Map styles to export tags

Last updated on Jun 2, 2026

Configure export tagging options for styles

Learn how to define how text styles are tagged in HTML, EPUB, and tagged PDF output in Adobe InDesign.

Export Tagging lets you control how paragraph and character styles are mapped during export. You can assign semantic HTML tags, ARIA roles, and CSS class names to improve structure and accessibility.

When exporting to EPUB or HTML, you can add custom CSS class names to differentiate style variations. If no class name is specified, InDesign automatically generates one based on the style name.

Configure export tagging options for styles

Select the paragraph or the character you want to edit.

Select Window > Styles > Paragraph Styles or Character Styles.

Select the panel menu icon, then select Style Options.

Select Export Tagging.

Update the export tagging options:

  • EPUB and HTML: Select a style in Tag. You can also select the Include Classes in HTML, Emit CSS, and Split Document (EPUB Only) options.
  • ARIA Role: Select a suitable option for integration into paragraph styles to assign roles to entire blocks of text.
  • PDF: Select a style in Tag.

Select OK. Context-break styling overrides existing paragraph styling for text alignment, font size, and margins, and adds character style properties to the context-break paragraph styling.

Adobe InDesign Paragraph Style Options dialog with Export Tagging selected, and showing the various configurations.
Configure export tagging settings for EPUB, HTML, ARIA roles, and PDF in Paragraph Style Options.

Use paragraph styles for context breaks

Select Window > Styles > Paragraph Styles.

Double‑click a paragraph style you want to use for the context break.

Select Export Tagging.

Under EPUB and HTML, select hr from the Tag menu.

Paragraph Style Options dialog box, showing Export Tagging tab with hr selected in the Tag field under EPUB and HTML section.
Map the paragraph style to an hr tag for EPUB and HTML export.

Select OK. The paragraph style is exported as an HTML <hr> element, creating an accessible context break in EPUB and HTML output.

Edit all export tags

When working with documents that have many styles, editing export tags individually can be time-consuming. The Edit All Export Tags feature allows you to view and modify mappings for all styles in a single dialog. This is particularly useful when preparing long documents, such as books or technical manuals, for digital distribution.

Select Window > Styles > Paragraph Styles, Character Styles, or Object Styles.

Select the panel menu icon, then select Edit All Export Tags.

Select either EPUB and HTML or PDF to view settings for that export format.

Select a Tag and an ARIA Role for each of the styles.

Select the Split EPUB, Class, or Emit CSS columns as needed for specific styles within EPUB and HTML exports.

Select OK.