Skip to main content
D
danielruddiforth
Inspiring
August 16, 2024
Answered

How to Disable Trackpad Pinch Scaling for Images in InDesign on MacBook Air M3

  • August 16, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 1290 views

When I select an image inside a box, when I pinch on my trackpad to zoom in or out of the page, it scales the image up or down instead. I have to delsect the image to scale then select the image again. How do I turn this off?

 

Using Macbook Air M3 with the latest version of inDesign.

 

<Title renamed by MOD>

Correct answer danielruddiforth
Hi @Patric334576944kzk,
 

Thanks for sharing your experience—this sounds frustrating. Are you aware of any UserVoice requests related to this issue? If yes, please share the link here so others can upvote it and help prioritize it.

 

The pinch-to-zoom feature aligns with macOS's multi-finger touch functionality, so it’s designed to be consistent with how other apps behave. However, there is an option in InDesign preferences to turn off multi-touch gestures, but doing so will disable all multi-gesture functionality, not just the pinch-to-zoom.

 

I hope this explanation helps, but if it doesn’t address your concern, could you please elaborate on the issue further? Thanks!

 

Best regards,

Anshul Saini


hi there, yes I have added a UserVoice request for this https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601180-adobe-indesign-bugs/suggestions/48751832-pinch-gesture-in-macbook-changes-size-of-selected

2 replies

D
dpspearhead
Participant
June 9, 2025

This needs to be kept current. InDesign is non-functional for professionals who do deep-content long-form publishing -- which we do all the time.  These types of publications end up digital of course, but they leverage professional photography specifically shot for the publication as well as professional copywriting by real authorities.  This kind of work puts InDesign through it's paces -- which is what the program was intended for.  It has fallen into a gap (IMO) between IOS and MacOS.  Just turn off the gesture trackpad tools in Preferences and spend 20 minutes manipulating images inside image boxes in a layout.  Stick with it and break your pinch-gesture habit. Adobe isn't interested in solving this. We are a smaller portion of their market. Few pros today are working with multi-megabyte images at full print resolution. Adapt and charge your clients more since layout takes easily 30% longer than previous versions.  Also -- toggle "View >>Display-Performance" to "Typical Display."  It won't change appearance much, and it will reduce "some" of the lag that currently plagues InDesign.  

David Price
Abhishek Rao
Community Manager
Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
Community Manager
August 16, 2024

Hi @danielruddiforth,

 

Thanks for reaching out to the community! I understand how frustrating it can be when something like this disrupts your workflow.

 

To resolve this, you can try unchecking the "Enable Multi-touch Gestures" option. Here's how you can do that:

1. Go to InDesign > Preferences > Interface.
2. Uncheck "Enable Multi-touch Gestures.

Reference: 

This should prevent the pinch gesture from scaling your image and allow you to zoom in and out without interruption. 

 

Please let us know if this helps, or if you have any other questions! 

 

Thank you, 
Abhishek Rao  

D
danielruddiforthAuthor
Inspiring
August 16, 2024

Hi there. Thank you for replying.

 

I have done this but I now stops me from using the pinch gesture to zoom. I still want to use the pinch gesture to zoom in and out of the page, but turn off the scalling when I have an image selceted.

Abhishek Rao
Community Manager
Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
Community Manager
August 16, 2024

Hi @danielruddiforth,

 

I understand the inconvenience you're facing with the pinch gesture scaling images instead of zooming the page. Unfortunately, with the current settings in InDesign, disabling "Enable Multi-touch Gestures" will stop both scaling and zooming. 

 

A workaround is to temporarily deselect the image when you need to zoom. I understand that this functionality is important to you, and I apologize for its unavailability at this time. Would you mind creating a UserVoice for this feature request (Adobe InDesign (https://adobe.ly/4fGFQWZ)? Doing this will help us prioritize this request, and you will be notified of any updates.

 

Let me know if there’s anything else I can assist with!

 

Thank you, 
Abhishek Rao  

Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices