Use the Type tool to place an insertion point for the hyphen in your text.
Last updated on
Jun 2, 2026
Learn how to manage manual and automatic hyphenation, prevent unwanted word breaks, and refine text flow in Adobe InDesign.
Hyphenation controls how words break at line ends. InDesign supports automatic hyphenation based on dictionary rules and manual hyphenation using discretionary hyphens. Hyphenation works in conjunction with justification and composition settings to determine final line breaks.
Insert a discretionary hyphen manually
Use manual hyphenation to control word breaks by inserting discretionary hyphens, which appear only at the end of a line.
Select Type > Insert Special Character > Hyphens and Dashes > Discretionary Hyphen. Place a discretionary hyphen at the beginning of a word to prevent it from hyphenating anywhere.
Turn on and adjust automatic hyphenation
Automatic hyphenation applies dictionary-based rules to break words consistently throughout your selected text.
Place your pointer in a paragraph or select multiple paragraphs.
Open the Paragraph panel by selecting Window > Type & Tables > Paragraph.
Select the Hyphenate option.
Select the Paragraph panel menu icon, then select Hyphenation.
Set the following values:
- Words with at Least: Minimum number of characters a word must have to be hyphenated.
- After First: Minimum number of characters before a hyphen (typically 2-3).
- Before Last: Minimum number of characters after a hyphen (typically 2-3).
- Hyphen Limit: Maximum consecutive lines that can end with hyphens (0 allows unlimited hyphens).
- Hyphenation Zone: Amount of allowable white space at line ends in unjustified text (larger values reduce hyphenation).
Move the slider between Better Spacing and Fewer Hyphens to balance visual spacing against hyphen frequency.
Deselect Hyphenate Capitalized Words to prevent proper nouns and sentence-initial words from hyphenating.
Deselect Hyphenate Last Word to prevent the final word in a paragraph from hyphenating.
Deselect Hyphenate Across Column to prevent words from hyphenating across column, frame, or page boundaries.
Select OK.
Turn off hyphenation
Turning off hyphenation prevents InDesign from breaking words at line endings. You can apply this per paragraph or through paragraph styles, and InDesign will adjust spacing and line breaks without using hyphens.
Turn off hyphenation from the Paragraph panel
Select the paragraph or text frame where you do not want hyphenation.
Open the Paragraph panel by selecting Type > Paragraph.
Deselect the Hyphenate checkbox.
Turn off hyphenation using Hyphenation Settings
Select the paragraph or text frame where you do not want hyphenation.
Select Type > Paragraph.
From the Paragraph panel menu icon, select Hyphenation.
In the Hyphenation Settings dialog box, deselect the Hyphenate checkbox.
Select OK.
Prevent unwanted word breaks
Use nonbreaking characters to prevent specific text from breaking across lines. Nonbreaking spaces keep words together as a unit, while nonbreaking hyphens prevent breaks at hyphens. These controls apply to selected text and work independently of hyphenation settings.
Prevent text from breaking
Select the text you want to keep on the same line.
Select Type > Character.
Select the Character panel menu icon and then select No Break. You can also prevent a word from breaking by inserting a discretionary hyphen at its beginning. Press Ctrl + Shift + - (Windows) or Command + Shift + - (macOS) before the word.
Insert a nonbreaking hyphen
Place your pointer where you want to insert the hyphen.
Select Type > Insert Special Character > Hyphens and Dashes > Nonbreaking Hyphen.
Insert a nonbreaking space
Place your pointer where you want to insert the space.
Select Type > Insert White Space > Nonbreaking Space or Nonbreaking Space (Fixed Width).
Note
The Nonbreaking Space varies in width depending on point size, justification, and word spacing. In contrast, the Nonbreaking Space (Fixed Width) character maintains the same width regardless of context.
Create print and digital materials with InDesign
Design impactful ads, magazine and book layouts, and more.
