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Participant
August 7, 2012
Answered

Can't select objects or edit text on newly inserted page

  • August 7, 2012
  • 5 replies
  • 99905 views

Hello -

I'm very new to InDesign and have some beginner-level experience with other Adobe products (Illustrator and Photoshop). I am using this annual report template to create a document. I can load the file in CS6 and edit existing text with no issues. However, when I add additional pages by going to Layout -> Pages -> Insert Pages, all of the text and objects on the newly inserted page are locked and I can't edit anything. The "unlock all on spread" option under "Objects" is grayed out, I changed my general preferences to allow selection of locked objects, I checked to make sure none of the layers are locked, and I don't see an unlock icon anywhere when I hover over the upper left of any individual text box (all solutions I found in other threads when I googled this).

Not sure if maybe this is just a limitation of working with a template (in general or specifically this one), that they don't actually let you add new pages and you have to work with the existing ones? Any pointers (in amateur-speak) would be appreciated.

Correct answer Peter Spier

Not sure - I have six different masters labeled A-F and the items on all of them are locked. This is looking under the "pages" menu on the right side of the screen. Is there someone else I would go to see if I have more masters?


Master pages that are based on other masters will have a letter icon on them to indicate the master they're based on, just like document pages.

Master objects can be overridden on the document page by holding the Cmd (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows) + Shift keys and clicking on them with the selection tool.

5 replies

christ26342039
Participant
February 7, 2025

Alternative solution: I have been pulling my hair out with this. Checked all master pages, layer orders and my solution was nothing to do with those.

Text on certain spreads was not selectable because these spreads had HIDDEN spreads before and after them.

I turned all pages to visable and now I can select text on these pages!!

What a stupid glitch.

Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
February 7, 2025

@christ26342039

 

Yes, someone mentioned this buggy behavior before.

 

Participant
December 30, 2019

Amazing! finally a solution. Ive been in trouble with this for weeks!

Geоrge
Legend
March 1, 2017

Newbies are so funny

Remember, never say you can't do something in InDesign, it's always just a question of finding the right workaround to get the job done. © David Blatner
Sally Robison
Participant
March 5, 2018

Can you tell me why I cannot select items on an InDesign CC page when there are NO Master pages, AND, the items on the page are not "locked"?

Community Expert
March 5, 2018

Hi Sally,

the whole layer might be locked.
Just check the Layers panel.

Regards,
Uwe

Participant
September 22, 2015

Tried this:

Master objects can be overridden on the document page by holding the Cmd (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows) + Shift keys and clicking on them with the selection tool.

And it worked for me.

Thanks Peter Spier@

mary4uk
Participant
March 1, 2017

Thank you SO much for this answer.

Participant
August 7, 2012

Update - figured out how to view the master pages themselves, hoping that maybe that was the source of this issue and it was propogating to the new pages - and everything on those is also locked - "unlock all on spread" is still grayed out, but none of the layers are locked so I'm still at a loss.

BobLevine
Community Expert
Community Expert
August 7, 2012

Do you have masters based on masters? If so, you need to go to the parent master page.

Bob

Participant
August 7, 2012

Not sure - I have six different masters labeled A-F and the items on all of them are locked. This is looking under the "pages" menu on the right side of the screen. Is there someone else I would go to see if I have more masters?