This wikiHow teaches you how to unlock "locked" objects, layers, and master page elements so they can be moved or manipulated in Adobe InDesign.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Unlocking Objects

  1. 1
    Open a file in Adobe InDesign. To do so, double-click on the pink app with the letters "Id," click on File in the menu bar, and click on Open…. Then select a document containing locked objects and click Open.
  2. 2
    Click the Selection Tool. It's the black pointer at the top of the Tools menu on the left side of the screen.
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  3. 3
    Click the object you want to unlock.
    • To select multiple items, press Ctrl (Windows) or (Mac) while clicking the objects you want to unlock.
  4. 4
    Click Object in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
  5. 5
    Click Unlock. The items you selected can now be moved or manipulated in the document.
    • Click Unlock All on Spread to unlock all the objects on the current spread (page).
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Unlocking Layers

  1. 1
    Click Window in the menu bar.
  2. 2
    Click Layers. Doing so opens the Layers window on the right side of the app.
  3. 3
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Unlocking Master-Page Elements

  1. 1
    Click Window in the menu bar.
  2. 2
    Click Pages. Doing so opens the Pages window on the right side of the app.
  3. 3
    Unlock the Master Page you want to change. To do so, press Ctrl+ Shift (Windows) or + Shift (Mac) while clicking on the Master Page thumbnail in the Pages window.
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About This Article

wikiHow Staff
Co-authored by:
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 303,090 times.
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Co-authors: 7
Updated: March 28, 2023
Views: 303,090
Categories: Adobe InDesign
Article SummaryX

1. Open a file in Adobe InDesign.
2. Click the Selection Tool.
3. Click the object you want to unlock.
4. Click Object.
5. Click Unlock.

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