Adobe InDesign Keyboard Cheat Sheets

InDesign is a tool used by skilled craftspeople who want to work as efficiently as possible to meet tough production schedules, or maximize their profits on a bidded job. So speed is of the essence. Knowing keyboard shortcuts for things you do often greatly increases speed and efficiency in InDesign, and almost every function of InDesign is reachble through a keyboard shortcut. Starting out, you can't be expected to know these shortcuts, and I doubt if anybody knows all of them by heart, but if your on a job that calls for, say, creating a glossary of key terms in a 300 page textbook, it behoves you to learn whatever keyboard shortcuts you can to make it go faster.

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Jump to Keys For:

Keys for selecting and moving objects

Result Windows Mac OS
Temporarily select Selection or Direct Selection tool (last used) Any tool (except selection tools)+Ctrl Any tool (except selection tools)+ Command
Temporarily select Group Selection tool Direct Selection tool+Alt; or Pen, Add Anchor Point, or Delete Anchor Point tool+Alt+Ctrl Direct Selection tool+Option; or Pen, Add Anchor Point, or Delete Anchor Point tool+Option+Command
Select container of selected content Esc or double-click Esc or double-click
Select content of selected container Shift+Esc or double-click Shift+Esc or double-click
Add to or subtract from a selection of multiple objects Selection, Direct Selection, or Group Selection tool+Shift–click (to deselect, click center point) Selection, Direct Selection, or Group Selection tool+Shift–click (to deselect, click center point)
Duplicate selection Selection, Direct Selection, or Group Selection tool+Alt–drag* Selection, Direct Selection, or Group Selection tool+ Option–drag*
Duplicate and offset selection Alt+Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, or Down Arrow key Option+Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, or Down Arrow key
Duplicate and offset selection by 10 times** Alt+Shift+Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, Down Arrow key Option+Shift+Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, Down Arrow key
Move selection** Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, Down Arrow key Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, Down Arrow key
Move selection by 10th** Ctrl+Shift+Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, Down arrow key Command+Shift+Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, Down arrow key
Move selection by 10 times** Shift+Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, Down Arrow key Shift+Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, Down Arrow key
Select Master/Parent Page item from document page Selection or Direct Selection tool+Ctrl+Shift–click Selection or Direct Selection tool+ Command+Shift–click
Select next object behind or in front Selection tool+Ctrl–click, or Selection tool+Alt+Ctrl–click Selection tool+Command–click or Selection tool+Option+ Command–click
Select next or previous frame in story Alt+Ctrl+Page Down/ Alt+Ctrl+Page Up Option+Command+Page Down/ Option+Command+Page Up
Select first or last frame in story Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Page Down/ Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Page Up Shift+Option+Command+Page Down/ Shift+Option+Command+Page Up

*Press Shift to constrain movement to 45° angles.
**Amount is set in Edit > Preferences > Units & Increments (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Units & Increments (Mac OS).

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Keys for transforming objects

Result Windows Mac OS
Duplicate and transform selection Transformation tool+Alt–drag* Transformation tool+Option–drag*
Display Transform tool dialog box Select object+double-click Scale tool, Rotate tool, or Shear tool in Toolbox Select object+double-click Scale tool, Rotate tool, or Shear tool in Toolbox
Decrease scale by 1% Ctrl+, Command+,
Decrease scale by 5% Ctrl+Alt+, Command+Option+,
Increase scale by 1% Ctrl+. Command+.
Increase scale by 5% Ctrl+Alt+. Command+Option+.
Resize frame and content Selection tool+Ctrl–drag Selection tool+Command–drag
Resize frame and content proportionately Selection tool+Shift+Ctrl–drag Selection tool+Shift+Command–drag
Constrain proportion Ellipse tool, Polygon tool, or Rectangle tool+Shift–drag Ellipse tool, Polygon tool, or Rectangle tool+Shift–drag
Switch image from High Quality Display to Fast Display Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Z Command+Option+Shift+Z

*After you select a transformation tool, hold down the mouse button, and then hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and drag. Press Shift to constrain movement to 45° angles.

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Keys for editing paths and frames

Result Windows Mac OS
Temporarily select Convert Direction Point tool Direct Selection tool+Alt+Ctrl, or Pen tool+Alt Direct Selection tool+Option+ Command, or Pen tool+Option
Temporarily switch between Add Anchor Point and Delete Anchor Point tool Alt Option
Temporarily select Add Anchor Point tool Scissors tool+Alt Scissors tool+Option
Keep Pen tool selected when pointer is over path or anchor point Pen tool+Shift Pen tool+Shift
Move anchor point and handles while drawing Pen tool+spacebar Pen tool+spacebar
Display the Stroke panel F10 Command+F10

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Keys for tables

Result Windows Mac OS
Insert or delete rows or columns while dragging Begin dragging row or column border, and then hold down Alt as you drag Begin dragging row or column border, and then hold down Option as you drag
Resize rows or columns without changing the size of the table Shift–drag interior row or column border Shift–drag interior row or column border
Resize rows or columns proportionally Shift–drag right or bottom table border Shift–drag right or bottom table border
Move to next/previous cell Tab/Shift+Tab Tab/Shift+Tab
Move to first/last cell in column Alt+Page Up/ Alt+Page Down Option+Page Up/ Option+Page Down
Move to first/last cell in row Alt+Home/ Alt+End Option+Home/ Option+End
Move to first/last row in frame Page Up/Page Down Page Up/Page Down
Move up/down one cell Up Arrow/Down Arrow Up Arrow/Down Arrow
Move left/right one cell Left Arrow/Right Arrow Left Arrow/Right Arrow
Select cell above/below the current cell Shift+Up Arrow/ Shift+Down Arrow Shift+Up Arrow/ Shift+Down Arrow
Select cell to the right/left of the current cell Shift+Right Arrow/ Shift+Left Arrow Shift+Right Arrow/ Shift+Left Arrow
Start row on next column Enter (numeric keypad) Enter (numeric keypad)
Start row on next frame Shift+Enter (numeric keypad) Shift+Enter (numeric keypad)
Toggle between text selection and cell selection Esc Esc

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Keys for finding and changing text

Result Windows Mac OS
Insert selected text into Find What box Ctrl+F1 Command+F1
Insert selected text into Find What box and finds next Shift+F1 Shift+F1
Find next occurrence of Find What text Shift+F2 or Alt+Ctrl+F Shift+F2 or Option+Command+F
Insert selected text into Change To box Ctrl+F2 Command+F2
Replace selection with Change To text Ctrl+F3 Command+F3

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Keys for working with type

Result Windows Mac OS
Bold (only for fonts with bold face) Shift+Ctrl+B Shift+Command+B
Italic (only for fonts with italic face) Shift+Ctrl+I Shift+Command+I
Normal Shift+Ctrl+Y Shift+Command+Y
Underline Shift+Ctrl+U Shift+Command+U
Strikethrough Shift+Ctrl+/ Control+Shift+Command+/
All caps (on/off) Shift+Ctrl+K Shift+Command+K
Asian language hyphenation Shift+Ctrl+K Shift+Command+K
Small caps (on/off) Shift+Ctrl+H Shift+Command+H
Tate-chu-yoko setting Shift+Ctrl+H Shift+Command+H
Superscript Shift+Ctrl+(+) [plus sign] Shift+Command+(+) [plus sign]
Subscript Shift+Alt+Ctrl+(+) [plus sign] Shift+Option+Command+(+) [plus sign]
Reset horizontal or vertical scale to 100% Shift+Ctrl+X or Shift+Alt+Ctrl+X Shift+Command+X or Shift+Option+Command+X
Basic letter group setting or detail setting Shift+Ctrl+X or Shift+Alt+Ctrl+X Shift+Command+X or Shift+Option+Command+X
Align left, right, or center Shift+Ctrl+L, R, or C Shift+Command+L, R, or C
Justify all lines Shift+Ctrl+F (all lines) or J (all but last line) Shift+Command+F (all lines) or J (all but last line)
Align both ends or equal spacing Shift+Ctrl+F (align both end) or J (equal spacing) Shift+Command+F (align both ends) or J (equal spacing)
Increase or decrease point size* Shift+Ctrl+> or < Shift+Command+> or <
Increase or decrease point size by five times* Shift+Ctrl+Alt+> or < Shift+Command+ Option+> or <
Increase or decrease leading (horizontal text)* Alt+Up Arrow/ Alt+Down Arrow Option+Up Arrow/ Option+Down Arrow
Increase or decrease leading (vertical text)* Alt+Right Arrow/ Alt+Left Arrow Option+Right Arrow/ Option+Left Arrow
Increase or decrease leading by five times (horizontal text)* Alt+Ctrl+Up Arrow/ Alt+Ctrl+Down Arrow Option+Command+Up Arrow/ Option+Command+Down Arrow
Increase or decrease leading by five times (vertical text)* Alt+Ctrl+Right Arrow/ Alt+Ctrl+Left Arrow Option+Command+Right Arrow/ Option+Command+Left Arrow
Auto leading Shift+Alt+Ctrl+A Shift+Option+Command+A
Align to grid (on/off) Shift+Alt+Ctrl+G Shift+Option+Command+G
Auto-hyphenate (on/off) Shift+Alt+Ctrl+H Shift+Option+Command+H
Increase or decrease kerning and tracking (horizontal text) Alt+Left Arrow/Alt+Right Arrow Option+Left Arrow/ Option+Right Arrow
Increase or decrease kerning and tracking (vertical text) Alt+Up Arrow/ Alt+Down Arrow Option+Up Arrow/ Option+Down Arrow
Increase or decrease kerning and tracking by five times (horizontal text) Alt+Ctrl+Left Arrow/ Alt+Ctrl+Right Arrow Option+Command+Left Arrow/ Option+Command+Right Arrow
Increase or decrease kerning and tracking by five times (vertical text) Alt+Ctrl+Up Arrow/ Alt+Ctrl+Down Arrow Option+Command+Up Arrow/ Option+Command+Down Arrow
Increase kerning between words* Alt+Ctrl+\ Option+Command+\
Decrease kerning between words* Alt+Ctrl+Backspace Option+Command+Delete
Clear all manual kerning and reset tracking to 0 Alt+Ctrl+Q Option+Command+Q
Increase or decrease baseline shift** (horizontal text) Shift+Alt+Up Arrow/ Shift+Alt+Down Arrow Shift+Option+Up Arrow/ hift+Option+Down Arrow
Increase or decrease baseline shift** (vertical text) Shift+Alt+Right Arrow/ Shift+Alt+Left Arrow Shift+Option+Right Arrow/ Shift+Option+Left Arrow
Increase or decrease baseline shift by five times (horizontal text) Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Up Arrow/ Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Down Arrow Shift+Option+Command+Up Arrow/ Shift+Option+Command+Down Arrow
Increase or decrease baseline shift by five times (vertical text) Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Right Arrow/ Shift+Alt+Ctrl+Left Arrow Shift+Option+Command+Right Arrow/ hift+Option+Command+Left Arrow
Automatically flow story Shift–click loaded text icon Shift–click loaded text icon
Semi-automatically flow story Alt–click loaded text icon Option–click loaded text icon
Recompose all stories Alt+Ctrl+/ Option+Command+/
Insert current page number Alt+Ctrl+N Option+Command+N

*Press Shift to increase or decrease kerning between words by five times.
**Amount is set in Edit > Preferences > Units & Increments (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Units & Increments (Mac OS).

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Keys for viewing documents and document workspaces

Result Windows Mac OS
Temporarily select Hand tool Spacebar (with no text insertion point), Alt-drag (with text insertion point), or Alt+spacebar (in both text and non-text modes) Spacebar (with no text insertion point), Option–drag (with text insertion point), or Option+spacebar (in both text and nontext modes)
Temporarily selectZoom Intool Ctrl+spacebar Command+spacebar
Temporarily selectZoom Outtool Alt+Ctrl+spacebar or Alt+Zoom Intool Option+Command+spacebar or Option+Zoom In tool
Zoom to 50%, 200%, or 400% Ctrl+5, 2, or 4 Command+5, 2, or 4
Redraw screen Shift+F5 Shift+F5
Open new default document Ctrl+Alt+N Command+Option+N
Switch between current and previous zoom levels Alt+Ctrl+2 Option+Command+2
Switch to next/previous document window Ctrl+~ [tilde]/ Shift+Ctrl+F6 or Ctrl+Shift+~ [tilde] Command+F6 or Command+~ [tilde]/ Command+Shift+~ [tilde]
Scroll up/down one screen Page Up/Page Down Page Up/Page Down
Go back/forward to last-viewed page Ctrl+Page Up/ Ctrl+Page Down Command+Page Up/ Command+Page Down
Go to previous/next spread Alt+Page Up/ Alt+Page Down Option+Page Up/ Option+Page Down
Fit spread in window Double-click Hand tool Double-click Hand tool
Activate the Go To command Ctrl+J Command+J
Fit selection in window Ctrl+Alt+(+) [plus sign] Command+Option+(+) [plus sign]
Display the entire object Ctrl+Alt+(+) [plus sign] Command+Option+(+) [plus sign]
Go to Master/Parent Page while panel is closed Ctrl+J, type prefix of master, press Enter Command+J, type prefix of master, press Return
Cycle through units of measurement Shift+Alt+Ctrl+U Shift+Option+Command+U
Snap guide to ruler increments Shift–drag guide Shift–drag guide
Switch between page and spread guides (creation only) Ctrl–drag guide Command–drag guide
Temporarily turn on/off snap to   Control-drag object
Create vertical and horizontal ruler guides for the spread Ctrl–drag from zero point Command–drag from zero point
Select all guides Alt+Ctrl+G Option+Command+G
Lock or unlock zero point Right-click zero point and choose an option Control–click zero point and choose an option
Use current magnification for view threshold of new guide Alt–drag guide Option–drag guide
Select buttons in alert dialog boxes Press first letter of button name, if underlined Press first letter of button name
Show information on installed plug‑ins and InDesign components Ctrl+Help > About Design Command+InDesign menu > About InDesign

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Keys for working with XML

Result Windows Mac OS
Expand/Collapse element Right Arrow/Left Arrow Right Arrow/Left Arrow
Expand/Collapse element and child elements Alt+Right Arrow/ Alt+Left Arrow Option+Right Arrow/ Option+Left Arrow
Extend XML selection up/down Shift+Up Arrow/ Shift+Down Arrow Shift+Up Arrow/ Shift+Down Arrow
Move XML selection up/down Up Arrow/ Down Arrow Up Arrow/ Down Arrow
Scroll structure pane up/down one screen Page Up/ Page Down Page Up/ Page Down
Select first/last XML node Home/ End Home/ End
Extend selection to first/last XML node Shift+Home/ Shift+End Shift+Home/ Shift+End
Go to previous/next validation error Ctrl+Left Arrow/ Ctrl+Right Arrow Command+Left Arrow/ Command+Right Arrow
Automatically tag text frames and tables Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F7 Command+Option+Shift+F7

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Keys for indexing

Result Windows Mac OS
Create index entry without dialog box (alphanumeric only) Shift+Ctrl+Alt+[ Shift+Command+Option+[
Open index entry dialog box Ctrl+7 Command+7
Create proper name index entry (last name, first name) Shift+Ctrl+Alt+] Shift+Command+Option+]

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Keys for panels

Result Windows Mac OS
Delete without confirmation Alt-click Delete icon Option-click Delete icon
Create item and set options Alt-click New button Option-click New button
Apply value and keep focus on option Shift+Enter Shift+Enter
Activate last-used option in last-used panel Ctrl+Alt+~ [tilde] Command+Option+~ [tilde]
Select range of styles, layers, links, swatches, or library objects in a panel Shift-click Shift-click
Select nonadjacent styles, layers, links, swatches, or library objects in a panel Ctrl-click Command-click
Apply value and select next value Tab Tab
Move focus to selected object, text, or window Esc Esc
Show/Hide all panels, Toolbox, and Control panel (with no insertion point) Tab Tab
Show/Hide all panels except the Toolbox and Control panel (docked or not) Shift+Tab Shift+Tab
Open or close all stashed panels Ctrl+Alt+Tab Command+Option+Tab
Stash a panel group Alt+drag any panel tab (in the group) to edge of screen Option+drag any panel tab (in the group) to edge of window
Select item by name Alt+Ctrl-click in list, and then use keyboard to select item by name Option+Command-click in list and then use keyboard to select item by name
Open the Drop Shadow panel Alt+Ctrl+M Command+Option+M

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Keys for the Control panel

Result Windows Mac OS
Toggle focus to/from Control panel Ctrl+6 Command+6
Toggle Character/Paragraph text attributes mode Ctrl+Alt+7 Command+Option+7
Change reference point when proxy has focus Any key on the numeric keypad or keyboard numbers Any key on the numeric keypad or keyboard numbers
Display the pop-up menu that has focus Alt+Down Arrow
Open Units & Increments Preferences Alt-click Kerning icon Option-click Kerning icon
Open the Text Frame Options dialog box Alt-click Number Of Columns icon Option-click Number of Columns icon
Open the Move dialog box Alt-click X or Y icon Option-click X or Y icon
Open the Rotate dialog box Alt-click Angle icon Option-click Angle icon
Open the Scale dialog box Alt-click X or Y Scale icon Option-click X or Y Scale icon
Open the Shear dialog box Alt-click Shear icon Option-click Shear icon
Open Text Preferences Alt-click Superscript, Subscript, or Small Caps button Option-click Superscript, Subscript, or Small Caps button
Open the Underline Options dialog box Alt-click Underline button Option-click Underline button
Open the Strikethrough Options dialog box Alt-click Strikethrough button Option-click Strikethrough button
Open the Grids Preferences Alt-click Align To Baseline Grid, or Do Not Align To Baseline Grid button Option-click Align To Baseline Grid, or Do Not Align To Baseline Grid button
Open the Drop Caps & Nested Styles dialog box Alt-click Drop Cap Number Of Lines, or Drop Cap One Or More Characters icon Option-click Drop Cap Number Of Lines, or Drop Cap One Or More Characters icon
Open the Justification dialog box Alt-click Leading icon Option-click Leading icon
Open Named Grid dialog box Double-click Named Grid icon Double-click Named Grid icon
Open New Named Grid Options dialog box Alt-click Named Grid icon Option-click Named Grid icon
Open Frame Grid Options dialog box Alt-click Number of characters Horizontal, Number of Characters Vertical, Character Aki, Line Aki, Vertical Scale, Horizontal Scale, Grid View, Font Size, Number of Columns, or Column Gutter icon Option-click Number of characters Horizontal, Number of Characters Vertical, Character Aki, Line Aki, Vertical Scale, Horizontal Scale, Grid View, Font Size, Number of Columns, or Column Gutter icon

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Keys for type panels and dialog boxes

Result Windows Mac OS
Open Justification dialog box Alt+Ctrl+Shift+J Option+Command+Shift+J
Open Paragraph Rules dialog box Alt+Ctrl+J Option+Command+J
Open Keep Options dialog box Alt+Ctrl+K Option+Command+K
Activate Character panel Ctrl+T Command+T
Activate Paragraph panel Ctrl+Alt+T Command+Option+T

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Keys for the character and paragraph styles

Result Windows Mac OS
Make character style definition match text Select text and press Shift+Alt+Ctrl+C Select text and press Shift+Option+Command+C
Make paragraph style definition match text Select text and press Shift+Alt+Ctrl+R Select text and press Shift+Option+Command+R
Change options without applying style Shift+Alt+Ctrl-double-click style Shift+Option+Command-double-click style
Remove style and local formatting Alt-click paragraph style name Option-click paragraph style name
Clear overrides from paragraph style Alt+Shift-click paragraph style name Option+Shift-click paragraph style name
Show/hide Paragraph and Character Styles panels, respectively F11, Shift+F11 Command+F11, Command+Shift+F11

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Keys for the Tabs panel

Result Windows Mac OS
Activate Tabs panel Shift+Ctrl+T Shift+Command+T
Switch between alignment options Alt-click tab Option-click tab

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Keys for the Layers panel

Result Windows Mac OS
Select all objects on layer Alt-click layer Option-click layer
Copy selection to new layer Alt-drag small square to new layer Option-drag small square to new layer
Add new layer below selected layer Ctrl-click Create New Layer Command-click Create New Layer
Add new layer to the top of the layer list Shift+Ctrl-click Create New Layer Shift+Command-click Create New Layer
Add new layer to the top of the layer list and open New Layer dialog box Shift+Alt+Ctrl-click Create New Layer Cmd+Option+Shift-click Create New Layer
Add new layer and open New Layer dialog box Alt-click Create New Layer Option-click Create New Layer

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Keys for the Pages panel

Result Windows Mac OS
Apply master to selected page Alt-click master Option-click master
Base another Master/Parent Page on selected master Alt-click the master you want to base the selected master on Option-click the master you want to base the selected master on
Create Master/Parent Page Ctrl-click Create New Page button Command-click Create New Page button
Display Insert Pages dialog box Alt-click New Page button Option-click New Page button
Add new page after last page Shift+Ctrl+P Shift+Command+P

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Keys for the Color panel

Result Windows Mac OS
Move color sliders in tandem Shift-drag slider Shift-drag slider
Select a color for the nonactive fill or stroke Alt-click color bar Option-click color bar
Switch between color modes (CMYK, RGB, LAB) Shift-click color bar Shift-click color bar

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Keys for using the Separations Preview panel

Result Windows Mac OS
Turn on Overprint preview Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Y Command+Option+Shift+Y
Show all plates Ctrl+Alt+Shift+~ [tilde] Command+Option+Shift+~ [tilde]
Show Cyan plate Ctrl+Alt+Shift+1 Command+Option+Shift+1
Show Magenta plate Ctrl+Alt+Shift+2 Command+Option+Shift+2
Show Yellow plate Ctrl+Alt+Shift+3 Command+Option+Shift+3
Show Black plate Ctrl+Alt+Shift+4 Command+Option+Shift+4
Show 1st Spot plate Ctrl+Alt+Shift+5 Command+Option+Shift+5
Show 2nd Spot plate Ctrl+Alt+Shift+6 Command+Option+Shift+6
Show 3rd Spot plate Ctrl+Alt+Shift+7 Command+Option+Shift+7

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Keys for the Swatches panel

Result Windows Mac OS
Create new swatch based on the current swatch Alt-click New Swatch button Option-click New Swatch button
Create spot color swatch based on the current swatch Alt+Ctrl-click New Swatch button Option+Command-click New Swatch button
Change options without applying swatch Shift+Alt+Ctrl-double-click swatch Shift+Option+Command-double-click swatch

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Keys for the Transform panel

Result Windows Mac OS
Apply value and copy object Alt+Enter Option+Enter
Apply width, height, or scale value proportionally Ctrl+Enter Command+Enter

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Keys for resolving conflicts between Mac OS 10.3x and 10.4

Result Mac OS
Open Preferences dialog box Command+K
Open Paragraph Styles panel Command+F11
Open Character Styles panel Command+Shift+F11
Open Swatches panel F5
Open Pages panel Command+F12
Minimize active application window Command+M
Hide application Command+H

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