30 Adobe InDesign Shortcuts to Speed up your Designs

When working in Adobe InDesign, efficiency is everything. Whether you're designing a magazine, a flyer, or a book layout, knowing the right shortcuts can save you valuable time and effort. Instead of constantly clicking through menus, mastering a few essential key combinations can streamline your workflow and keep your creativity flowing.

This blog covers 30 must-know shortcuts that will help you navigate, edit, and format your designs with ease, so you can focus on creating stunning layouts, not searching for tools.

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Navigation and Selection Shortcuts

Switching between InDesign selection tools:

Mac: V (Selection Tool), A (Direct Selection Tool)

Windows: V (Selection Tool), A (Direct Selection Tool)

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Zoom in and out of InDesign artwork:

Mac: Command + Space + Click (Zoom In), Option + Space + Click (Zoom Out)

Windows: Ctrl + Space + Click (Zoom In), Alt + Space + Click (Zoom Out)

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To fit the InDesign page to your window:

Mac: Command + 0

Windows: Ctrl + 0

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Text and Type Formatting Shortcuts

Increase or decrease font size:

Mac: Command + Shift + > (Increase), Command + Shift + < (Decrease)

Windows: Ctrl + Shift + > (Increase), Ctrl + Shift + < (Decrease)
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Align text left, center, or right in InDesign:

Mac: Command + Shift + L (Left), Command + Shift + C (Center), Command + Shift + R (Right)

Windows: Ctrl + Shift + L (Left), Ctrl + Shift + C (Center), Ctrl + Shift + R (Right)

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How to create a new text frame:

Mac: T

Windows: T

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Toggle between character and paragraph formatting:

Mac: Command + Option + 7

Windows: Ctrl + Alt + 7

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Layout and Object Handling Shortcuts

How to duplicate an InDesign object:

Mac: Option + Drag

Windows: Alt + Drag

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Group or ungroup objects:

Mac: Command + G (Group), Command + Shift + G (Ungroup)

Windows: Ctrl + G (Group), Ctrl + Shift + G (Ungroup)‍

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Lock or unlock InDesign objects:

Mac: Command + L (Lock), Command + Option + L (Unlock All)

Windows: Ctrl + L (Lock), Ctrl + Alt + L (Unlock All)

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Bring an InDesign object forward or send it backward:

Mac: Command + ] (Bring Forward), Command + [ (Send Backward)

Windows: Ctrl + ] (Bring Forward), Ctrl + [ (Send Backward)

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Place an image in your InDesign document:

Mac: Command + D

Windows: Ctrl + D

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Guides and Grids Shortcuts

Show or hide InDesign guides:

Mac: Command + ;

Windows: Ctrl + ;

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Snap objects to InDesign guides:

Mac: Command + Shift + ;

Windows: Ctrl + Shift + ;

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How to create a new InDesign guide:

Mac: Drag from ruler

Windows: Drag from ruler

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Layers and Panels Shortcuts

Opening the InDesign layers panel:

Mac: F7

Windows: F7

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Duplicating an Adobe inDesign layer:

Mac: Option + Drag layer in panel

Windows: Alt + Drag layer in panel

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Toggling between Normal and Preview mode in InDesign:

Mac: W

Windows: W
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File and Editing Shortcuts

How to undo an action in InDesign:

Mac: Command + Z

Windows: Ctrl + Z

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Redo an InDesign action:

Mac: Command + Shift + Z

Windows: Ctrl + Shift + Z

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Saving your InDesign work:

Mac: Command + S

Windows: Ctrl + S

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Exporting your InDesign document:

Mac: Command + E

Windows: Ctrl + E

Miscellaneous Adobe InDesign Shortcuts

Toggling the InDesign toolbox visibility:

Mac: Tab

Windows: Tab

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Select all objects and text in InDesign:

Mac: Command + A

Windows: Ctrl + A

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Toggle full-screen mode in InDesign:

Mac: Shift + W

Windows: Shift + W

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Spell check your InDesign document:

Mac: Command + I

Windows: Ctrl + I

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Find and replace text:

Mac: Command + F

Windows: Ctrl + F

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Activate the eyedropper tool in InDesign:

Mac: I

Windows: I

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Align objects to the page or margins:

Mac: Shift + F7

Windows: Shift + F7

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Preview your document without distractions:

Mac: Command + Shift + `

Windows: Ctrl + Shift + `

For help speeding up your work in Photoshop view 30 Adobe Photoshop Shortcuts.

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Mastering shortcuts in Adobe InDesign can help you work faster, but what about getting your designs approved just as efficiently? That’s where GoProof comes in. Instead of juggling endless email threads and messy feedback, GoProof streamlines the entire proofing process, allowing clients and stakeholders to review, comment, and approve designs directly in one place.

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Discover more about the GoProof's Adobe Creative Cloud integration.

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FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions