---
title: Pagination
label: Pagination
order: 20
desc: Payload queries are equipped with automatic pagination so you create paginated lists of documents within your app.
keywords: query, documents, pagination, documentation, Content Management System, cms, headless, javascript, node, react, express
---

All collection `find` queries are paginated automatically. Responses are returned with top-level meta data related to pagination, and returned documents are nested within a `docs` array.

**`Find` response properties:**

| Property      | Description                                                |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| docs          | Array of documents in the collection                       |
| totalDocs     | Total available documents within the collection            |
| limit         | Limit query parameter - defaults to `10`                   |
| totalPages    | Total pages available, based upon the `limit` queried for  |
| page          | Current page number                                        |
| pagingCounter | `number` of the first doc on the current page              |
| hasPrevPage   | `true/false` if previous page exists                       |
| hasNextPage   | `true/false` if next page exists                           |
| prevPage      | `number` of previous page, `null` if it doesn't exist      |
| nextPage      | `number` of next page, `null` if it doesn't exist          |

**Example response:**
```json
{
  // Document Array // highlight-line
  "docs": [
    {
      "title": "Page Title",
      "description": "Some description text",
      "priority": 1,
      "createdAt": "2020-10-17T01:19:29.858Z",
      "updatedAt": "2020-10-17T01:19:29.858Z",
      "id": "5f8a46a1dd05db75c3c64760"
    }
  ],
  // Metadata // highlight-line
  "totalDocs": 6,
  "limit": 1,
  "totalPages": 6,
  "page": 1,
  "pagingCounter": 1,
  "hasPrevPage": false,
  "hasNextPage": true,
  "prevPage": null,
  "nextPage": 2
}
```

## Pagination controls

All Payload APIs support the pagination controls below. With them, you can create paginated lists of documents within your application:

| Control   | Description                                                                               |
| --------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `limit`   | Limits the number of documents returned                                                   |
| `page`    | Get a specific page number                                                                |