Inspiring

Answered

What's this blue underline, and how do I make it stop?

Forum|Forum|9 months ago
April 24, 2025
4 replies
1027 views

Suddenly I'm getting this annoying blue underline that won't let me type unless I hit the keyboard like 3 times...

Please help me make it stop 🙂

thx

How to

Correct answer Joel Cherney

[...] I can't screen-capture the little popup style thing, or whatever it is.

By @turner111

You mean this?

https://www.sketchbookb.com/journal/2016/10/2/whats-the-deal-with-the-blue-underlines-in-indesign-2015

That link is mostly still accurate; pretty good for something from 2016. But the feature has a new name, now:

"Show for Character Alternates, Fraction, Ordinals, and Ligatures." There's a similar "Show adornment on text selection" that you may also want to turn off.

Mike Witherell

Community Expert

I added this screen symbolism to my list of InDesign 2025 Onscreen Symbols, an exhaustive list of icons, adornments, white space characters, etc.

Mike Witherell

Community Expert

Robert and Turner,

OK, so this is a feature that I have turned off in Preferences since long ago. I never use it, and forgot it exists.

Preferences > Advanced Type > Type Contextual Controls > Show for Character Alternates, Fractions, Ordinals, and Ligatures

Mike Witherell

D

Dirk Becker

Legend

For the history of this feature, watch minutes 3 thru 7 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDb9TdUEEko

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

It's one of the "show text overrides" or "H&J violations"?

Mike Witherell

Community Expert

Robert, Is that something new? I have never seen that before. I thought maybe it was a blue underline.

Mike Witherell

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

Robert, Is that something new? I have never seen that before. I thought maybe it was a blue underline.

By @Mike Witherell

I think you're right - those violations should be on the left side of the TextFrame?

Mike Witherell

Community Expert

Is it part of an applied character style?

What do you really mean when you say "hit the keyboard 3 times"?

Mike Witherell

T

turner111Author

Inspiring

Hi Mike - I'm being literal.

When that line appears, it gives me alternate styles underneath. If I want to change that number to a 4, for example, I have to hit "4" 3 times.

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