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Become A Keyboard Shortcut Superman

InDesign is complex! Shortcuts make things simple when the work gets heavy. Imagine being able to keep your mouse and writing hand honed in on the creative aspects of your work, taking care of rote functions literally single-handedly.

Take a look at the shortcuts below to become an InDesign Superman (substitute "Command Key" for "Ctrl" if you are working on a Mac):

Shortcuts You Will Recognize from Word Processor Norms

You will probably recognize these from word processing, but these time savers are worth a review.

Ctrl+N	Creates a new document
Ctrl+O	Opens a previous document
Ctrl+W	Closes current document
Ctrl+S	Saves document
Ctrl+Z	Undo
Shift+Ctrl+Z	Redo

Important Functional Commands

Get your demos and revisions out with lightning speed with these two shortcuts under your belt.

Ctrl+E	Export your document outside of the native InDesign format
Ctrl+D	Places graphics and text

Window Commands

Set up your screen for optimal viewing using the shortcuts here, and change your perspective when needed on the fly.

Ctrl+=	Zooms screen in
Ctrl+ -	Zooms screen out
Ctrl+0	Fits the entire page in the window

InDesign Object Shortcuts

InDesign is based around objects. Master them, and your productivity will go through the roof.

Alt [Option] +Ctrl+0	Fits the entire spread in the window
Ctrl+1	Displays the document in its actual size
Ctrl+R	Shows or hides the document rulers
Ctrl+;	Shows or hides the guides

InDesign Text Shortcuts

The text stuff should be easy, and with the command list below, it will be.

Shift+Ctrl+Y	Return text to normal
Shift+Ctrl+B	Bold text
Shift+Ctrl+I	Italicized text
Shift+Ctrl+U	Underline text
Shift+Ctrl+=	Superscript text
Alt [Option]+Shift+Ctrl+=	Subscript text
Shift+Ctrl+L	Align text to left
Shift+Ctrl+R	Align text to right
Shift+Ctrl+C	Align text to center
Shift+Ctrl+J	Justify text left

Commit one block of shortcuts to muscle memory per week and take note of how much faster your work moves. Don't worry if you forget a few up front - taking a bit of time to invest in these shortcuts will pay dividends.