If it were necessary to choose the most important piece of digital workflow advice, the TLDR (too long, didn’t read) version would probably be “learn your keyboard shortcuts”. 

There are very few other tools that have such a profound impact on how quickly you can complete your projects, and they really help to minimize the delay between thinking of what you want to do and it actually happening. 

Once keyboard shortcuts become second nature to you, you’ll wonder how you ever got by without them! 

With that in mind, here’s a list of the most commonly-used InDesign keyboard shortcuts, as well as a few tips on how you can customize your own. This is by no means a complete list of all the keyboard shortcuts in InDesign, so let me know in the comments if there’s an essential shortcut you swear by that I’ve left off the list. 

Note: because InDesign is available on both Mac and PC, the keyboard shortcuts sometimes vary between the two versions. 

21 Essential InDesign Shortcuts

These are some of the most common shortcuts that you’ll use day in and day out during your InDesign layout work. If you’re not already using these shortcuts, you should be!

Place

Command + D / Ctrl + D

The Place command is used to add graphics and other external files to your InDesign layout, so this is arguably the most useful shortcut to learn. 

Duplicate

Command + Option + Shift + D / Ctrl + Alt + Shift + D

The Duplicate command saves you from using Copy and then Paste to duplicate any object within your document. 

Paste in Place

Command + Option + Shift + V / Ctrl + Alt + Shift + V

Once you’ve copied an item to the clipboard, you can change pages and then paste the object into the same location as on the original page. 

Undo 

Command + Z / Ctrl + Z

Without a doubt, this is my favorite keyboard shortcut. It’s useful across almost every single app ever created on any operating system. 

Redo

Command + Shift + Z / Ctrl + Shift + Z

When used after the Undo command, Redo allows you to re-perform the same action. This makes it useful for comparing the before and after results of a formatting change. 

Group

Command + G / Ctrl + G

The Group command unites multiple different selected design elements into a single group so that they can be modified as a whole. 

Ungroup

Command + Shift + G / Ctrl + Shift + G

The Ungroup command breaks apart a group so that objects can be modified individually. 

Lock

Command + L / Ctrl + L

The Lock command prevents additional changes to the selected element. 

Unlock All on Spread

Command + Option + L / Ctrl + Alt + L

This unlocks all the elements on the current spread (pair of pages). 

Find/Change

Command + F / Ctrl + F

The Find/Change command is used to search and modify text within InDesign. GREP searches can also be applied using this command. 

Show Hidden Characters

Command + Option + I / Ctrl + Alt +

If your text is behaving unexpectedly, there may be a hidden character causing issues. Show Hidden Characters will display a guide character for line breaks, paragraph breaks, tabs, and other parts of a text frame that are usually hidden. 

Fit Frame to Content

Command + Option + C / Ctrl + Alt + C

Instantly resizes the object frame to match the size of the contents. 

Fit Content to Frame

Command + Option + E / Ctrl + Alt + E

Scales the object contents of a frame to match the frame boundaries. 

Text Frame Options

Command + B / Ctrl + B

Opens the Text Frame Options dialog to customize the settings for the selected text frame(s). 

Go to Page

Command + J / Ctrl + J

Jumps to a specific page within the current document. 

Zoom In

Command + = / Ctrl + =

Enlarges the view within the main document window.

Zoom Out

Command + / Ctrl +

Shrinks the view within the main document windows. 

Fit Page in Window

Command + 0 / Ctrl + 0

Automatically adjust the view magnification to display the full dimensions of the currently selected page. 

Preview Screen Mode

W

This is one of the few shortcuts that is the same on Mac and PC, used for cycling between Normal and Preview screen modes. The Preview screen mode hides all guides, grids, margins, and frame borders to give you a more accurate look at the final look of your document. 

Export

Command + E / Ctrl + E

Saves your InDesign file in a specific format such as PDF or JPG. 

Package

Command + Option + Shift + P / Ctrl + Alt + Shift + P

The Package command copies all linked external files used in the document (including fonts, where applicable) to a central location, while also saving PDF, IDML and INDD versions of your current document. 

35 InDesign Tool Shortcuts

Learning the keyboard shortcuts for your most commonly used InDesign tools can really speed up your workflow. Here’s the complete list of shortcuts found in the Tools panel, from top to bottom. 

You might not need all of them, but they’re usually the simplest shortcuts to remember. Fortunately, Tools panel shortcuts are the same on Mac and PC versions of InDesign, so your reflexes will stay useful no matter which operating system you’re using. 

Selection Tool

V / Escape

The Selection tool is used to select and reposition elements throughout your document.

Direct Selection Tool

A

The Direct Selection tool allows you to select and adjust anchor points on frames, objects, clipping masks, and more. 

Page Tool

Shift + P

Used to modify the page size of your currently selected page(s). 

Gap Tool

U

The Gap tool specifies the desired and minimum amount of space between objects in a flexible layout. 

Content Collector Tool

B

This tool allows you to duplicate and reposition multiple objects at the same time. 

Type Tool

T

The Type tool is used to create text frames, place the text cursor, and select text. 

Type on a Path Tool

Shift + T

The Type on a Path tool allows you to convert any vector path into a text frame. 

Line Tool

\

The Line tool draws perfectly straight lines. Shocking, I know!

Pen Tool

P

The Pen tool allows you to create freeform lines and shapes by placing anchor points in sequence. 

Add Anchor Point Tool

+

Adds an anchor point to an existing path, shape, or frame.

Delete Anchor Point Tool

Deletes an anchor point from an existing path, shape, or frame. 

Convert Direction Point Tool

Shift + C

Toggles an anchor point from a sharp corner into a curve.

Pencil Tool

N

The Pencil tool draws flowing lines that are automatically converted into a vector path.

Rectangle Frame Tool

F

This tool draws a rectangular placeholder frame.

Rectangle Tool

M

This tool draws a rectangular vector shape.

Ellipse Tool

L

This tool draws an elliptical vector shape. 

Scissors Tool

C

The Scissors tool divides shapes into multiple separate parts.

Free Transform Tool

E

The Free Transform tool can be used to apply any of InDesign’s transform operations to the selected object.

Rotate Tool

R

Rotates the selected object.

Scale Tool

S

Scales the selected object. 

Shear Tool

O

Applies shear to the selected object.

Gradient Swatch Tool

G

This tool allows you to control the location and positioning of a gradient fill within the selected object. 

Gradient Feather Tool

Shift + G

The Gradient Feather tool allows you to fade an object to transparency. 

Color Theme Tool

Shift + I 

The Color Theme tool allows you to click a specific color within your document, and InDesign will suggest other possible colors to complete a document’s color palette. 

Eyedropper Tool

I

The Eyedropper tool is used to select a specific color from an object or image for use as a stroke or fill color. 

Measure Tool

K

Measures the distance between two points in your chosen unit. 

Hand Tool

H

The Hand tool allows you to move your document around the main document window. 

Zoom Tool

Z

The Zoom tool allows you to quickly zoom in and out of your document in the main document window. 

Default Fill / Stroke Color

D

Sets the Fill and Stroke swatches in the Tools panel to the default of black stroke and empty fill. If an object is selected, it will have the default Fill and Stroke applied. 

Toggle Fill / Stroke Selection

X

Toggles between the Fill swatch and the Stroke swatch in the Tools panel. 

Swap Fill / Stroke Color

Shift + X

Swaps the Fill and Stroke colors.

Formatting Affects Container / Formatting Affects Object

J

Toggles whether formatting changes will apply to the containing frame itself or the object within the frame. 

Apply Color

,

Applies the last-used color to the selected object.

Apply Gradient

.

Applies the last-used gradient to the selected object. 

Apply None 

/

Removes all colors and gradients from the selected object. 

17 InDesign Panel Shortcuts

These shortcuts are used to display or hide the relevant InDesign panel. 

Control

Command + Option + 6 / Ctrl + Alt + 6

Pages

Command + F12 / F12

Layers

F7

Links

Command + Shift + D / Ctrl + Shift + D

Stroke

Command + F10 / F10

Color

F6

Swatches

F5

Character

Command + T / Ctrl + T

Paragraph

Command + Option + T / Ctrl + Alt + T

Glyphs

Option + Shift + F11 / Alt + Shift + F11

Paragraph Styles

Command + F11 / F11

Character Styles

Command + Shift + F11 / Shift + F11

Table

Shift + F9

Text Wrap

Command + Option + W / Ctrl + Alt + W

Align

Shift + F7

Info

F8

Preflight

Command + Option + Shift + F / Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F

14 Document Views & Guides Shortcuts

These shortcuts will help you navigate through your document and control how it displays. 

View Actual Size

Command + 1 / Ctrl + 1

First Page

Command + Shift + Up Arrow / Ctrl + Shift + Numpad 9

Previous Page

Shift + Up Arrow / Shift + Numpad 9

Next Page

Shift + Down Arrow / Shift + Numpad 3

Last Page 

Command + Shift + Down Arrow / Ctrl + Shift + Numpad 3

Next Spread

Option + Down Arrow / Alt + Numpad 3

Previous Spread

Option + Up Arrow / Alt + Numpad 9

Show / Hide Rulers

Command + R / Ctrl + R

Show / Hide Text Threads

Command + Option + Y / Ctrl + Alt + Y

Show / Hide Guides

Command + ; / Ctrl + ;

Lock / Unlock Guides

Command + Option + ; / Ctrl + Alt + ;

Enable / Disable Smart Guides

Command + U / Ctrl + U

Show / Hide Baseline Grid

Ctrl + Alt + ‘ 

To clarify, that’s an apostrophe!

Show / Hide Document Grid

Command + / Ctrl +

To clarify again, that’s also an apostrophe!

How to Find Keyboard Shortcuts in InDesign

To view all keyboard shortcuts in InDesign, open the Edit menu and click Keyboard Shortcuts (you’ll find it all the way down at the bottom of the menu). 

In the Product Area dropdown menu, select the aspect of InDesign that is most closely related to the command you want to find. The listed categories can be a bit vague, so don’t feel bad if you have to look through several areas to find the right location. 

Select the appropriate command from the Commands section, and InDesign will display any currently active shortcuts. 

While InDesign comes with plenty of helpful predefined shortcuts, you can also create customized keyboard shortcuts to speed up your workflow

To assign a new keyboard shortcut, click the New Shortcut field and then press the key combination you want to use. When you release the keys, InDesign will update the field with the detected keys and inform you if the key combination you entered conflicts with any previously assigned shortcuts. 

To finalize the new shortcut, click the Assign button. 

You can also create custom sets of shortcuts for different usages, although I’ve never found it necessary to do this. That being said, Adobe has helpfully included keyboard shortcut sets that replicate the shortcuts used by competing page layout apps so that newly-converted InDesign users can stick to the shortcuts they’re used to from their old app. 

A Final Word

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the InDesign keyboard shortcuts listed in this post, then don’t feel bad – there is a lot to take in! Focus on learning the keyboard shortcuts for your most common InDesign tasks, and you’ll quickly begin to see how much easier they are to complete. 

As you grow more comfortable, you can add more shortcuts to your repertoire, and eventually, you’ll be navigating InDesign like a pro on a deadline. 

Enjoy your shortcuts!