Overset text doesn't scale with the text frame

[Trancilian]

When I have text that is out of frame (overset), I usually resize the textframe to check for any issues, and then resize the entire frame while holding command + shift to scale down the entire text while keeping the tracking and leading proportionally to the original. However I noticed today that any text that is still overset will be ignored with this scaling. Resulting in parts of the text being too big. The same happens when I scale using the percentages from the top toolbar. When I scale a textframe that is completely overset, none of the text will get scaled. 

I've added a video with an example of this behaviour. What I would expect is for all the text to scale down proportionally, even when it's cut off. Except for when the text continues in another textframe. I suppose this may be the reason why it works this way, since it would influence how much text can fit the frame while also affecting the size of that text. It would at least make sense to me to allow users to scale everything within a text frame when the text does not continue elsewhere in another textframe, by using the combinations of keys I mentioned earlier. 

If anyone knows of easy ways to scale entire contents of an overset text frame proportionally I'd love to hear about it. Just selecting all and resizing text would mess up the line height and such, and won't work for text that has different sizes within one frame.

https://youtu.be/TtSjZn4JRLk

[HARSHIKA_VERMA]

Hi Trancilian,

Thank you for reaching out. We are unable to reproduce the issue on our end. Would you mind telling us the version of InDesign installed on your machine? Does that happen with all files or with a specific file? 

Meanwhile, please try running InDesign in safe mode, and also try manually resetting the preferences by following the steps in this article

Let us know if that resolves the issue. 

Thanks,

Harshika

[Trancilian]

Hi, it's version 21.0/2026, and it behaves the same on Windows and Mac when I create a new document after a reboot.

Thank you for your suggestions, but how would resetting my preferences help? I would have to set up my indesign preferences all over again, which I'd rather not do. If it's a preference issue it's better to know what setting in the preferences causes this behaviour. Since the behaviour is the same on my desktop pc I doubt that would make any difference. 

[Randy Hagan]

You may want to try this:

• 1) Use your Black Arrow/Selection tool to scale the text frame to roughly the size you want.
• 2) Get your Text tool. 
• 3) Click anywhere in the text bock inside your text frame. If you can't see any text, just click inside the text frame with the Text tool. Then select all the text in the thread by either using the Edit>Select All menu command or using the keyboard shortcut Cmd/Ctrl+A, for Mac and Windows systems respectively.
• 4) Size the type in either your Control Panel or Character Panel to the point where it all shows in your roughly sized text frame. Make sure you can see all the type, and the red "+" sign is not showing in the exit bubble in your text frame. Format it inside the text frame as you would like the copyfit to appear in the end result.
• 5) Go back to your Black Arrow/Selection tool. Now you can use your Cmd+Shift+Drag workflow to size both all the text and the associated text frame proportionately.

You have to select all the type and roughly scale the type size inside the frame with text formatting. That's a Text tool function. Then you can proportionately scale the text frame. They are two separate functions. As you've discovered, if you don't do the text formatting first, you won't get the results you're looking for.

Hope this helps,

Randy

[Trancilian]

Appreciate you taking the time to answer. The thing is that resizing the text only works when all text has the same size, otherwise changing the text size will then make it all the same size (not keep it proportional).  Also, this will mess up any kerning and line height that's not set to automatic, since that needs to scale too. The only way I found for this specific situation, is to copy the text to a larger document so I can make the text frame large enough to have all text visible, and then scale it the normal way. Fortunately this specific situation isn't one I r0un into that often, this was a text I had in my library and I have no idea why it got so big (I think it was originally made in illustrator, maybe that's why).

I was actually looking for a way to copy formatted text from illustrator into indesign, without converting it to outlines. But that's for a different topic.

[Randy Hagan]

I can't imagine that changing the type size will automatically change any kerning. Changing the type size should only change the size of the type. If autoleading is necessary, I'd change my leading to roughly what I want after I get the proportional type frame sizing.

It sounds like you're using this trick to scale display type, rather than body text. Like you're working with display ads or posters/signage. You may find it better to do your scaling in Illustrator — or the entire design piece. Then save it in .ai format for in-house use or create a .pdf file for use out of house with embedded fonts and graphics, then if you need it, place that end product within your InDesign document.

Randy

[TᴀW]

Could you not just increase the size of the pasteboard (it's an option in Preferences). If your pasteboard was big enough, you'd have enough space presumably to enlarge the text frame so that there is no overset text, and that would avoid having to copy the frame to a bigger document.

By the way, if you are doing a lot of this, it might be worth taking a look at my (not free) https://www.id-extras.com/products/fit-text-to-frame/

It works in exactly the same way you describe (enlarges or reduces the text frame, then does the equivalent in scripting of shift-alt-dragging the corner). The result, of course, is more accurate and much quicker than could be done by hand.

[Willi Adelberger]

Better is always to use styles. Scale the text, create and apply a new paragraph style.

[Trancilian]

Thanks for your comment! I do like using styles. In my work it's usually not worth the extra time to set up styles unfortunately, but for larger documents I would. In this case I'm not sure if that would work with the individual kerning of characters. Or would it?

[Joel Cherney]

If anyone knows of easy ways to scale entire contents of an overset text frame proportionally I'd love to hear about it. Just selecting all and resizing text would mess up the line height and such, and won't work for text that has different sizes within one frame.

Whenever I catch someone doing what you are doing - scaling the frame to reduce text size proportionally - I always advise against doing so. I don't plan to do it to you, as you're not the direct report of someone who is paying me to fix your workflow! But you're running into one of maybe 15-20 reasons I've found over the years to avoid relying on frame scaling to handle text size. You're scaling the frame, not the text, and it's a preference choice  whether or not the contents scale along with the frame (Edit -> Preferences -> General -> "When Scaling"). So it's unsurprising to me that text that currently isn't inside the frame doesn't scale when you scale the frame. The overset text, on the other side of the red + symbol, is from InDesign's view not inside the frame. 

The kind of tool I'd assume you'd want to use is one like @TᴀW 's Fit Text to Frame. I wrote my own clunky scripts to do this - I have requirements that vary from client to client, so I have one base script that increases or reduces the text size, leading, and paragraph spacing proportionally, which I modify for each client's regulatory/ADA/aesthetic/etc. requirements. It acts just like the "scale the contents of a given frame all at once" technique you use, but instead of addressing the text, it addresses the entire story.  But outside of a custom script, I can't see any way to achieve what you're trying to do, as there isn't any way to click on the entire story with the Selection tool if part of the story is overset.