Adobe InDesign Keyboard Shortcuts
Adobe InDesign keyboard shortcut reference covering 107 bindings for Windows & Mac. Commonly searched bindings include Selection tool, Direct Selection tool, and Toggle Selection and Direct Selection. 107 of 107 shortcuts are verified against official Adobe InDesign documentation, each with a linked source when available. Search by action name, filter by category, look up what a key combination does, print a cheat sheet, or practice with flashcards.
Official Adobe InDesign documentation
Character formatting
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Bold (fonts with bold face only) |
|
Shift+Ctrl+B |
Shift+Cmd+B |
Yes |
Source |
| Italic (fonts with italic face only) |
|
Shift+Ctrl+I |
Shift+Cmd+I |
Yes |
Source |
| Normal |
|
Shift+Ctrl+Y |
Shift+Cmd+Y |
Yes |
Source |
| Underline |
|
Shift+Ctrl+U |
Shift+Cmd+U |
Yes |
Source |
| Strikethrough |
|
Shift+Ctrl+/ |
Ctrl+Shift+Cmd+/ |
Yes |
Source |
| All caps on/off |
|
Shift+Ctrl+K |
Shift+Cmd+K |
Yes |
Source |
| Small caps on/off |
|
Shift+Ctrl+H |
Shift+Cmd+H |
Yes |
Source |
| Superscript |
|
Shift+Ctrl+= |
Shift+Cmd+= |
Yes |
Source |
| Subscript |
|
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+= |
Shift+Option+Cmd+= |
Yes |
Source |
| Reset horizontal/vertical scale to 100% |
|
Shift+Ctrl+X |
Shift+Cmd+X |
Yes |
Source |
Drawing and text tools
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Pen tool |
|
P |
P |
Yes |
Source |
| Add Anchor Point tool |
|
= |
= |
Yes |
Source |
| Delete Anchor Point tool |
|
Minus |
Minus |
Yes |
Source |
| Convert Direction Point tool |
|
Shift+C |
Shift+C |
Yes |
Source |
| Type tool |
|
T |
T |
Yes |
Source |
| Type on a Path tool |
|
Shift+T |
Shift+T |
Yes |
Source |
| Pencil tool |
|
N |
N |
Yes |
Source |
| Line tool |
|
\ |
\ |
Yes |
Source |
Finding and changing text
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Insert selected text into the Find What box |
|
Ctrl+F1 |
Cmd+F1 |
Yes |
Source |
| Insert selected text into Find What and find next |
|
Shift+F1 |
Shift+F1 |
Yes |
Source |
| Find the next occurrence of Find What text |
|
Shift+F2 |
Shift+F2 |
Yes |
Source |
| Insert selected text into the Change To box |
|
Ctrl+F2 |
Cmd+F2 |
Yes |
Source |
| Replace selection with Change To text |
|
Ctrl+F3 |
Cmd+F3 |
Yes |
Source |
Indexing
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Create index entry without dialog box (alphanumeric only) |
|
Shift+Ctrl+Alt+[ |
Shift+Cmd+Option+[ |
Yes |
Source |
| Open the index entry dialog box |
|
Ctrl+7 |
Cmd+7 |
Yes |
Source |
| Create proper name index entry (last name, first name) |
|
Shift+Ctrl+Alt+] |
Shift+Cmd+Option+] |
Yes |
Source |
Kerning and tracking
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Clear all manual kerning and reset tracking to 0 |
|
Alt+Ctrl+Q |
Option+Cmd+Q |
Yes |
Source |
Navigating and selecting text
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Select current line |
|
Shift+Ctrl+\ |
Shift+Cmd+\ |
Yes |
Source |
| Select all in the story |
|
Ctrl+A |
Cmd+A |
Yes |
Source |
Other tools
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Eyedropper tool |
|
I |
I |
Yes |
Source |
| Measure tool |
|
K |
K |
Yes |
Source |
| Gradient Swatch tool |
|
G |
G |
Yes |
Source |
| Gradient Feather tool |
|
Shift+G |
Shift+G |
Yes |
Source |
| Scissors tool |
|
C |
C |
Yes |
Source |
| Toggle Fill and Stroke |
|
X |
X |
Yes |
Source |
| Swap Fill and Stroke |
|
Shift+X |
Shift+X |
Yes |
Source |
| Toggle Formatting affects container/text |
|
J |
J |
Yes |
Source |
| Apply None |
|
/ |
/ |
Yes |
Source |
| Switch between Normal and Preview mode |
|
W |
W |
Yes |
Source |
Panels
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Apply value and keep focus on the option |
|
Shift+Enter |
Shift+Enter |
Yes |
Source |
| Activate the last option in the last panel |
|
Ctrl+Alt+~ |
Cmd+Option+~ |
Yes |
Source |
| Show/hide all panels with no insertion point |
|
Tab |
Tab |
Yes |
Source |
| Show/hide all panels except the Tools and Control panels |
|
Shift+Tab |
Shift+Tab |
Yes |
Source |
| Open/close all stashed panels |
|
Ctrl+Alt+Tab |
Cmd+Option+Tab |
Yes |
Source |
Paragraph formatting
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Align to grid on/off |
|
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+G |
Shift+Option+Cmd+G |
Yes |
Source |
| Auto-hyphenate on/off |
|
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+H |
Shift+Option+Cmd+H |
Yes |
Source |
Platform-specific variations
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Open Preferences dialog box |
|
Cmd+K |
|
Yes |
Source |
| Command + F11 |
|
|
Cmd+Shift+F11 |
Yes |
Source |
| Open Swatches panel |
|
F5 |
|
Yes |
Source |
| Command + F12 |
|
|
Cmd+M |
Yes |
Source |
| Hide application |
|
Cmd+H |
|
Yes |
Source |
Selecting and moving objects
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Select the container of selected content |
|
Esc |
Esc |
Yes |
Source |
| Select the content of the selected container |
|
Shift+Esc |
Shift+Esc |
Yes |
Source |
| Select all guides |
|
Alt+Ctrl+G |
Option+Cmd+G |
Yes |
Source |
Selection and navigation tools
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Selection tool |
|
V |
V |
Yes |
Source |
| Direct Selection tool |
|
A |
A |
Yes |
Source |
| Toggle Selection and Direct Selection |
|
Ctrl+Tab |
Cmd+Ctrl+Tab |
Yes |
Source |
| Page tool |
|
Shift+P |
Shift+P |
Yes |
Source |
| Gap tool |
|
U |
U |
Yes |
Source |
| Hand tool |
|
H |
H |
Yes |
Source |
| Temporarily select the Hand tool (no insertion point) |
|
Space |
Space |
Yes |
Source |
| Temporarily select the Hand tool (with text insertion point) |
|
Alt+Space |
Option+Space |
Yes |
Source |
| Zoom tool |
|
Z |
Z |
Yes |
Source |
| Temporarily select Zoom In tool |
|
Ctrl+Space |
Cmd+Space |
Yes |
Source |
| Temporarily select Zoom Out tool |
|
Alt+Ctrl+Space |
Option+Cmd+Space |
Yes |
Source |
Separations Preview
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Turn on Overprint preview |
|
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Y |
Cmd+Option+Shift+Y |
Yes |
Source |
| Show all plates |
|
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+~ |
Cmd+Option+Shift+~ |
Yes |
Source |
| Show Cyan plate |
|
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+1 |
Cmd+Option+Shift+1 |
Yes |
Source |
| Show Magenta plate |
|
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+2 |
Cmd+Option+Shift+2 |
Yes |
Source |
| Show Yellow plate |
|
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+3 |
Cmd+Option+Shift+3 |
Yes |
Source |
| Show Black plate |
|
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+4 |
Cmd+Option+Shift+4 |
Yes |
Source |
Shape and frame tools
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Rectangle Frame tool |
|
F |
F |
Yes |
Source |
| Rectangle tool |
|
M |
M |
Yes |
Source |
| Ellipse tool |
|
L |
L |
Yes |
Source |
| Frame Grid tool (horizontal) |
|
Y |
Y |
Yes |
Source |
| Frame Grid tool (vertical) |
|
Q |
Q |
Yes |
Source |
Specific panels
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Panel |
|
|
Ctrl+6 |
Yes |
Source |
| Command + 6 |
|
|
Ctrl+Option+7 |
Yes |
Source |
| Command + Option + 7 |
|
|
Ctrl+T |
Yes |
Source |
| Command + T |
|
|
Ctrl+Option+T |
Yes |
Source |
| Command + Option + T |
|
|
F11 |
Yes |
Source |
| Command + F11 |
|
|
Shift+F11 |
Yes |
Source |
| Command + Shift + F11 |
|
|
Shift+Ctrl+T |
Yes |
Source |
| Shift + Command + T |
|
|
F7 |
Yes |
Source |
| F7 |
|
|
F12 |
Yes |
Source |
| Command + F12 |
|
|
F6 |
Yes |
Source |
| F6 |
|
|
F5 |
Yes |
Source |
| F5 |
|
|
F10 |
Yes |
Source |
| Command + F10 |
|
|
Option+Ctrl+M |
Yes |
Source |
Tables
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Start row on the next column |
|
Enter |
Enter |
Yes |
Source |
| Start row on next frame |
|
Shift+Enter |
Shift+Enter |
Yes |
Source |
Transform tools
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Rotate tool |
|
R |
R |
Yes |
Source |
| Scale tool |
|
S |
S |
Yes |
Source |
| Shear tool |
|
O |
O |
Yes |
Source |
| Free Transform tool |
|
E |
E |
Yes |
Source |
Transforming objects
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Switch between High Quality Display and Fast Display |
|
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Z |
Cmd+Option+Shift+Z |
Yes |
Source |
Type size and leading
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Increase/decrease point size |
|
Shift+Ctrl+> |
Shift+Cmd+> |
Yes |
Source |
| Increase/decrease point size by 5× |
|
Shift+Ctrl+Alt+> |
Shift+Cmd+Option+> |
Yes |
Source |
| Auto leading |
|
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+A |
Shift+Option+Cmd+A |
Yes |
Source |
Viewing documents
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Switch between the current and previous zoom levels |
|
Alt+Ctrl+2 |
Option+Cmd+2 |
Yes |
Source |
| Redraw screen |
|
Shift+F5 |
Shift+F5 |
Yes |
Source |
| Open a new default document |
|
Ctrl+Alt+N |
Cmd+Option+N |
Yes |
Source |
| Switch to the next/previous document window |
|
Ctrl+~ |
Cmd+F6 |
Yes |
Source |
| Activate the Go To command |
|
Ctrl+J |
Cmd+J |
Yes |
Source |
| Fit selection in the window |
|
Ctrl+Alt+= |
Cmd+Option+= |
Yes |
Source |
| Cycle through units of measurement |
|
Shift+Alt+Ctrl+U |
Shift+Option+Cmd+U |
Yes |
Source |
XML
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Auto-tag text frames and tables |
|
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F7 |
Cmd+Option+Shift+F7 |
Yes |
Source |
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