Page numbers missing

[Julie37053988lquw]

Hello, I'm pretty new to InDesign and I can't seem to fix my page number issue. At first a few page numbers were missing. I tried to follow a few videos and couldn't fix the issue. Now I have opened my book and all the numbers are missing. I don't understand how to fix it. I've tried everything.

Thankyou for any help

julie

[leo.r]

Can you please elaborate:

-What versions of InDesign and the operating system are you using?

-Where exactly your page numbers are missing? And how were they entered? Please supply screenshots as well as any other info that helps understand the issue.

[Derek Cross]

When you state "book" do you mean InDesign's book feature where you assemble several InDesign documents?

[Julie37053988lquw]

Hi Derek, no, its a book ive created.

[Willi Adelberger]

Page numbers are

1. inserted in a text frame 
2. outside the margim
3. normally on a separate layer on top
4. on the master/parent
5. which is applied to one or more pages
6. as page number marker. 
   
   Did you do that?

[Barb Binder]

Hi Julie:

Page numbers are added to the parent pages. As a default, a new InDesign document applies A-Parent to all of the body pages so adding page numbers to A-Parent will immediately add the page numbers to all of the body pages.

There are a few reasons why you may not see them:

• A custom parent page was assigned to certain body pages that doesn't have page numbers,
• A page number override on the body pages (Ctrl+Alt or Cmd+Opt click on the page number and deleting them), 
• They are there, but covered by a graphic that is on a layer above the layer with the page number. 

Without more information from you, we can't possibly figure out which of the scenarios you're dealing with. Feel free to come back with more information and screenshots that include the pages panel and we can help you figure it out.

~Barb

[Julie37053988lquw]

[Julie37053988lquw]

A few page number were missing now all of them.

Thankyou so much.

Apreciate it very much.

[leo.r]

A few page number were missing now all of them.

By @Julie37053988lquw

First, update to the current version of InDesign, InDesign 2024, v19.5 (although it's unlikely to be related to your question). InDesign 2024 is supported on Big Sur. Just make sure to install it without removing your existing version 17.x (as if you remove it, you won't be able to install this old version again).

Also, can you indicate on your screenshots where the page numbers are supposed to be? As well as the way you initially entered them. For example, do you still have the text frames that originally held the page numbers? Or did they disappear entirely?

In any case, @Barb Binder has already provided detailed instructions on how to add page numbers in InDesign.

[Barb Binder]

Hi Julie:

Thank you for coming back with your screenshots. Looking at that first one which shows the A-Parent, I don't see any page numbers. Keep in mind they're pretty small so perhaps they're there and I simply can't see them.

Let's try two things. Save your file before you start, or even better work on a copy of the file:

1. Double click the name A-Parent at the top of the Pages panel. Do you see the letter A (A represents the parent page number) in the expected spot? If not you can add the page numbers with Type > Insert Special Characters > Marker > Current Page Number marker. 
2. Pages 12-19 show an A in the outer corner of the page thumbnails. This means that you anything you add the the A-Parent will appear on those pages automatically. However, pages 1-11 do not show the A. This means that they are not using the parent page. Apply A-Parent to those pages. 

See https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/parent-pages.html.

~Barb