You cannot directly "hide" text frames in InDesign in the sense of making them disappear completely from view while working on the document. However, you can manage their display to reduce visual clutter and focus on other elements. Here's how you can control the visibility of related elements:
Hiding Text Threads
- What are Text Threads? When text overflows a text frame, you can link it to another frame, creating a "text thread." This allows text to flow seamlessly between frames.
- How to Hide Them: You can hide the visual guides showing these linked text frames by going to View > Extras > Hide Text Threads. This will remove the lines and visual indicators that show how text frames are connected.
| Action | Menu Path | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Hide Text Threads | View > Extras > Hide Text Threads | Removes visual guides showing linked text frame connections. |
Additional Methods for Managing Text Frame Visibility
While you cannot make text frames completely invisible (they will still be there as document objects), here are some related options:
- Hiding Rulers and Guides: Use View > Screen Mode > Normal to avoid seeing ruler guides and other document aids, which can visually clutter your workspace.
- Working in Preview Mode: Use View > Screen Mode > Preview to see how your document will look without visual aids or guides. This doesn't hide the text frames themselves, but it hides many other visible elements.
- Using Layers: You can organize text frames onto different layers and then hide or show those layers to control which frames are visible at any one time. This is more about organizing your workspace, but can contribute to the feel of hiding objects.
- Reducing Visual Clutter: In InDesign, you can manage visual complexity via the View menu. Here are the main options for hiding elements:
- Hide Frame Edges removes the colored borders that usually outline text boxes.
- Hide Guides removes layout guides you may have created to help in aligning objects.
- Hide Rulers does exactly what it implies.
Key Takeaway
While you cannot make text frames completely disappear from the document, the methods described here will help you to minimize on-screen clutter and focus on the content you need to work with. The most direct way to manage the display of linked frames and keep them out of view, without actually removing them from the document, is using the View > Extras > Hide Text Threads function.
