Tip of the Week: Swatch Navigation
How to apply colors via the keyboard by navigating swatches in InDesign.

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When you first open the Swatches panel via its keyboard shortcut (F5), you can apply swatches and tints via the keyboard. Use these tips to get a handle on swatch navigation.
- If the currently applied swatch is [None], the “focus” is in the swatch list, otherwise the “focus” is in the Tint field.
- Press Tab to move back and forth between the Tint field and the swatch list.
- Use your arrow keys to move through the swatch list.
- Press Tab to jump back to the Tint field.
- If the Swatches panel is already open, you can make it keyboard navigable by Command-Option/ Control-Alt clicking on the list of swatches.
This article was last modified on June 17, 2020
This article was first published on June 19, 2018