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A
Anonymous
September 10, 2020
Answered

Lock icon shows but won't unlock

  • September 10, 2020
  • 4 replies
  • 4282 views

When I lock items on a spread, the lock icon shows up, but clicking to unlock only works about 1/10 times. 90% of the time I have to unlock everything on the spread and then relock everything but the one item that I needed unlocked. How do I make it so I can always unlock a single item at a time without having to unlock the entire spread?

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Barb Binder

    You can lock objects and you can lock layers. When you are working with locking, I highly recommend working with the Layers panel open—that way you can see exactly what is going on, and you can lock/unlock only what you need. 

     

    ~Barb

     

    4 replies

    Eric Dumas
    Community Expert
    Eric DumasCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    September 12, 2020

    I place my cursor on the first lock cell in the panel

    press the mouse and stay pressed

    drag down to apply the lock/unlock to the layers below

    Ashutosh_Mishra
    Ashutosh_Mishra
    Inspiring
    September 12, 2020

    Hi there,

     

    Thanks for reaching out. In addition to great information shared by Barb and Uwe, I'd recommend checking out this help article to know more about lock/unlock objects in Adobe InDesign.

    Hope it helps.

     

    Regards,

    Ashutosh

    Barb Binder
    Community Expert
    Barb BinderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    September 12, 2020

    And I thought only Australians called me Bob! 😜

     

    ~Barb 

    ~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    September 10, 2020

    Hi Kim,

    even with an unlocked layer, it will also depend on your patience.

    If you near your cursor to the lock icon on the object you have to wait until the cursor is showing an unlocked lock. Then is the right time for a click to unlock the object.

     

    Regards,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

      Barb Binder
      Community Expert
      Barb BinderCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
      Community Expert
      September 10, 2020

      You can lock objects and you can lock layers. When you are working with locking, I highly recommend working with the Layers panel open—that way you can see exactly what is going on, and you can lock/unlock only what you need. 

       

      ~Barb

       

      ~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
        A
        Anonymous
        September 10, 2020

        Thank you! Not as simple/convenient as I would like, but it's still far better than having to unlock everything and then relock when I only need one thing undone. I'll be working with my Layers panel open from now on.

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