Why Is InDesign Not Letting You Type?

InDesign is a handy online graphic design tool, but sometimes it can be frustrating. For instance, you may find that suddenly you cannot type while using the application. Typing is an essential function for graphic design work, and, understandably, you will want to fix this as soon as you can.

To troubleshoot typing difficulties on InDesign, it can be helpful to change the default font. Additionally, it may be necessary to change the type size, other preferences in the default text box settings, or clean out cache files.

As a graphic designer, your time is important. If you find that you cannot type on InDesign, you will want to fix this as quickly as possible. Read on to learn more about the solutions you can try if your InDesign typing function stops working.

Typing Will Not Work on InDesign

Technical difficulties are inevitable at some point for every graphic designer. When InDesign does not let you type, it can be incredibly frustrating. This is a mystifying problem that could have various underlying causes. However, there are several solutions you can try to get your typing function working again as soon as possible.

Change Your Text Box Preferences

InDesign often relies on text boxes to make typing happen. So, if you notice that you are unable to type, your default solution should be to check your text box preferences to see if some adjustment in this area can be helpful.

You can check and change your text box preferences by following these steps:

  1. Open your text box settings: This can be done in one of two ways. You can go to the dropdown “Object” menu and then select “Text Frame Options.” Additionally, you can press Alt or Option (depending on your type of computer) and then click twice on the text frame you are hoping to edit.
  2. Check the font size: The first problem you can check is the default font size for your text box. Sometimes, this becomes too large, resulting in an inability to type within your drawn text box. Try reducing the font size, and see if this is an easy fix for your issue.
  3. Change the default font: New updates and other software changes can cause incompatibility between the default font and your computer. Within the Text Frame menu, you can change your default font. Though there is no one recommended font, experiment with a few different ones to amend the issue. You can then change the font to your desired style once the text is in place.
  4. Reset any changes to indents or spacing: Sometimes, you may have changed your settings while working on a text box and forgotten to change it back. A simple verification of your indentation and spacing settings can help make sure that this is not the hidden culprit.

Text box settings are thankfully straightforward to check and change. If you are encountering problems with typing in a text box, this should be your first step to solving the issue.

Clear Your Cache

If you are still having issues with typing or struggling to type in a different layer on the document, you can try deleting your InDesign cache files.

Depending on whether you have a Windows or Mac computer, the procedure for clearing out cache files will look slightly different. Either way, you will need to completely close the InDesign app, and then access your library feature or hidden files through your Finder or Control Panel.

Once you have located the App Data or Cache for Adobe InDesign, you can delete the file. Windows users may also be able to achieve results by renaming the folder as well. Keep in mind that you will need to delete or rename the most current version of InDesign.

It is worth noting that this solution will not completely delete the app. However, it will reset your preferences and hopefully solve whatever internal issue is preventing you from typing. If you want to keep some of your preferences, you should copy them beforehand.

Contact an Expert

If you find that the above solutions do not work and are still struggling to type in your document, it may be worthwhile to reach out to an expert and see how they can help you.

Adobe offers customer care that can usually be reached on their webpage. If your project is extremely time-sensitive and you need more immediate support, you can contact your local tech store to see if their service technicians might have some insight into how you can best fix the issue.

Though Adobe’s customer care is often included free of charge with your Adobe Suite subscription, remember that seeking the help of a technology expert may end up costing you money, and you should only use this as a last resort in case of a highly pressing issue.

Conclusion

Graphic designers are usually well-accustomed to the frustration of technology not working. While some design software, such as Placeit, are often very user-friendly, others can run into problems due to their software updating or other internal issues. One common issue that frustrates graphic designers on InDesign is the typing function suddenly not working. Beyond just being annoying, this can be a major limitation to projects.

When this happens, there are several steps you can take to amend it. First of all, you can try resetting your text box settings through the “Text Frame Options” menu. This is often the easiest and least invasive fix, and you can experiment with the default font, font size, indentation, and spacing to see if you can find the culprit. If this fails, try deleting your InDesign cache files on your computer to reset preferences.

Losing the ability to type on InDesign is frustrating, but it is not a lost cause. Try troubleshooting with these methods, and if all else fails, you can reach out to the help center or a tech support professional. Before you know it, you will be working on your projects with full functionality.