Zoom Tool in Adobe InDesign

How to change the magnification view in InDesign

In Adobe InDesign, you'll find the Zoom button and related tools in the following locations: the magnifying glass tool in the Toolbox, the current magnification field in the lower corner of a document, in the magnification pop-up menu next to the current magnification field and in the View menu at the top of the screen. When you need to work up close and personal in InDesign, use the Zoom tool to enlarge your document.

These instructions work for both the Windows and Mac versions of Adobe InDesign CC.

Illustration of magnifying glass with + sign plus sign in it
 

Options for Zooming in InDesign

InDesign supports several different methods for increasing the zoom:

  • Choose the Zoom tool — the magnifying glass in the Toolbox — and then click an area in your document. You can choose the Zoom tool by clicking it or by using the keyboard shortcut Z. It zooms into the next larger view size based on your current magnification. Each additional click moves the magnification to the next present zoom percentage. To zoom back out, choose the Zoom tool, hold down the Option key on a Mac or the Alt key in Windows and then click on the document. Each click reduces the view. When in zoom-in mode, your mouse pointer becomes a magnifying glass with a plus sign. In the zoom-out mode, the magnifying glass has a minus sign. When the document is at maximum zoom, the magnifying glass is blank and displays no sign.
  • Temporarily select the zoom-in tool by holding down the Cmd+Spacebar keys on a Mac or the Ctrl+Spacebar keys in Windows to zoom in.
  • Switch to the Zoom tool using the Cmd or Ctrl+Spacebar keystroke combination and then click and drag a rectangular selection box around the area you want to zoom in on and release the mouse button. InDesign zooms in on that selection to make it fit the publication window.
  • Zoom to a specific magnification from 5 percent to 4000 percent by typing the percentage in the magnification field in the bottom corner and then pressing Return or Enter
  • Click on the arrow beside the magnification field to display the magnification menu and choose a preset increment.
  • Use the View menu to Zoom In or Zoom Out.

Additional Keyboard Shortcuts

Zoom Mac Windows
Actual size (100%) Cmd+1 Ctrl+1
200% Cmd+2 Ctrl+2
400% Cmd+4 Ctrl+4
50% Cmd+5 Ctrl+5
Fit Page in Window Cmd+0 (zero) Ctrl+0 (zero)
Fit Spread in Window Cmd+Opt+0 Ctrl+Alt+0
Zoom in Cmd++(plus) Ctrl++(plus)
Zoom out Cmd+-(minus) Ctrl+-(minus)
Format
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Your Citation
Bear, Jacci Howard. "Zoom Tool in Adobe InDesign." ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/zoom-tool-in-adobe-indesign-1078478. Bear, Jacci Howard. (2021, December 6). Zoom Tool in Adobe InDesign. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/zoom-tool-in-adobe-indesign-1078478 Bear, Jacci Howard. "Zoom Tool in Adobe InDesign." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/zoom-tool-in-adobe-indesign-1078478 (accessed March 28, 2024).