Select Type > Glyphs.
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Insert glyphs and special characters
Last updated on
Jun 2, 2026
Learn how to access alternate character forms, special symbols, and OpenType features on Adobe InDesign.
A glyph is a specific visual form of a character, such as alternates, ligatures, or symbols. Use the Glyphs panel to insert characters not available on your keyboard or access alternate forms provided by OpenType fonts.
Insert special characters from menus
Use the Type tool to position the insertion point where you want the character to appear.
Select Type > Insert Special Character, then choose a category from the submenu.
Select the specific character from the available options.
Insert glyphs from the Glyphs panel
Select Type > Glyphs.
Select a font from the font list at the bottom-left of the panel to view its available glyphs.
Select a font style from the style menu if multiple weights or variants are available.
From the Show drop-down menu, select Entire Font to view all glyphs, or select a category like Punctuation, Currency, or Math Symbols.
Scroll through the character grid or use the search option to locate specific glyphs by name, Unicode value, or glyph ID.
Double-click the desired glyph to insert it at the text insertion point. For OpenType fonts, select and hold a glyph box to display alternate forms if available.
Insert recently used glyphs
InDesign tracks the last 35 distinct glyphs you inserted and displays them in the first row of the Glyphs panel for quick reuse.
Select Type > Glyphs.
Select the panel menu icon.
Select Show Options to view the Recently Used row.
Double-click any glyph in the Recently Used section to insert it at the cursor position.
Tip
To clear individual glyphs from the Recently Used section, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (macOS) the glyph and select Delete Glyph from Recently Used. To clear all recently used glyphs, select Clear All Recently Used from the same menu.
Clear recently used glyphs
Select Type > Glyphs.
Select an option:
- To clear individual glyphs from the Recently Used section, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (macOS) the glyph, then select Delete Glyph from Recently Used.
- To clear all recently used glyphs, select Clear All Recently Used from the same menu.
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