Select File > Export.
- InDesign User Guide
- Get to know InDesign
- Introduction to InDesign
- Workspace
- Generative AI
- Introduction to InDesign
- Create and layout documents
- Documents and pages
- Create documents
- Work with parent pages
- Work with document pages
- Set page size, margins, and bleed
- Work with files and templates
- Convert PDFs to InDesign files in InDesign (Beta)
- Create book files
- Add basic page numbering
- Number pages, chapters, and sections
- Convert QuarkXPress and PageMaker documents
- Share content
- Understand a basic managed-file workflow
- Save documents
- Grids
- Layout aids
- Documents and pages
- Add content
- Text
- Add text to frames
- Threading text
- South-East Asian Scripts
- Arabic and Hebrew features in InDesign
- Create type on a path
- Bullets and numbering
- Glyphs and special characters
- Text composition
- Text variables
- Generate QR codes
- Edit text
- Align text
- Wrap text around objects
- Anchored objects
- Linked content
- Format paragraphs
- Format characters
- Typography
- Format text
- Review text
- Spell check and language dictionaries
- Add references
- Styles
- Tables
- Interactivity
- Graphics
- Color and transparency
- Text
- Find and replace
- Share
- Publish
- Place, export, and publish
- Printing
- Extend InDesign
- Automation
- Troubleshooting
Learn how to create, and export dynamic PDF documents in Adobe InDesign for interactive and engaging digital content.
You can create interactive slideshows with dynamic PDF documents using buttons, multimedia elements, hyperlinks, bookmarks, and page transitions in InDesign. You can also set up documents in InDesign that can be converted to forms in Acrobat.
Export to Interactive PDF documents
-
-
Specify a location and a File name.
-
Select Use InDesign Document Name as the Output Filename if you want the exported PDF to have the same name as the name of the document from the next export.
-
Select Adobe PDF (Interactive) in Save as type (Windows) or Format (macOS) and select Save.
-
Specify options in the Export To Interactive PDF dialog box, and then click OK.
Create interactive documents for PDF
You can export Adobe PDF documents that include the following interactive features.
Bookmarks |
You can create Bookmarks in the InDesign document that appears in the Bookmarks tab on the left side of the Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader window. Each bookmark jumps to a page, text, or graphic in the exported PDF file. |
Movie and sound clips |
You can add movies and sound clips to a document or link to streaming video files on the Internet. These movies and sound clips can be played back in the exported PDF file. |
Hyperlinks |
You can click on a hyperlink in an exported PDF document to jump to another location in the same or a different document or a website. |
Cross-references |
A cross-reference refers readers from one part of your document to another in the exported PDF file. Cross-references are especially useful in user guides and reference manuals. When a document with cross-references is exported to PDF, the cross-references act as interactive hyperlinks. |
Page transitions |
Page transitions apply a decorative effect, such as a dissolve or wipe, when you turn the page in the exported PDF while in Full Screen Mode. |
There are four tabs that appear in the Export To Interactive PDF dialog:
General, Compression, Advanced, and Security.
Pages |
Indicate whether all pages in the document or a page range is included. If you select Range, specify a page range, such as 1-7,9, to print pages 1 through 7 and 9. |
Export As |
Indicate whether you want to export the document as pages or spreads. |
Create Separate PDF Files |
Select this option to create separate PDFs for each page or spread. |
Suffix |
Add a file name suffix like Incremental Numbers (^#), Page Number (^P), Page Size (^S), or a customized name for identification. |
To ensure that files can be shared smoothly between macOS and Windows, we recommend neither the use of illegal or reserved characters in file/folder names nor in dynamic strings. InDesign has taken a superset of these characters “ \ / : * ? " < > | “ (Windows and macOS), and they will be skipped in PNG, JPEG, and PDF export.
View |
Show the initial view settings of the PDF when it’s opened. |
Layout |
Show the initial layout of the PDF when it’s opened. |
Presentation |
|
Page Transitions |
Specify one page transition to apply to all pages during export. If you use the Page Transitions panel to specify transitions, select the From Document option to use those settings. |
Forms and Media |
|
Embed Page Thumbnails |
Select this to embed a thumbnail preview for each page in the PDF, increasing the file size. Deselect this setting when users of Acrobat 5.0 and later view and print the PDF; these versions generate thumbnails dynamically each time you select the Pages panel of a PDF. |
Create Acrobat Layers |
Select this to save each InDesign layer as an Acrobat layer within the PDF. The layers are fully navigable, which allows users of Acrobat 6.0 and later to generate multiple versions of the file from a single PDF. |
Include Hidden Spreads |
Select this option if you want to export the hidden spreads along with the other spreads of the documents. |
Create Tagged PDF |
Select this to automatically tag elements in the story based on a subset of the Acrobat tags that InDesign supports during export. This includes recognition of paragraphs, basic text formatting, lists, and tables. You can also insert and adjust tags in the document before exporting to PDF. |
Use Structure for Tab Order |
Use the Tab Order specified using Object > Interactive > Set Tab Order during export. This option is only available for tagged PDFs. |
Compression |
|
JPEG Quality |
Specifies the amount of detail in the exported image. The higher the quality, the larger the file size. If you select JPEG 2000 (Lossless) for Compression, this option is dimmed. |
Resolution |
Specify the resolution of bitmap images in the exported PDF. When you select a high resolution it significantly increases the file size. High resolution is especially important to allow viewers to zoom in on pixel-based content within your exported PDF. |
Display Title |
Select what to display in the title bar of Acrobat when it opens your PDF. Available options are Document Title and File Name. |
Language |
Select the document language for the PDF. This determines the default language for the exported PDF. If the required language isn't in the list, you can also type the standard language ISO code. |
Require a password to open the document |
Select this option to require users to type the password you specify to open the document. |
Document Open Password |
Specify the password that users must type to open the PDF file. |
Use a password to restrict printing, editing, and other tasks |
Select this option to restrict access to the PDF file’s security settings. If the file is opened in Adobe Acrobat, the user can view the file but must enter the specified Permissions Password to change the file’s Security and Permissions settings. If the file is opened in Illustrator, Photoshop, or InDesign, the user must enter the Permissions Password since it isn't possible to open the file in a view-only mode. |
Permissions Password |
Specify a password that is required to change the permissions settings. This option is available only if the previous option is selected. |
Printing Allowed |
Specify the level of printing that users are allowed for the PDF document.
|
Changes Allowed |
Defines which editing actions are allowed in the PDF document.
|
Enable copying of text, images and other content |
Lets users select and copy the contents of a PDF. |
Enable text access for screen reader devices for the visually impaired |
Lets visually impaired users read the document with screen readers, but doesn’t allow users to copy or extract the document’s contents. |
Enable plaintext metadata |
Lets users copy and extract content from the PDF. Select this option to allow storage/search systems and search engines to access metadata stored in the document. |
Create PDF forms (CS5.5 and CS5)
InDesign does not provide tools for adding form fields. You can use Adobe Acrobat for adding form fields. Design your form in InDesign with placeholders for radio buttons, check boxes, and text fields, then export to PDF and convert the placeholders into form fields using Acrobat.
-
In InDesign, create the document you want to use for the form. Use tables and text boxes to create the placeholders for the fields.
You can also add interactive buttons in InDesign.
-
Export the document to Adobe PDF.
-
Start the form wizard to convert the placeholders into form fields. Use the form tools to add and edit the form.
- Select Tools > Forms > Create in Acrobat X to start the form wizard.
- Select Forms > Start in Adobe Acrobat 9 to start the form wizard.
Preview interactive documents
Use the EPUB Interactivity Preview panel to preview the current selection, the current spread, or the entire document. You can resize, dock, or float the Preview panel, or move it to a second monitor.
-
Select Window > Interactive > EPUB Interactivity Preview.
-
To preview the interactivity and animation, do any of the following actions:
Select Set Preview Selection Mode to preview the current selection.
Select Set Preview Spread Mode to preview the current spread.
Select Set Preview Document Mode to preview the current document.
-
Select Play Preview to preview the selection, spread, or document. Select interactive items such as buttons in the Preview panel to test them if necessary.
While you preview the document, you can select the Go To Previous Page and Go To Next Page arrows at the bottom of the panel to move to different pages.
If you edit your document, you can refresh the preview by selecting the Play Preview button in the EPUB Interactivity Preview panel.
Use Presentation Mode
Presentation Mode (Shift + W) displays the active InDesign document as a presentation. The application menu, panels, guides, and frame edges are hidden in the Presentation mode. The background area has a dark color by default in case your document size is a different proportion from your current monitor dimensions.
Presentation Mode is a helpful companion feature to the Adobe Connect feature. You can start a web meeting by using the File > Share My Screen command. Once the screen sharing has started, you can put your InDesign document into Presentation Mode. You can also hide specific spreads in your InDesign document while in Presentation mode.
-
Go to View > Screen Mode > Presentation.
-
Use any of the following keystrokes.
Key
Action
Mouse click, Right arrow, or Page Down
Next Spread
Shift-click, Right-click, Left Arrow, or Page Up
Previous Spread
Esc
Exit Presentation Mode
Home
First Spread
End
Last Spread
B
Change background color to black
W
Change background color to white
G
Change background color to gray
You cannot edit the document in Presentation Mode. However with a dual screen monitor, you can have two windows open on the same document and put one of them into Presentation Mode. This approach lets you edit the document in the window set to Normal view and immediately see the results in the window set to Presentation Mode.
Have a question or an idea?
We would love to hear from you. Share your thoughts with the Adobe InDesign Community.