Unlock Objects in InDesign

Locking an object in Adobe InDesign protects against accidentally moving or deleting elements and ruining a design. If you need to change text or art elements in a design, you'll need to unlock the page element before you can alter it. To learn how to unlock objects in InDesign, follow these guidelines.

Steps

Unlocking a Single Object

  1. Select the object you want to unlock. Using the pointer tool or selection tool, click on the element.
  2. Go to the "Object" dialog box and find "Unlock Position." You can also use the keyboard command "Ctrl+Alt+L." This will unlock the page element and enable you to change its content and position on the page.

Unlocking Grouped or Multiple Objects

  1. Follow the procedure for unlocking a single object with these variations:
    • Unlock 2 or more objects: Use the Selection tool and hold down the Shift key and click the desired objects. With the items selected, go to "Object" and select "Unlock Position." After you unlock objects in InDesign, you can make your changes.
    • Unlock 2 or more objects at once: Use the Pointer tool and drag the marquee over the items you want to unlock. Click "Object" and then "Unlock Position," which will release the elements so you can work on them.

Unlocking Layers

  1. Select the layers you want to unlock. While performing this task, be careful not to disturb the hierarchy of the layers.
    • Go to the "Layers" panel and click a square in the second window from the left to hide, or unlock, the layer.
    • If you want to keep all the layers in their current positions while you're working on your target layer, go to the "Layers" menu and click "Lock Others." You also can use the "Alt+click" command in Windows or "Opt+click" with a Mac OS to bring up the menu. Click the square to the left of the layer you want to release. When it is unlocked, the square will be empty. A locked layer will display an icon showing a pencil with a red line through it.
    • To unlock all the layers, choose the "Unlock All Layers" command from the "Layers" menu.
    • Remember to lock the all the layers when you have finished making your changes.

Unlocking Master-Page Elements

  1. Unlock Master Page items when you need to change elements that ordinarily are the same on each page, like the page number, section and publication date. Select the pages list from the "Pages" menu. You will see thumbnails of the pages. Above these are the Master Pages. If you change an element on a Master Page, all the document pages that draw formatting from it also will change. To change an element on a Master Page:
    • Determine which Master Page element you want to change. Master Page elements have broken-line borders.
    • Hold down "Command+Shift" on a Mac OS, or "Ctrl+Shift" on a PC, and click the item on the Master Page that you want to unlock. Once you click it, the item is released from the Master Page.
    • Make your changes to the Master element you selected. All document pages should reflect the change you made.
    • Go to the "Pages" menu and select "Override All Master Page Items" to effectively unlock them for changes if you would like to update multiple items at the same time.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  • Robert Shufflebotham, Adobe Indesign CS, (New York: Barnes & Noble Boos, 2005) pp. 107, 112, 115.
Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Unlock_Objects_in_InDesign&oldid=302524"