Create one or more Character Styles you want to use.
Last updated on
Jun 2, 2026
Learn how to create nested styles in Adobe InDesign by using the Drop Caps and Nested Styles options.
Nested styles let you apply character styles to portions of text within a paragraph style, based on defined rules such as words, sentences, or specific characters. Nested styles are applied automatically wherever the paragraph style is used.
This feature is useful for formatting elements such as run-in headings, lead-ins, and introductory text.
Create one or more nested styles
Select Type > Paragraph.
Add or apply nested styles:
- To add nested styles to a paragraph style, select Type > Paragraph Style, double-click the paragraph style, then select Drop Caps and Nested Styles.
- To apply nested styles to a single paragraph, select a paragraph, then go to Type > Paragraph, select the panel menu icon, then select Drop Caps and Nested Styles.
Note
For consistent results, apply nested styles through paragraph styles rather than as local overrides.
Select New Nested Style one or more times.
For each nested style:
- Select a Character Style or create one with New Character Style, or select [None] or [Repeat].
- Specify the delimiter (character, word, or sentence) that ends the style.
- Enter how many instances of that delimiter to include.
- Select through to include the delimiter or up to to exclude it.
Adjust the order of styles as needed, since formatting is applied in sequence.
Select OK.
Create nested line styles
You can apply a character style to a set number of lines in a paragraph and combine multiple nested line styles in sequence. They can work with nested styles, but if both set the same attribute, the nested style takes precedence.
Create the character styles you want to use.
Add or apply nested line styles:
- To add nested line styles to a paragraph style, select Type > Paragraph Style, double-click the paragraph style, then select Drop Caps and Nested Styles.
- To apply nested line styles to a single paragraph, select a paragraph, go to Type > Paragraph, select the panel menu icon, then select Drop Caps and Nested Styles.
Select New Line Style one or more times.
For each nested line style:
- Select a Character Style, create one with New Character Style, or select [None] or [Repeat].
- Specify the number of lines the style should affect.
Adjust the order of styles as needed, since formatting is applied in sequence.
Select OK.
Loop through nested styles
Looping nested styles lets you repeat a character style across multiple text segments within a single paragraph style. This is done using the [Repeat] option in the Nested Styles section of the Drop Caps and Nested Styles dialog box. This feature is useful when formatting structured content such as run-in headings, dictionaries, or lists where the same pattern of formatting repeats within a paragraph.
Create one or more Character Styles you want to use.
Edit or create a Paragraph Style, or place the insertion point in the paragraph you want to format.
Select Type > Paragraph.
Select the panel menu icon, then select Drop Caps and Nested Styles.
Select New Nested Style or New Line Style and select settings for each style.
Assign a character style, scope (through or up to), and the required word or line count.
Repeat nested styles or nested line styles:
- For nested styles, select New Nested Style again, then select [Repeat] in the character style area, and specify how many nested styles will be repeated.
- For nested line styles, select New Line Style again, then select [Repeat] in the character style area, and specify how many lines will be repeated.
Select OK.
Configure and repeat nested styles and nested line styles for paragraph formatting.
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