While these Adobe InDesign text selection shortcuts are probably a refresher for most people, take some time to review them because you might find one that you never knew about. In fact, I never even noticed that you could double-click and drag to select more than a word. Sometimes it is the obvious, little tricks that can make your day. If I missed any shortcuts, please put them in the comments and I will update the article.
Mouse Selections
Select Cursor Position – Single Click
Select Word – Double-Click
Select Line – Triple-Click
Select Paragraph – Quad-Click (4 clicks) This is the preferred method of selecting a paragraph. If you click and drag, you might miss the end of the paragraph.
Select Story – Quin-Click (5 clicks)
Select a Word and More – Double-Click and drag your mouse. This also works with triple/quad clicks.
Add to a Selection – Shift-Click when you have a selection to add to that selection.
Table Selections
Select Table – Opt/Alt+Cmd/Ctrl+A
Select Column – Opt/Alt+Cmd/Ctrl+3
Select Row – Cmd/Ctrl+3
Select Cell – Cmd/Ctrl+/ or ESC
Select Cells Above – Shift+Up Arrow
Select Cells Below – Shift+Down Arrow
Select Cells to the Left – Shift+Left Arrow
Select Cells to the Right – Shift+Right Arrow
Keyboard Selecting
Select line – Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+\
Select one character to the left – Shift+Left Arrow
Select one character to the right – Shift+Right Arrow
Select one line above – Shift+Up Arrow
Select one line below – Shift+Down Arrow
Select one paragraph before – Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+Up Arrow
Select one paragraph forward – Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+Down Arrow
Select one word to the left – Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+Left Arrow
Select one word to the right – Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+Right Arrow
Select to beginning of story – Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+Home
Select to end of story – Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+End
Select to the end of the line – Shift+End
Select to the start of the line – Shift+Home
Select entire story – Cmd/Ctrl+A
Select first frame in thread – Opt/Alt+Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+Page Up
Select last frame in thread -Opt/Alt+Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+Page Down
Select next frame in thread – Opt/Alt+Cmd/Ctrl+Page Down
Select previous frame in thread – Opt/Alt+Cmd/Ctrl+Page Up
This article was last modified on June 16, 2023
This article was first published on August 8, 2011
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I’m looking for quick keys when I’m within a text box. For example, toggling between the text box when its active and the eyedropper tool without using the toolbar. When I do layouts, I’m constantly using the dropper to adjust my character styles and would save time with a quick key.
Thanks much! InDesign is my life. <3
I’d love a keyboard shortcut to select a book’s chapter. Not a whole story, just a chapter. I use Column Breaks to start new chapters in books, and a way to select all text from Chapter Start to Column Break (or something) would be great.
Currently, if I have to move a chapter, I click and hold at one end and drag the cursor to the other, which, for long chapters, can take some time.
Anyone know some technique I’ve missed?
Nice list.
I’ll add that, in tables, pressing ESC multiple times toggles the selection between the cell itself and the text inside it.
Not a selection method, but the usual tricky solution to not having non-contiguous selections is to use the eye dropper tool. Very powerful.
Kevin: that’s just not an option in InDesign. Why not use character styles and/or the formatting painter?
FYI, none of the “normal” Mac commands have anything to do with InDesign. Adobe works quite independently from Apple.
How do you make non-contiguous selections in InDesign? The normal command+click (on a Mac) doesn’t work in ID.
@Shmuel – That is true, but the default options in ID have it set to triple. Unless you have changed your preferences, it should work for you.
The mouse actions that you need in order to select a line, paragraph, or story depend on the “Triple click to select a line” option in the Type preferences.