InDesign

Override or detach master items

When you apply a master page to a document page, all objects on the master, called master items, appear on the document page. Sometimes you want a specific page to be only slightly different from a master. In this situation you don’t need to re-create the master layout on the page or create a new master. You can override or detach the master item, and other master items on the document page will continue to update with the master.

Note the difference between overriding and detaching master items on a document page:

Override master item attributes
Overriding a master item puts a copy of it on the document page without breaking its association with the master page. Once the item itself is overridden, you can selectively override one or more attributes of the item to customize it. For example, you can change the fill color of the local copy. After that, changes to the fill color on the master page itself will not update to the local copy. However, other attributes, such as size, will continue to update because they have not been overridden on the local copy. Overrides can be removed later to make the object match the master.

Attributes you can override for a master page object include strokes, fills, contents of a frame, and any transformations (such as rotating, scaling, shearing or resizing), corner options, text frame options, lock state, transparency, and object effects.

Detach items from their master
On a document page, you can detach (disassociate) a master item from its master. The item must be overridden on the document page, creating a local copy, before you can detach it. A detached item does not update with the master because its association with the master page is broken.

Override a master item

  1. Make sure the master item can be overridden.

    You can override a master item only if Allow Master Item Overrides On Selection is selected in the Pages panel menu for that item.

  2. Do either of the following:

    • To override specific master items on a document page, press Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac OS) and click the item (or drag to select multiple items). Change the selected master items as desired. The item can now be selected like any other page item, but retains its association with the master page.

    • To override all master page items on a document spread, target the spread, and then choose Override All Master Page Items in the Pages panel menu. You can now select and modify any and all master items as you wish.

    Once you override any master item, its dotted bounding box becomes a solid line, to show that a local copy has been created.

    Note: If you override a threaded text frame, all visible frames in that thread are overridden, even if they are on a different page in a spread.

Detach a master item

  • To detach a single master item from its master, first override it by pressing Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac OS) and clicking the item on a document page. Then choose Detach Selection From Master in the Pages panel menu.
  • To detach all overridden master items on a spread, override the master page items you want to detach, and target that spread in the document. (Don’t go to the original master page.) Choose Detach All Objects From Master from the Pages panel menu. If the command isn’t available, there aren’t any overridden objects on that spread.

Prevent a master item from being overridden

In some instances, you want to override all but a few master items. For example, you may want to override master items such as background images on a document page, but you want to prevent a page-numbering header from being overridden. By preventing the header from being overridden, you can choose the Override All Master Items option to override all master items except for the header.

  1. On the master page, select the item.
  2. Deselect Allow Master Item Overrides On Selection on the Pages panel menu.

Master items that do not allow overrides have no frame edge when displayed on the document page. If you prevent a threaded text frame from being overridden, all text frames in that thread have the same setting applied.