How to Unlock Objects in InDesign

• To unlock a text box or other object, click the padlock icon in the top left corner of the object.
• Click "Object," followed by "Unlock all on spread" to unlock all objects within the page.
• Open the Layers menu and expand the layer with the locked object. Click the lock icon next to an object to unlock it.

Unlocking a Single Object

Click the Selection tool. It's the icon that resembles a black mouse cursor. It's in the toolbar which is generally on the left side of the screen.

Click the lock icon next to the object. When an object is locked, it will have a bounding box around it with a lock icon towards the upper-left side. Click the lock icon next to the object with the selection tool to unlock it. You can now move and manipulate the object.

Unlocking All Objects in a Spread

Click Object. It's in the menu bar at the top of the page. at the top of the screen.

Click Unlock All on Spread. This will unlock all objects within the page spread you are working on. You can now move and manipulate objects.

Using the Layers Menu

Click Window It's in the menu bar at the top of the page.

Click Layers. Doing so opens the Layers window on the right side of the app.

Click Android 7 Dropright next to the layer with the object you want to unlock. Doing so will list all objects in the layer below the layer name.

Click the lock icon next to the object you want to unlock. This will unlock the object and allow you to move and manipulate the object If the entire layer is locked, click the lock icon next to the layer name to unlock the entire layer.

Unlocking Master-Page Elements

Click Window. It's in the menu bar at the top of the page.

Click Pages. Doing so opens the Pages window on the right side of the app.

Press Ctrl+⇧ Shift (Windows) or ⌘+⇧ Shift (Mac) while clicking on the master page thumbnail. Doing so will unlock the master page and allow you to move and manipulate objects on the master page. Objects placed on the master page will appear on every page (i.e. page number, book title, column placement, etc). 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 window. To unlock all the Master Pages at the same time, click "▾" in the upper-right corner of the Pages window, then click Override All Master Page Items.