Page numbers are inserted in footers and footers are a property of page styles.
To get mirrored page layout, you must customise page styles (sorry, the built-in “mirrored” option will only mirror margins, becoming inner and outer instead of left and right).
-
Open the styles side-pane with F11 and click on the fourth toolbar icon from the left (a button labelled Page Styles when you hover over it).
-
Modify both Right Page and Left Page: right-click on name and Modify
-
Go to Footer tab to enable it (Footer on checkbox). You can keep the Same content boxes checked though it does not make sense here.
-
Set the adequate margins in the Page tab if needed
-
Push OK button when done
Left Page and Right Page styles are parametrised so that the styles alternate when text flow from one page to the next.
When this is done, put the cursor on your first right page and double-click on Right Page. This will format all odd pages with this style and even pages with Left Page.
You must now create your footers. You’ll format them with paragraph styles Footer Left and Footer Right. I assume your footer contains only the page number. If you have additional elements, I’ll let adapt the configuration.
-
in the styles side-pane (F11, remember?), click on the first toolbar icon from the left (Paragraph Styles)
-
Modify both Footer Left and Footer Right: right-click on name and Modify
-
In Alignment tab, set Alignment to Left for Footer Left and Right for Footer Right; eventually set font face and size in Font tab or any other properties in other tabs. Push OK button.
Set your cursor in the footer of a left page, double click on Footer Left. Insert>Fields>Page Number to get the page number in the footer.
Set the cursor in the footer of a right page, double click on Footer Right. Insert>Fields>Page Number to get the page number in the footer.
You’re done.
Of course, your book has a cover and may be a few pages which should not be numbered. This can be managed with yet another page style. Take care to insert a page break at end of this “preamble” to cause a switch to Right Page. This is not difficult. I’ll let it to you as an exercise. The preceding steps give you the gist of it.
To show the community your question has been answered, click the ✓ next to the correct answer, and “upvote” by clicking on the ^ arrow of any helpful answers. These are the mechanisms for communicating the quality of the Q&A on this site. Thanks!
