Hyphenation is beneficial in many circumstances, although it doesn’t always have the desired effect. From the standpoints of readability and aesthetic design, some designers also dislike hyphenation. However, InDesign enables you to alter how it is used or even turn it off entirely.

You can turn off hyphenation by selecting the text using the type tool, opening the Paragraph window, and disabling the Hyphenation option. This option is quick and easy, but not recommended when working with larger documents.

Keep reading below for more ways to turn off hyphenation in InDesign.

Three Easy Ways to Turn Off Hyphenation in InDesign

If you’re searching for a quick fix, you can immediately turn off hyphenation by following the techniques below.

For more information on how to turn off hyphenation in InDesign, watch this video below:

1. Use the Type tool to select any text you wish to modify, access the Paragraph window, and uncheck the Hyphenate option.
2. The same parameter may be used to disable hyphenation on a single word rather than a broader block of text. Select the word that has to be changed using the Type tool, and then, within the Paragraph window, uncheck the Hyphenate option.
3. On individual terms, the same technique is applied, but with a small variation. Choose the word you wish to change, then select No Break from the Control Panel menu. This stops InDesign from hyphenating the term or otherwise truncating it.

Although quick and efficient, these techniques are not regarded as “best practices” and are often applied to small documents with simple style structures. 

Read on to learn how to use paragraph styles to disable hyphenation in InDesign if you’re dealing with a lengthy document or wish to cultivate solid InDesign habits.

Using Styles to Disable Hyphenation

Setting up paragraph styles for your content is excellent for lengthy and complicated projects. Although a thorough explanation of paragraph styles merits its section, the fundamental concept is quite straightforward: paragraph styles function as reusable style templates to expedite the creative process.

Basic Paragraph is the default paragraph style applied to all text in InDesign, but you may create as many other styles as you like, each with its own special text changes.

Suppose you’re developing a non-fiction book, for instance. In that case, you may set up every description to employ the same paragraph style and adjust every caption’s typeface, point size, color, etc., at once by simply changing the paragraph style template. 

Then you may follow the same steps to create new footnote styles, paragraph styles for the pull quotations, etc.

Step 1: Launch Paragraph Styles

Launch the Paragraph Styles panel to turn off hyphenation for that particular paragraph type. From the Window menu, pick the Styles submenu, and then click Paragraph Styles if it isn’t already available in your workspace. 

Alternatively, press Command + F11 on the keyboard (or just F11 on its own if you’re using a Computer).

Step 2: Open Paragraph Styles Settings

Double-click the paragraph style you wish to alter in the Paragraph Styles window. This will launch the Paragraph Style Options dialogue window, which provides every parameter you could ever use with style and covers almost all of InDesign’s text editing capabilities!

Step 3: Disable Hyphenation

Uncheck the Hyphenate option and choose the Hyphenation tab from the window’s left pane. Just like that, the problem is solved! The hyphenation will no longer be used when you add that paragraph style to any content in your project.

Configuring InDesign’s Hyphenation Options

Although the default settings for InDesign are okay, they can lead to some undesirable outcomes. You can alter the hyphenation settings if you do not wish to eliminate all hyphenation but instead only want to manage how it’s used.

• Choose the paragraph or text frame that needs adjustment first. Click the symbol with three vertical lines at the right side of the Control Panel to access the panel menu, and then pick Hyphenation from the list that appears.
• Changing these options allows InDesign’s hyphenation to be reduced without being entirely disabled.
• While most controls are intuitive, the Better Spacing / Fewer Hyphens slider may be used to alter the text’s overall aesthetic subtly.
• The Hyphenation Zone is yet another helpful option that regulates how close a word needs to be to the text frame’s edge for the other hyphenation rules to be implemented. Ensure the Preview setting is on so you can instantly see the effects of your adjustments.

For even more fine-grained control over the hyphenation settings in your InDesign project, you may apply the exact same settings using the paragraph style approach outlined previously.

Conclusion

And with that, you know how to disable hyphenation in InDesign! As you may have thought, InDesign’s hyphenation settings might be complicated, but there are many customization choices worth looking into until you find the right fit for your layout.

In the end, the choice is up to you and your design aesthetic, so go back to text settings!