How to Turn off Ligatures in Adobe InDesign: 1-Min Guide

How to Turn off Ligatures in Adobe InDesign

Updated on:

June 5, 2026

By:

Madhav Bhandari

Use this interactive demo to learn how to turn off ligatures in Adobe InDesign.

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Here’s a simple and quick guide on how to turn off ligatures in Adobe InDesign:

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To turn off ligatures in Adobe InDesign, go to the top menu and click 'Window' → 'Type & Tables' → 'Character' to open the Character panel.
Once the panel opens, go to the top-right corner of the Character panel and click the 'three-line menu' icon to access more character settings.
In the menu, uncheck 'Ligatures' to disable them.
You have successfully turned off Ligatures in Adobe InDesign.

📌 Why this matters

Disabling ligatures gives you precise control over letter spacing and ensures consistent character recognition in technical documents, code samples, or when preparing text for optical character recognition software.

While ligatures create elegant typography by connecting letters like "fi" and "fl," they can interfere with searchability and accessibility features since screen readers may not recognize these merged characters properly. You'll also want this control when matching specific brand guidelines that require standard letter forms, or when working with fonts where ligatures create unintended visual conflicts with your design.

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