If you’re spending hours writing or editing in Adobe InCopy, mastering a few keyboard shortcuts can transform how you work.
These time-saving commands keep your hands on the keyboard, help you edit faster, and reduce menu-hunting frustration.
This guide lists the most essential InCopy keyboard shortcuts, plus tips for customizing and memorizing them to boost your daily productivity.
🧩 Why Keyboard Shortcuts Matter in InCopy
InCopy is designed for professional writers and editors who manage large text-heavy projects.
When you switch between views, apply styles, or track changes hundreds of times a day, even small time-savers add up.
Using shortcuts lets you:
✅ Edit text without leaving the keyboard
✅ Navigate between views and panels instantly
✅ Speed up approval and review workflows
✅ Maintain focus while writing
💡 Learning just 10–15 shortcuts can cut your editing time by up to 30%.
🖋️ Core Text Editing Shortcuts
| Action | Windows Shortcut | Mac Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Cut | Ctrl + X | Cmd + X |
| Copy | Ctrl + C | Cmd + C |
| Paste | Ctrl + V | Cmd + V |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z | Cmd + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Shift + Z | Cmd + Shift + Z |
| Select All | Ctrl + A | Cmd + A |
| Find Text | Ctrl + F | Cmd + F |
| Replace Text | Ctrl + H | Cmd + H |
| Insert Break Character | Enter | Return |
💡 Combine these with paragraph or character styles to keep your copy perfectly formatted.
🧭 Navigation Shortcuts
Quick navigation is key when managing multi-story or assignment-heavy files.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Move to Next Word | Ctrl + → | Option + → |
| Move to Previous Word | Ctrl + ← | Option + ← |
| Jump to Beginning of Line | Home | Cmd + ← |
| Jump to End of Line | End | Cmd + → |
| Scroll Up One Screen | Page Up | Fn + ↑ |
| Scroll Down One Screen | Page Down | Fn + ↓ |
💡 In long-form documents, combine “Page Down” with “Track Changes” toggling for fast reviewing.
📰 Formatting and Styles Shortcuts
InCopy’s professional formatting controls are some of its strongest features. These shortcuts make applying styles seamless:
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Bold | Ctrl + Shift + B | Cmd + Shift + B |
| Italic | Ctrl + Shift + I | Cmd + Shift + I |
| Underline | Ctrl + Shift + U | Cmd + Shift + U |
| Apply Paragraph Style | Ctrl + F11 | Cmd + F11 |
| Apply Character Style | Ctrl + F12 | Cmd + F12 |
| Justify Text | Ctrl + Shift + J | Cmd + Shift + J |
| Align Left | Ctrl + Shift + L | Cmd + Shift + L |
| Align Center | Ctrl + Shift + C | Cmd + Shift + C |
| Align Right | Ctrl + Shift + R | Cmd + Shift + R |
💡 Create style shortcuts for brand templates and reuse them across multiple documents.
🧾 Review and Collaboration Shortcuts
If you’re working in a newsroom, agency, or publishing team, these review shortcuts are your best friends.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle Track Changes | Ctrl + Shift + Alt + F | Cmd + Shift + Option + F |
| Accept Change | Ctrl + Alt + A | Cmd + Option + A |
| Reject Change | Ctrl + Alt + R | Cmd + Option + R |
| Add Note | Ctrl + Alt + N | Cmd + Option + N |
| Navigate to Next Note | Alt + Page Down | Option + Page Down |
| Navigate to Previous Note | Alt + Page Up | Option + Page Up |
💡 Keeping both the Notes and Track Changes panels open allows for faster collaborative reviews.
🧠 View and Workspace Shortcuts
Switching views helps you control how much layout information you see while writing or editing.
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Story View | Ctrl + 1 | Cmd + 1 |
| Galley View | Ctrl + 2 | Cmd + 2 |
| Layout View | Ctrl + 3 | Cmd + 3 |
| Show/Hide Panels | Tab | Tab |
| Reset Workspace | Shift + F10 | Shift + F10 |
| Zoom In | Ctrl + + | Cmd + + |
| Zoom Out | Ctrl + – | Cmd + – |
| Fit Page in Window | Ctrl + 0 | Cmd + 0 |
💡 Use “Story View” for drafting, “Galley View” for proofing, and “Layout View” for final reviews.
⚙️ Customizing Shortcuts
You can create or edit shortcuts to match your preferences or align them with other Adobe apps (like InDesign).
- Go to Edit → Keyboard Shortcuts.
- Choose a shortcut set or create a new one.
- Locate the command you want.
- Press your desired key combination.
- Click Assign → OK.
💡 Export your shortcut sets to share with your editorial team for workflow consistency.
🧭 Bonus Tip: Keep a Shortcut Cheat Sheet
Print or pin a quick-reference sheet beside your monitor — or save it as a PDF.
Once you internalize 20–30 commands, your editing process will feel nearly effortless.
💡 Adobe also offers an official InCopy shortcuts PDF on its help site for reference.
💰 Try Adobe InCopy for Free
If you’re new to InCopy, you can test these shortcuts firsthand with a free 7-day trial.
👉 Start your Adobe InCopy free trial here
You’ll immediately see how small time-savers make a big difference in your editorial productivity.
✏️ Final Thought
Keyboard shortcuts are one of the simplest ways to become an InCopy power user.
With just a few hours of practice, your editing, reviewing, and layout coordination will feel faster, smoother, and far more professional.
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