Tool
Last updated on
Jun 2, 2026
Learn about keyboard shortcuts to speed up your Adobe InDesign workflow and work more efficiently.
InDesign includes keyboard shortcuts that help you work more efficiently, many of which are displayed alongside menu commands. You can use the default shortcut sets for InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop, or create and share your own on the same platform.
Use Show Set in the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box (Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts) to generate a printable list of your current shortcuts. This is especially useful for custom shortcut sets.
Selection and navigation tools
|
|
Windows |
macOS |
|
Selection tool |
V, Esc |
V, Esc |
|
Direct Selection tool |
A |
A |
|
Toggle Selection and Direct Selection |
Ctrl + Tab |
Command + Control + Tab |
|
Page tool |
Shift + P |
Shift + P |
|
Gap tool |
U |
U |
|
Hand tool |
H |
H |
|
Temporarily select the Hand tool (no insertion point) |
Spacebar |
Spacebar |
|
Temporarily select the Hand tool (with text insertion point) |
Alt-drag or Alt + Spacebar |
Option-drag or Option + Spacebar |
|
Zoom tool |
Z |
Z |
|
Temporarily select Zoom In tool |
Ctrl + Spacebar |
Command + Spacebar |
|
Temporarily select Zoom Out tool |
Alt + Ctrl + Spacebar or Alt + Zoom In tool |
Option + Command + Spacebar or Option + Zoom In tool |
|
Zoom to 50%, 200%, or 400% |
Ctrl + 5, 2, or 4 |
Command + 5, 2, or 4 |
Drawing and text tools
|
Tool |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Pen tool |
P |
P |
|
Add Anchor Point tool |
= or = (numeric keypad) |
= or = (numeric keypad) |
|
Delete Anchor Point tool |
- |
- or - (numeric keypad) |
|
Convert Direction Point tool |
Shift + C |
Shift + C |
|
Type tool |
T |
T |
|
Type on a Path tool |
Shift + T |
Shift + T |
|
Pencil tool |
N |
N |
|
Line tool |
\ |
\ |
Shape and frame tools
|
Tool |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Rectangle Frame tool |
F |
F |
|
Rectangle tool |
M |
M |
|
Ellipse tool |
L |
L |
|
Frame Grid tool (horizontal) |
Y |
Y |
|
Frame Grid tool (vertical) |
Q |
Q |
Transform tools
|
Tool |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Rotate tool |
R |
R |
|
Scale tool |
S |
S |
|
Shear tool |
O |
O |
|
Free Transform tool |
E |
E |
Other tools
|
Tool |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Eyedropper tool |
I |
I |
|
Measure tool |
K |
K |
|
Gradient Swatch tool |
G |
G |
|
Gradient Feather tool |
Shift + G |
Shift + G |
|
Scissors tool |
C |
C |
|
Toggle Fill and Stroke |
X |
X |
|
Swap Fill and Stroke |
Shift + X |
Shift + X |
|
Toggle Formatting affects container/text |
J |
J |
|
Apply Color |
, (comma) |
, (comma) |
|
Apply Gradient |
. (period) |
. (period) |
|
Apply None |
/ |
/ |
|
Switch between Normal and Preview mode |
W |
W |
Selecting and moving objects
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Temporarily select the Selectiontool or Direct Selectiontool |
Any tool (except selection tools) + Ctrl |
Any tool (except selection tools) + Command |
|
Temporarily select the Group Selection tool |
Direct Selection tool + Alt or Pen/Add/Delete Anchor Point tool + Alt + Ctrl |
Direct Selection tool + Option or Pen/Add/Delete Anchor Point tool + Option + Command |
|
Select the container of selected content |
Esc or double-click |
Esc or double-click |
|
Select the content of the selected container |
Shift + Esc or double-click |
Shift + Esc or double-click |
|
Add to or subtract from the selection |
Selection/Direct Selection/Group Selection tool + Shift-click (click center point to deselect) |
Selection/Direct Selection/Group Selection tool + Shift-click (click center point to deselect) |
|
Duplicate selection |
Selection/Direct Selection/Group Selection tool + Alt-drag |
Selection/Direct Selection/Group Selection tool + Option-drag |
|
Duplicate and offset selection |
Alt + Arrow key |
Option + Arrow key |
|
Duplicate and offset by 10× |
Alt + Shift + Arrow key |
Option + Shift + Arrow key |
|
Move selection |
Arrow keys |
Arrow keys |
|
Move selection by 1/10th |
Ctrl + Shift + Arrow key |
Command + Shift + Arrow key |
|
Move selection by 10× |
Shift + Arrow key |
Shift + Arrow key |
|
Select the parent page item from the document page |
Selection/Direct Selection tool + Ctrl + Shift-click |
Selection/Direct Selection tool + Command + Shift-click |
|
Select the next object behind or in front |
Selection tool + Ctrl-click or Selection tool + Alt + Ctrl-click |
Selection tool + Command-click or Selection tool + Option + Command-click |
|
Select all guides |
Alt + Ctrl + G |
Option + Command + G |
Transforming objects
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Duplicate and transform selection |
Transformation tool + Alt-drag |
Transformation tool + Option-drag |
|
Display the Transformation tool dialog box |
Select object + Double-click Scale/Rotate/Shear tool |
Select object + Double-click Scale/Rotate/Shear tool |
|
Resize frame and content |
Selection tool + Ctrl-drag |
Selection tool + Command-drag |
|
Resize the frame and content proportionately |
Selection tool + Shift + Ctrl-drag |
Selection tool + Shift + Command-drag |
|
Constrain proportion |
Ellipse/Polygon/Rectangle tool + Shift-drag |
Ellipse/Polygon/Rectangle tool + Shift-drag |
|
Switch between High Quality Display and Fast Display |
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Z |
Command + Option + Shift + Z |
Working with type
Character formatting
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Bold (fonts with bold face only) |
Shift + Ctrl + B |
Shift + Command + B |
|
Italic (fonts with italic face only) |
Shift + Ctrl + I |
Shift + Command + I |
|
Normal |
Shift + Ctrl + Y |
Shift + Command + Y |
|
Underline |
Shift + Ctrl + U |
Shift + Command + U |
|
Strikethrough |
Shift + Ctrl + / |
Control + Shift + Command + / |
|
All caps on/off |
Shift + Ctrl + K |
Shift + Command + K |
|
Small caps on/off |
Shift + Ctrl + H |
Shift + Command + H |
|
Superscript |
Shift + Ctrl + = |
Shift + Command + = |
|
Subscript |
Shift + Alt + Ctrl + = |
Shift + Option + Command + = |
|
Reset horizontal/vertical scale to 100% |
Shift + Ctrl + X or Shift + Alt + Ctrl + X |
Shift + Command + X or Shift + Option + Command + X |
Type size and leading
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Increase/decrease point size |
Shift + Ctrl + > or < |
Shift + Command + > or < |
|
Increase/decrease point size by 5× |
Shift + Ctrl + Alt + > or < |
Shift + Command + Option + > or < |
|
Increase/decrease leading (horizontal text) |
Alt + Up/Down Arrow |
Option + Up/Down Arrow |
|
Increase/decrease leading (vertical text) |
Alt + Right/Left Arrow |
Option + Right/Left Arrow |
|
Increase/decrease leading by 5× (horizontal text) |
Alt + Ctrl + Up/Down Arrow |
Option + Command + Up/Down Arrow |
|
Increase/decrease leading by 5× (vertical text) |
Alt + Ctrl + Right/Left Arrow |
Option + Command + Right/Left Arrow |
|
Auto leading |
Shift + Alt + Ctrl + A |
Shift + Option + Command + A |
Kerning and tracking
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Increase/decrease kerning and tracking (horizontal text) |
Alt + Left/Right Arrow |
Option + Left/Right Arrow |
|
Increase/decrease kerning and tracking (vertical text) |
Alt + Up/Down Arrow |
Option + Up/Down Arrow |
|
Increase/decrease kerning and tracking by 5× (horizontal text) |
Alt + Ctrl + Left/Right Arrow |
Option + Command + Left/Right Arrow |
|
Increase/decrease kerning and tracking by 5× (vertical text) |
Alt + Ctrl + Up/Down Arrow |
Option + Command + Up/Down Arrow |
|
Clear all manual kerning and reset tracking to 0 |
Alt + Ctrl + Q |
Option + Command + Q |
Paragraph formatting
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Align left, right, or center |
Shift + Ctrl + L, R, or C |
Shift + Command + L, R, or C |
|
Justify all lines |
Shift + Ctrl + F (all lines) or J (all but last) |
Shift + Command + F (all lines) or J (all but last) |
|
Align to grid on/off |
Shift + Alt + Ctrl + G |
Shift + Option + Command + G |
|
Auto-hyphenate on/off |
Shift + Alt + Ctrl + H |
Shift + Option + Command + H |
Baseline shift
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Increase/decrease baseline shift (horizontal text) |
Shift + Alt + Up/Down Arrow |
Shift + Option + Up/Down Arrow |
|
Increase/decrease baseline shift (vertical text) |
Shift + Alt + Right/Left Arrow |
Shift + Option + Right/Left Arrow |
|
Increase/decrease baseline shift by 5× (horizontal text) |
Shift + Alt + Ctrl + Up/Down Arrow |
Shift + Option + Command + Up/Down Arrow |
|
Increase/decrease baseline shift by 5× (vertical text) |
Shift + Alt + Ctrl + Right/Left Arrow |
Shift + Option + Command + Right/Left Arrow |
Navigating and selecting text
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Move right/left one character |
Right/Left Arrow |
Right/Left Arrow |
|
Move up/down one line |
Up/Down Arrow |
Up/Down Arrow |
|
Move right/left one word |
Ctrl + Right/Left Arrow |
Command + Right/Left Arrow |
|
Move to the start/end of the line |
Home/End |
Home/End |
|
Move to previous/next paragraph |
Ctrl + Up/Down Arrow |
Command + Up/Down Arrow |
|
Move to the start/end of the story |
Ctrl + Home/End |
Command + Home/End |
|
Select one word |
Double-click word |
Double-click word |
|
Select one character right/left |
Shift + Right/Left Arrow |
Shift + Right/Left Arrow |
|
Select one line above/below |
Shift + Up/Down Arrow |
Shift + Up/Down Arrow |
|
Select to start/end of line |
Shift + Home/End |
Shift + Home/End |
|
Select one paragraph |
Triple-click or quadruple-click the paragraph |
Triple-click or quadruple-click the paragraph |
|
Select one paragraph before/after |
Shift + Ctrl + Up/Down Arrow |
Shift + Command + Up/Down Arrow |
|
Select current line |
Shift + Ctrl + \ |
Shift + Command + \ |
|
Select the start/end of the story |
Shift + Ctrl + Home/End |
Shift + Command + Home/End |
|
Select all in the story |
Ctrl + A |
Command + A |
Tables
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Insert or delete rows/columns while dragging |
Start dragging the border, then hold Alt |
Start dragging the border, then hold Option |
|
Resize rows/columns without changing table size |
Shift-drag interior border |
Shift-drag interior border |
|
Resize rows/columns proportionally |
Shift-drag right or bottom border |
Shift-drag right or bottom border |
|
Move to next/previous cell |
Tab/Shift + Tab |
Tab/Shift + Tab |
|
Move to the first/last cell in the column |
Alt + Page Up/Page Down |
Option + Page Up/Page Down |
|
Move to the first/last cell in the row |
Alt + Home/End |
Option + Home/End |
|
Move up/down one cell |
Up/Down Arrow |
Up/Down Arrow |
|
Select cell above/below |
Shift + Up/Down Arrow |
Shift + Up/Down Arrow |
|
Select the cell to the right/left |
Shift + Right/Left Arrow |
Shift + Right/Left Arrow |
|
Start row on the next column |
Enter (numeric keypad) |
Enter (numeric keypad) |
|
Start row on next frame |
Shift + Enter (numeric keypad) |
Shift + Enter (numeric keypad) |
Viewing documents
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Temporarily select the Hand tool |
Spacebar (no text insertion point) or Alt-drag (with text insertion point) |
Spacebar (no text insertion point) or Option-drag (with text insertion point) |
|
Fit spread in the window |
Double-click the Hand tool |
Double-click the Hand tool |
|
Switch between the current and previous zoom levels |
Alt + Ctrl + 2 |
Option + Command + 2 |
|
Redraw screen |
Shift + F5 |
Shift + F5 |
|
Open a new default document |
Ctrl + Alt + N |
Command + Option + N |
|
Switch to the next/previous document window |
Ctrl + ~ or Shift + Ctrl + F6 or Ctrl + Shift + ~ |
Command + F6 or Command + ~ or Command + Shift + ~ |
|
Scroll up/down one screen |
Page Up/Page Down |
Page Up/Page Down |
|
Go back/forward to the last viewed page |
Ctrl + Page Up/Page Down |
Command + Page Up/Page Down |
|
Go to previous/next spread |
Alt + Page Up/Page Down |
Option + Page Up/Page Down |
|
Activate the Go To command |
Ctrl + J |
Command + J |
|
Fit selection in the window |
Ctrl + Alt + = |
Command + Option + = |
|
Cycle through units of measurement |
Shift + Alt + Ctrl + U |
Shift + Option + Command + U |
Panels
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Delete without confirmation |
Alt-click Delete icon |
Option-click Delete icon |
|
Create an item and set options |
Alt-click New icon |
Option-click New icon |
|
Apply value and keep focus on the option |
Shift + Enter |
Shift + Return |
|
Activate the last option in the last panel |
Ctrl + Alt + ~ |
Command + Option + ~ |
|
Select a range in the panel |
Shift-click |
Shift-click |
|
Select non-adjacent items in the panel |
Ctrl-click |
Command-click |
|
Show/hide all panels with no insertion point |
Tab |
Tab |
|
Show/hide all panels except the Tools and Control panels |
Shift + Tab |
Shift + Tab |
|
Open/close all stashed panels |
Ctrl + Alt + Tab |
Command + Option + Tab |
Specific panels
|
Panel |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Activate the Control panel |
Ctrl + 6 |
Command + 6 |
|
Toggle Character/Paragraph mode (Control panel) |
Ctrl + Alt + 7 |
Command + Option + 7 |
|
Character panel |
Ctrl + T |
Command + T |
|
Paragraph panel |
Ctrl + Alt + T |
Command + Option + T |
|
Paragraph Styles panel |
F11 |
Command + F11 |
|
Character Styles panel |
Shift + F11 |
Command + Shift + F11 |
|
Tabs panel |
Shift + Ctrl + T |
Shift + Command + T |
|
Layers panel |
F7 |
F7 |
|
Pages panel |
F12 |
Command + F12 |
|
Color panel |
F6 |
F6 |
|
Swatches panel |
F5 |
F5 |
|
Stroke panel |
F10 |
Command + F10 |
|
Drop Shadow panel |
Alt + Ctrl + M |
Command + Option + M |
Styles
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Make the character style definition match the text |
Select text + Shift + Alt + Ctrl + C |
Select text + Shift + Option + Command + C |
|
Make paragraph style definition match text |
Select text + Shift + Alt + Ctrl + R |
Select text + Shift + Option + Command + R |
|
Change options without applying style |
Shift + Alt + Ctrl + double-click style |
Shift + Option + Command + double-click style |
|
Remove style and local formatting |
Alt-click paragraph style |
Option-click paragraph style |
|
Clear overrides from paragraph style |
Alt + Shift-click paragraph style |
Option + Shift-click paragraph style |
Finding and changing text
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Insert selected text into the Find What box |
Ctrl + F1 |
Command + F1 |
|
Insert selected text into Find What and find next |
Shift + F1 |
Shift + F1 |
|
Find the next occurrence of Find What text |
Shift + F2 or Alt + Ctrl + F |
Shift + F2 or Option + Command + F |
|
Insert selected text into the Change To box |
Ctrl + F2 |
Command + F2 |
|
Replace selection with Change To text |
Ctrl + F3 |
Command + F3 |
XML
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Expand/Collapse element |
Right/Left Arrow |
Right/Left Arrow |
|
Expand/Collapse element and child elements |
Alt + Right/Left Arrow |
Option + Right/Left Arrow |
|
Extend XML selection up/down |
Shift + Up/Down Arrow |
Shift + Up/Down Arrow |
|
Move XML selection up/down |
Up/Down Arrow |
Up/Down Arrow |
|
Scroll the structure pane up/down one screen |
Page Up/Page Down |
Page Up/Page Down |
|
Select first/last XML node |
Home/End |
Home/End |
|
Extend selection to first/last XML node |
Shift + Home/End |
Shift + Home/End |
|
Go to previous/next validation error |
Ctrl + Left/Right Arrow |
Command + Left/Right Arrow |
|
Auto-tag text frames and tables |
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F7 |
Command + Option + Shift + F7 |
Indexing
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Create index entry without dialog box (alphanumeric only) |
Shift + Ctrl + Alt + [ |
Shift + Command + Option + [ |
|
Open the index entry dialog box |
Ctrl + 7 |
Command + 7 |
|
Create proper name index entry (last name, first name) |
Shift + Ctrl + Alt + ] |
Shift + Command + Option + ] |
Color and swatches
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Move color sliders in tandem |
Shift-drag slider |
Shift-drag slider |
|
Select a color for non-active fill or stroke |
Alt-click color bar |
Option-click color bar |
|
Switch between color modes |
Shift-click color bar |
Shift-click color bar |
|
Create a new swatch based on the current swatch |
Alt-click New Swatch icon |
Option-click New Swatch icon |
|
Create a spot color swatch based on the current swatch |
Alt + Ctrl-click New Swatch icon |
Option + Command-click New Swatch icon |
Separations Preview
|
Action |
Windows |
macOS |
|
Turn on Overprint preview |
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Y |
Command + Option + Shift + Y |
|
Show all plates |
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + ~ |
Command + Option + Shift + ~ |
|
Show Cyan plate |
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 1 |
Command + Option + Shift + 1 |
|
Show Magenta plate |
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 2 |
Command + Option + Shift + 2 |
|
Show Yellow plate |
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 3 |
Command + Option + Shift + 3 |
|
Show Black plate |
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 4 |
Command + Option + Shift + 4 |
|
Show 1st–3rd Spot plates |
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 5, 6, or 7 |
Command + Option + Shift + 5, 6, or 7 |
Platform-specific variations
|
Action |
macOS |
|
Open Preferences dialog box |
Command + K |
|
Open Paragraph Styles panel |
Command + F11 |
|
Open Character Styles panel |
Command + Shift + F11 |
|
Open Swatches panel |
F5 |
|
Open Pages panel |
Command + F12 |
|
Minimize active application window |
Command + M |
|
Hide application |
Command + H |
Note
You cannot edit the default shortcut set. To customize shortcuts, create a new set in the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box by selecting New Set, then assign or reassign key combinations. Custom sets can be saved and shared on the same platform.
Create print and digital materials with InDesign
Design impactful ads, magazine and book layouts, and more.
