Adobe InDesign is a premier publication design software that is widely used to create a variety of print and digital publications. Publishers, graphic designers, and marketing professionals typically use InDesign to create books, brochures, flyers, newsletters, reports, interactive PDFs, posters, and magazines. Key features included enhanced tools for typography, layout, styles, interactivity, and integration with other Adobe services and products.

The list of panel keyboard shortcuts shown below will assist you to be even more efficient with Adobe InDesign on your computer.

Panels Keyboard Shortcuts

This list is not a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu commands or tool tips.

• Delete without confirmation  Alt-click Delete icon
• Create item and set options  Alt-click New button
• Apply value and keep focus on option  Shift+Enter
• Activate last-used option in last-used panel  Ctrl+Alt+~ (tilde)
• Select range of styles, layers, links, swatches, or library objects in a panel  Shift-click
• Select nonadjacent styles, layers, links, swatches, or library objects in a panel  Ctrl-click
• Apply value and select next value  Tab
• Move focus to selected object, text, or window  Esc
• Show/Hide all panels, Toolbox, and Control panel (with no insertion point)  Tab
• Show/Hide all panels except the Toolbox and Control panel (docked or not)  Shift+Tab
• Open or close all stashed panels  Ctrl+Alt+Tab
• Stash a panel group  Alt+drag any panel tab (in the group) to edge of screen
• Select item by name  Alt+Ctrl-click in list, and then use keyboard to select item by name
• Open the Drop Shadow panel  Alt+Ctrl+M

Control Panel  Keyboard Shortcuts

This list is not a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu commands or tool tips.

• Toggle focus to/from Control panel  Ctrl+6
• Toggle Character/Paragraph text attributes mode  Ctrl+Alt+7
• Change reference point when proxy has focus  Any key on the numeric keypad or keyboard numbers
• Display the pop-up menu that has focus  Alt+Down Arrow
• Open Units & Increments Preferences  Alt-click Kerning icon
• Open the Text Frame Options dialog box  Alt-click Number Of Columns icon
• Open the Move dialog box  Alt-click X or Y icon
• Open the Rotate dialog box  Alt-click Angle icon
• Open the Scale dialog box  Alt-click X or Y Scale icon
• Open the Shear dialog box  Alt-click Shear icon
• Open Text Preferences  Alt-click Superscript, Subscript, or Small Caps button
• Open the Underline Options dialog box  Alt-click Underline button
• Open the Strikethrough Options dialog box  Alt-click Strikethrough button
• Open the Grids Preferences  Alt-click Align To Baseline Grid, or Do Not Align To Baseline Grid button
• Open the Drop Caps & Nested Styles dialog box  Alt-click Drop Cap Number Of Lines, or Drop Cap One Or More Characters icon
• Open the Justification dialog box  Alt-click Leading icon
• Open Named Grid dialog box  Double-click Named Grid icon
• Open New Named Grid Options dialog box  Alt-click Named Grid icon
• Open Frame Grid Options dialog box  Alt-click Number of characters Horizontal, Number of Characters Vertical, Character Aki, Line Aki, Vertical Scale, Horizontal Scale, Grid View, Font Size, Number of Columns, or Column Gutter icon

Type Panels and Dialog Boxes Keyboard Shortcuts

This list is not a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu commands or tool tips.

• Open Justification dialog box  Alt+Ctrl+Shift+J
• Open Paragraph Rules dialog box  Alt+Ctrl+J
• Open Keep Options dialog box  Alt+Ctrl+K
• Activate Character panel  Ctrl+T
• Activate Paragraph panel  Ctrl+Alt+T

Tabs Panel Keyboard Shortcuts

This list is not a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu commands or tool tips.

• Activate Tabs panel  Shift+Ctrl+T
• Switch between alignment options  Alt-click tab

Layers Panel Keyboard Shortcuts

This list is not a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu commands or tool tips.

• Select all objects on layer  Alt-click layer
• Copy selection to new layer  Alt-drag small square to new layer
• Add new layer below selected layer  Ctrl-click Create New Layer
• Add new layer to the top of the layer list  Shift+Ctrl-click Create New Layer
• Add new layer to the top of the layer list and open New Layer dialog box  Shift+Alt+Ctrl-click Create New Layer
• Add new layer and open New Layer dialog box  Alt-click Create New Layer

Pages Panel Keyboard Shortcuts

This list is not a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu commands or tool tips.

• Apply parent to selected page  Alt-click parent
• Base another parent page on selected parent  Alt-click the parent you want to base the selected parent on
• Create parent page  Ctrl-click Create New Page button
• Display Insert Pages dialog box  Alt-click New Page button
• Add new page after last page  Shift+Ctrl+P

Color Panel Keyboard Shortcuts

This list is not a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu commands or tool tips.

• Move color sliders in tandem  Shift-drag slider
• Select a color for the nonactive fill or stroke  Alt-click color bar
• Switch between color modes (CMYK, RGB, LAB, HSB)  Shift-click color bar

Using the Separations Preview Panel Keyboard Shortcuts

This list is not a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu commands or tool tips.

• Turn on Overprint preview  Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Y
• Show all plates  Ctrl+Alt+Shift+~ (tilde)
• Show Cyan plate  Ctrl+Alt+Shift+1
• Show Magenta plate  Ctrl+Alt+Shift+2
• Show Yellow plate  Ctrl+Alt+Shift+3
• Show Black plate  Ctrl+Alt+Shift+4
• Show 1st Spot plate  Ctrl+Alt+Shift+5
• Show 2nd Spot plate  Ctrl+Alt+Shift+6
• Show 3rd Spot plate  Ctrl+Alt+Shift+7

Swatches Panel Keyboard Shortcuts

This list is not a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu commands or tool tips.

• Create new swatch based on the current swatch  Alt-click New Swatch button
• Create spot color swatch based on the current swatch  Alt+Ctrl-click New Swatch button
• Change options without applying swatch  Shift+Alt+Ctrl-double-click swatch

Transform Panel Keyboard Shortcuts

This list is not a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. It lists only those shortcuts that aren’t displayed in menu commands or tool tips.

• Apply value and copy object  Alt+Enter
• Apply width, height, or scale value proportionally  Ctrl+Enter