Working with Objects

InDesign includes keyboard shortcuts for selecting objects and performing a wide variety of operations on them, from duplicating, moving, and grouping them to working with frames , drop shadows, and paths.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Selecting Objects

Windows [Ctrl]-[A], Mac [ z ]-[A]

Select all objects

Windows [Ctrl]-[Shift]-[A], Mac [ z ]-[Shift]-[A]

Deselect all objects

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[]], Mac [ z ]-[Option]-[]]

Select the next object above the current object

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-click, Mac [ z ]-[Option]-click

Select the next object above the current object

This shortcut works when the Selection tool is selected.

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[[], Mac [ z ]-[Option]-[[]

Select the next object below the current object

Windows [Ctrl]-click, Mac [ z ]-click

Select the next object below the current object

This shortcut works when the Selection tool is selected.

Windows [Shift]-click, Mac [Shift]-click

Add an object to or remove an object from the selection

This shortcut works when the Selection tool, the Direct Selection tool, or the Group Selection tool is selected.

Windows [Ctrl]-[Shift]-click, Mac [ z ]-[Shift]-click

Select the master page item from the document page

This shortcut works when the Selection tool or the Direct Selection tool is selected.

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[PageUp], Mac [ z ]-[Option]-[PageUp]

Select the previous frame in the story

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[PageDown], Mac [ z ]-[Option]-[PageDown]

Select the next frame in the story

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[Shift]-[PageUp], Mac [ z ]-[Option]-[Shift]-[PageUp]

Select the first frame in the story

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[Shift]-[PageDown], Mac [ z ]-[Option]-[Shift]-[PageDown]

Select the last frame in the story

Keyboard Shortcuts for Duplicating Objects

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[Shift]-[D], Mac [ z ]-[Option]-[Shift]-[D]

Duplicate the selected object

Windows [Ctrl]-[Shift]-[V], Mac [ z ]-[Shift]-[V]

Display the Step And Repeat dialog box

After duplicating an object, press this shortcut to display the Step And Repeat dialog box (the Windows version is shown here). Use the controls to specify how many duplicates you want to create and the horizontal and vertical offsets to use, and then press [Enter] (on Windows) or [Return] (on the Mac).

Windows [Alt]-drag, Mac [Option]-drag

Duplicate the selection

This shortcut works when the Selection tool, the Direct Selection tool, or the Group Selection tool is selected. Press [Shift] if you want to constrain the movement to 45-degree angles instead of moving freely .

Tip

To duplicate and transform a selection, [Alt]- drag it (on Windows) or [Option]-drag it (on the Mac) using a transformation tool.

Windows [Alt]-[], [Alt]-[], [Alt]-[], [Alt]-[], Mac [Option]-[], [Option]-[], [Option]-[], [Option]-[]

Duplicate the selection and move it left, right, up, or down by one increment

For this shortcut and the next, InDesign uses the increment set in the Cursor Key text box on the Units & Increments sheet of the Preferences dialog box ([Ctrl]-[K] on Windows, [ z ]-[K] on the Mac).

Windows [Alt]-[Shift]-[], [Alt]-[Shift]-[], [Alt]-[Shift]-[], [Alt]-[Shift]-[], Mac [Option]-[Shift]-[], [Option]-[Shift]-[], [Option]-[Shift]-[], [Option]-[Shift]-[]

Duplicate the selection and move it left, right, up, or down by ten increments

Keyboard Shortcuts for Moving Objects

Windows [], [], [], [], Mac [], [], [], []

Move the selection by one increment

For this shortcut and the next, InDesign uses the increment set in the Cursor Key text box on the Units & Increments sheet of the Preferences dialog box ([Ctrl]-[K] on Windows, [ z ]-[K] on the Mac).

Windows [Shift]-[], [Shift]-[], [Shift]-[], [Shift]-[], Mac [Shift]-[], [Shift]-[], [Shift]-[], [Shift]-[]

Move the selection by ten increments

Keyboard Shortcuts for Arranging Objects

Windows [Ctrl]-[]], Mac [ z ]-[]]

Bring the selected object forward

Windows [Ctrl]-[[], Mac [ z ]-[[]

Send the selected object backward

Windows [Ctrl]-[Shift]-[]], Mac [ z ]-[Shift]-[]]

Bring the selected object to the front

Windows [Ctrl]-[Shift]-[[], Mac [ z ]-[Shift]-[[]

Send the selected object to the back

Keyboard Shortcuts for Grouping Objects

Windows [Ctrl]-[G], Mac [ z ]-[G]

Group the selected objects

Windows [Ctrl]-[Shift]-[G], Mac [ z ]-[Shift]-[G]

Ungroup the selected group

Keyboard Shortcuts for Locking and Unlocking Objects

Windows [Ctrl]-[L], Mac [ z ]-[L]

Lock the position of the selected object or objects

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[L], Mac [ z ]-[Option]-[L]

Unlock the selected locked object or objects

Keyboard Shortcuts for Working with Frames

Windows [Ctrl]-[B], Mac [ z ]-[B]

Display the Text Frame Options dialog box

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[E], Mac [ z ]-[Option]-[E]

Fit the content to the frame that contains it

When you press this shortcut, InDesign changes the content s proportions if necessary to match those of the frame.

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[C], Mac [ z ]-[Option]-[C]

Fit the frame to its contents

Windows [Ctrl]-[Shift]-[E], Mac [ z ]-[Shift]-[E]

Center the content within the frame

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[Shift]-[E], Mac [ z ]-[Option]-[Shift]-[E]

Fit the content to the frame, preserving the content s proportions

Windows [Shift]-drag with Selection tool, Mac [Shift]-drag with Selection tool

Resize the frame and its contents proportionally

Windows [Ctrl]-drag with Selection tool, Mac [ z ]-drag with Selection tool

Resize the frame and its contents

Keyboard Shortcuts for Drop Shadows and Paths

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[M], Mac [ z ]-[Option]-[M]

Display the Drop Shadow dialog box

Windows [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[Shift]-[K], Mac [ z ]-[Option]-[Shift]-[K]

Display the Clipping Path dialog box

Windows [Ctrl]-[8], Mac [ z ]-[8]

Make a compound path from the selected paths