page to the document pages where it should appear.

Before you create variables, make sure:

Parent pages are set up for your layout.
Paragraph or character styles are applied to headings or titles you want to reference.
You're familiar with the Pages panel and text frames.

Create variables for running headers and footers

Running Header variables grab the first styled text on a page and display the current heading or title in a header or footer.

Create and apply a paragraph or character style to the text you want to display in the header, such as a title or heading.

Select Type > Text Variables > Define to open the Text Variables dialog box.

Select New, then enter a name for the variable, such as Chapter Title or Section Name.

Select Running Header (Paragraph Style) or Running Header (Character Style) from the Type menu.

Choose the style you want to display in the header or footer from the Style menu.

Select First On Page to show the first occurrence of the style on each page, or Last On Page to show the last occurrence, from the Use menu.
If the style doesn’t appear on a page, InDesign uses the most recent occurrence earlier in the document; if none exists, the variable remains empty.

Enter any text that should appear before or after the variable or page number in the Text Before and Text After fields, such as labels, separators, or punctuation.

Select Delete End Punctuation to remove periods, colons, exclamation points, and question marks.

Select Change Case to modify the text case in the header or footer.

Select OK to save the variable, then select Done to close the Text Variables dialog box.

Note

When a header or footer text frame already exists on a parent page, you can insert the variable directly into that header or footer as part of the parent page layout.

Build headers and footers on a parent page

Create headers and footers on parent pages so they appear automatically on all document pages that use that parent.

Open the Pages panel by choosing Window > Pages.

Double-click the parent page where you want to add the header or footer.

Create a text frame to hold all header or footer content and position it above or below the main document content area.

Add text, page numbers, and variables as needed.

Apply the parent page to document pages where you want the header or footer to appear.

Repeat these steps to create headers or footers on additional parent pages.

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