/t5/indesign-discussions/copy-paste-into-a-primary-text-frame/td-p/15547903Oct 15, 2025
Oct 15, 2025
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I have a number of sources where I'm pulling information and do not want to do the tedious File>Place then edit down.
The copy-paste seems only reserved for regular text frames or overriding the parent; I don't want this option since updates to the parent won't carry through.
It's not good if I override, add text, then can't rely on the parent to help if other changes are needed on margins, etc. It seems basic across other tools, so not sure why we couldn't just copy-paste wherever, whenever.
I'm sorry, but you are sending some seriously mixed messages here. If all you want to do is paste text to a live page, just do it. Draw the frame and paste the text.
If you add guides to the parent page it's a piece of cake to snap the text frame to it.
/t5/indesign-discussions/copy-paste-into-a-primary-text-frame/m-p/15547919#M638561Oct 15, 2025
Oct 15, 2025
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Hi Maradr,
Not sure what you are asking. If you copy text from anywhere and paste in InDesign, it immediately makes a text frame. What are you wishing it would do?
I've already established primary text boxes for header and body text to be integrated. A simple copy-paste puts the text into a new text box... I don't want to recreate, resize, add more flow text boxes, etc., I want to work with the primary that is there already. Is there really no way to copy-paste into a primary text box?
No, there's not, and nor should there be. You could just drag out some guides where you want the frame to be and draw it on each page then paste your text in
Doing this for 20+ pages per document is expected? Ouch... perhaps it might be easier to work everything as much as possible outside of this tool before bringing together - is that typical?
Sounds like you're just starting with ID. It's a great tool, but hard to know best use scenario for you based on the questions you're asking. I've found the best way to get feedback from these user forums is to state what I'm trying to achieve and seeing the responses. Everyone has a prefered manner of working & using the app, some will work for you, some may not.
Yes, everything should be as finalized as possible before bringing it into InDesign. If you did that you could place the text and be done with it beyond the typical tweaking that's always needed.
Others seem to have a definite edge on working more within the tool then, as such splitting up of documents outside of InDesign then importing again and again is more tedium to get this tool to work well.
The problem is not with the way InDesign works; it's with your workflow. How long have you been using InDesign? Have you had any formal training? I'm not trying to be snarky, but I've been using InDesign since 1999 and I can tell you that one of the best features of the application is how master/parent pages work.
Worked with a lot of other tools (from FL Studio, AutoCAD, Revit, Canva, MS, Figma) and not so much with Adobe, but already know not to expect a quick-type bar to get to tools, etc. It seems the prework that needs to be done outside the tool is counterintuitive and causes yet more tedium. I could go into other comparisons, but the ones I've asked about so far are indicative of needing 50% prep work before doing the 50% rework of objects InDesign. Not meaning to be snarky either, but I'm seeing there are workarounds and things developed on Github that seem to solve basic issues that long time users may bark about if they are moved/changed.
/t5/indesign-discussions/copy-paste-into-a-primary-text-frame/m-p/15547981#M638571Oct 15, 2025
Oct 15, 2025
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You can just unlock the primary text frame on the page you're working on to paste the text. If you update other items on the parent page at a later time, those will carry over. Command + Shift click (Mac) on the primary text box to unlock only that.
I don't think so. If all you do is override it and paste into it, it should still be tied to the parent for anything you didn't override. So, if you change the size or position, the live pages should follow.
I haven't needed to do that with text frames in ages, so give it a try.
Ty, gave it a shot and didn't follow the parent change after without dragging the parent to be applied to the page. Perhaps there is another workaround.
As before, overriding breaks the link, so as before if we update the master, overridden items won’t update. It seems easier to just textbox per page instead of trying to follow any parent page setup... too much time wasted trying to have a standard when we'll need to go back and see if it worked on dozens of pages anyway.
When you override a parent item, any attribute that you do not change is still tied to the parent item. So, if you simply override and paste the text, any changes you make to size or position on the parent will cause the live page item to change. If you make those changes on the live page, then you will break the link. Try it EXACTLY as I outlined it.
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