Why can't I select multiple objects?

[Jeff33740050deru]

I'm trying to resize several images together on a page. I try to select more than one image frame by holding Shift, but it doesn't register. It simply deselects the previous image frame and selects the new one. If I try dragging from outside of the document's borders, it selects the image frames but also selects other frames I drag across. I thought perhaps it has something to do with the images each being anchored to different text, but I just tried importing a few images without anchors and still I can't use shift to select them all. Any ideas? I'm using 19.5.4 on Windows 10. Thank you.

[Jeff33740050deru]

Actually, when the objects are side by side, Shift clicking works to select multiple. But when they are vertically arranged it doesn't.

[leo.r]

I'm using 19.5.4 on Windows 10. 

By @Jeff33740050deru

And do you have the same problem with InDesign 20.x (2025)? You can install it in addition to your InDesign 2024 (just make sure to deselect the option to remove older versions when installing).

[Jeff33740050deru]

I don't really want to install a new version at this time. Was there an issue with selecting multiple objects before the new version?

[leo.r]

I don't really want to install a new version at this time. Was there an issue with selecting multiple objects before the new version?

By @Jeff33740050deru

No there was no such an issue. If you do have the problem with both InDesign 2024 and 2025, this would mean one thing, while if the problem is only with 2024, this would mean something different.

Try to do these general troubleshooting steps:

https://www.rockymountaintraining.com/adobe-indesign-rebuilding-preferences-cache/

Also, are you using any window management utilities such as Magnet or corporate security software? If you do, try to disable them and see if it makes a difference.

[Jeff33740050deru]

Okay. Thanks. I'll give it a try.

[Jeff33740050deru]

Reset Preferences on Quit didn't work. I guess I'll just deal with the inconvenience for now. I can work around it. Thanks.

[jmlevy]

I thought perhaps it has something to do with the images each being anchored to different text

It seems to me that anchored frames in a text frame can only be selected one by one, not simultaneously.

[rob day]

Hi @Jeff33740050deru , Just to clarify, are any of the objects you are trying to select grouped? Here I’ve selected a group not the objects inside:

And, can you select multiple objects from the Layers panel via shif-clicking individual objects’ selection icons?

[Jeff33740050deru]

Rob, I do not have the images grouped. I can indeed Shift Click under Layers to select multiple items under the 1 Layer I'm using. I haven't applied other layers.

[Laubender]

Hi Jeff,

could you provide a sample InDesign document, just one page, where you see the issue?

You say: " … If I try dragging from outside of the document's borders, it selects the image frames but also selects other frames I drag across."

Well yes, you could try to deselect the frames you do not need by holding the Shift key and click the ones not needed.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

[Jeff33740050deru]

Uwe, I think your suggestion to share a one page document led me to realize it probably has to do with the combination of text anchoring and text wrap. I created a new one page document to share with you, and shift click worked fine with anchored text until I applied text wrap to one of the two images I placed among the text. Now shift clicking the two images doesn't work. I'm attaching the document here.

[Joel Cherney]

@jmlevy did have the right answer, a few days ago, but no one seems to have noticed.

Certain kinds of object are not multi-selectable in InDesign. So, you should be able to e.g. shift-select three normal frames with text in them. However, anchored objects are not multi-selectable. You can only select one anchored object at a time with the Selection tool.

The phrase "anchored text" doesn't have a definition, formally speaking, in InDesign. You have one text frame, and in that text frame you have anchored two objects - two frames - each one containing a linked image. There is no way to select both of those images at the same time, because they are anchored objects. I feel certain about this because (I'm heaving a big sigh, over here) I'm working on a massive project with dozens of target languages, where the source InDesign file contained many thousands of anchored objects of all descriptions. I've had to write scripts to automate actions that have to happen to many anchored objects, because I can't just multi-select all of the whatevers on each page (images, anchored text frames, form fields, et cetera) and apply a single operation to them. 

@jmlevy 's answer from July 3rd is the correct one.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @Jeff33740050deru,

Thank you so much for sharing the additional details and the test document. That really helps a lot.

Allow me some time to test this on my end and get back to you. In the meantime, could you please try testing this in the latest InDesign version, 20.4.1, and let me know if the same behavior occurs there as well?

Looking forward to hearing your update and I'll circle back as soon as I have more information from my side.

Abhishek 

[jmlevy]

@Abhishek Rao @Laubender @rob day @leo.r 

I wrote this in my first answer (July 3rd): it seems to me that it has always been impossible to select multiple image frames when they are anchored…

Am I wrong?

[Laubender]

@jmlevy said: "Am I wrong?"

No.

Exactly that is not possible:

Selecting more than one image of a couple of images that are anchored ( or one image that is anchored and a couple of others that are not anchored. )

Like the situation we see in Jeff's InDesign document that he has provided.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

[Jeff33740050deru]

Oh wow. I'm sorry. Somehow I missed that July 3rdreply.

[leo.r]

@Abhishek Rao @Laubender @rob day @leo.r 

I wrote this in my first answer (July 3rd): it seems to me that it has always been impossible to select multiple image frames when they are anchored…

Am I wrong?

By @jmlevy

Well. The confusion arose due to OP's claim that he couldn't select even non-anchored images (at least when I was replying):

> but I just tried importing a few images without anchors and still I can't use shift to select them all.

Which is why I posted a standard set of troubleshooting suggestions, as it appeared that the author had some kind of a general issue not limited to anchored objects.

And just a few hours ago, OP also stated:

> and shift click worked fine with anchored text until I applied text wrap to one of the two images

I know that @Joel Cherney has posted a detailed reply to this, so I'm not sure how text wrap could affect multiple image selection. I guess there was some kind of confusion during the selection process.

[Jeff33740050deru]

Apparently, when I imported a few images without anchors into the original large document that I'm working on it applied the text wrap to it, so those images couldn't be selected using Shift clicking. When I created the new one page document I recognized the text wrap issue.

[leo.r]

applied the text wrap to it, so those images couldn't be selected using Shift clicking. When I created the new one page document I recognized the text wrap issue.

By @Jeff33740050deru

Frankly, I'm not sure what "text wrap issue" you're referring to. Normally, text wrap shouldn't affect the ability to select multiple objects using Shift.

[Jeff33740050deru]

Yeah, I'm confused about it. Maybe it has nothing to do with the weird wrap and it just glitched on me in the large document for whatever reason. I suppose it doesn't matter much at this point. Using the properties panel I found a workaround by copying and pasting values for the resizing of multiple objects so that they match one another. Thank you all for trying to help.