Learning Keyboard Shortcuts

While keyboard shortcuts help you work faster, you really do not have to start using them right away. In fact, you will most likely learn more about InDesign by using the menus. As you look for one command, you may see another feature that you would like to explore.

Once you feel comfortable working with InDesign, you can start adding keyboard shortcuts to your repertoire. My suggestion is to look at which menu commands you use most often. Then each day choose to use one of those shortcuts. For instance, if you import a lot of art from other programs, you might decide to learn the shortcut for the Place command (Cmd-D on the Mac; Ctrl-D on Windows). For the rest of that day use the shortcut every time you import text or art. Even if you have to look at the menu to refresh your memory, use the keyboard shortcut to actually open the Place dialog box. By the end of the day you will have memorized the Place shortcut. The next day you can learn a new one.