Palette Usage

[jobro1]

Do InDesign palettes open, close or group of their own accord? Maybe I'm crazy, but I'll have (for example) the color swatch palette open by itself, and later I'll look for it only to find it docked with another palette, or no longer open.

[Barb Binder · Accepted solution]

With docked, collapsed panels, only one is open at a time. For instance if the Pages panel is open:

And you open the Para Styles panel, the Pages panel closes.

Changing workspaces changes panel displays and groupings:

Also, you have panel controls under Preferences:

Finally, as an instructor, I routinely watch students undock panels and close them, unconsciously. They swear they didn't do it, but I watched and wait for the question about the missing panel. It happens All.The.Time!

[jane-e]

If your panels are collapsing immediately on use, then

in Barb's last screen shot, the command you are looking for is:

Auto-Collapse Icon Panels

Uncheck it if it is checked and your problem will go away

[jobro1]

Thanks for the advice! I wish there was a way to disable docking altogether; I like to keep my panels separated. They seem to be "sticky," so if you move one next to another, they automatically dock.