How to Change Line Spacing (Leading) in InDesign

Learn how to change Line Spacing (Leading) in InDesign. Learn the basics at the start and everything else if you need it.

0:00 – Intro
Line spacing in the world of design is called Leading.

0:20 – Where to Find
The Leading field can be found in the Character, Control & Properties Panels. Look for the icon with two capital A’s, one sitting on top of the other.

3:10 – Calculations by InDesign
InDesign can do Math. If you have a font size of 7.5pt and a line spacing of 1.4, you don’t need to manually work out the Leading. Simply type “7.5*1.4” into the Leading field, press Enter/Return and InDesign will return the value of 10.5pt.

4:11 – Keyboard Shortcut
Alt/Option + Up/Down Arrow

To adjust the number of units changed each time the keyboard shortcut is activated, adjust the following within the Preferences…

Preferences – Units & Increments – Keyboard Increments – Size/Leading

5:43 – Character or Paragraph Setting
Leading is a character level option. To have InDesign treat it as a paragraph level option, set the following option within the Preferences…
Preferences – Type – Apply Leading to Entire Paragraphs

7:15 – Paragraph Styles
The Leading value can be found within the Basic Character Formats tab.

8:22 – Change Auto Default
The default Leading value of 120% can be changed. With text selected, open the Justification option within the InDesign menu in the upper right corner. The default for a Paragraph Style can also be changed within the Justification tab.

Duration: 00:09:18

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