When most people think of Adobe InDesign, they picture glossy magazines, sleek brochures, or perfectly typeset books. But InDesign is far more than just a page layout tool—it’s packed with hidden features that can dramatically speed up your workflow and open creative possibilities you may not have realized existed.
Whether you’re a student putting together a portfolio, a marketing pro designing proposals, or a seasoned creative director, these under-the-radar features can help you save time and create designs that stand out.
1. Automate Personalized Designs with Data Merge
Imagine needing to create 200 personalized invitations, business cards, or mailers. Doing this manually would take hours—but InDesign’s Data Merge feature does the heavy lifting for you.
By importing a spreadsheet (such as a CSV file with names, addresses, or custom fields), you can automatically populate templates and generate hundreds of variations with a single click. It’s one of those “set it and forget it” features that professionals rely on for efficiency.
2. Publish Online—No PDF Required
Most designers know how to export print-ready PDFs, but fewer realize that InDesign has a built-in Publish Online feature. This lets you instantly publish interactive documents to the web, complete with animations, videos, and hyperlinks—no web developer required.
Your document is hosted by Adobe, and you get a shareable link you can send to clients or post on social media. For marketers, it’s a fantastic way to distribute interactive presentations without worrying about file size or compatibility issues.
3. Master Text Styling with GREP
Formatting text can be one of the most time-consuming parts of design work. Enter GREP styles: a hidden powerhouse within InDesign that allows you to apply formatting rules automatically.
For example, you can set up a GREP style to automatically bold all instances of a company name, highlight phone numbers, or italicize foreign words. Instead of manually hunting down each one, InDesign does it for you—saving countless hours on large projects.
4. Create Interactive PDF Forms
Forms are often seen as the territory of Acrobat, but InDesign lets you build fillable PDF forms directly in your layout. You can add buttons, checkboxes, dropdowns, and text fields, all styled to match your brand.
This is particularly useful for creating onboarding documents, event registrations, or feedback forms that look polished and professional while remaining fully interactive. Here’s a full step-by-step guide to creating fillable PDF forms in InDesign
5. Collaborate More Smoothly with Shared Libraries
Adobe Creative Cloud Libraries aren’t exclusive to Photoshop or Illustrator—they also work seamlessly in InDesign. Shared libraries let teams store colors, logos, paragraph styles, and even design assets in one central place.
That means no more digging through old emails to find the right logo or trying to remember which shade of blue was “official.” With shared libraries, your whole team stays aligned, and your designs stay consistent across projects.
Why These Features Matter
The power of Adobe InDesign isn’t just in what it can design, but in how much time it saves professionals. By tapping into features like Data Merge, GREP, and Publish Online, you can automate the boring parts of your workflow and focus on creativity.
And while tools like Canva or Figma often get attention for being beginner-friendly, InDesign’s advanced features still make it the gold standard for serious publishing. The difference often comes down to these hidden tools that turn a good layout into a professional-grade design.
Final Thoughts
Adobe InDesign continues to evolve as both a print and digital design powerhouse. By exploring its lesser-known features, you’ll not only speed up your workflow but also unlock creative possibilities that put you ahead of the curve.
If you’ve been using InDesign only for basic layouts, it’s worth diving deeper—you might be surprised at just how much time (and stress) the software can save you.