Extract text from InDesign shortcut sets (INDK)
To convert INDK shortcuts to another format, you need Adobe InDesign or other Settings software.
To convert other file formats to the "Keyboard Shortcut Set" file type, you need software like Adobe InDesign or a similar tool.
The .INDK file format is a proprietary configuration file created by Adobe InDesign and Adobe InCopy. Its primary function is to store custom keyboard shortcuts and hotkey mappings for these professional page layout applications. Designers rely on these files to backup their specialized workflows, synchronize shortcuts across a studio team, or migrate their personalized settings to a new workstation. Under the hood, the format is entirely structured in standard XML, even though the custom extension obscures this fact.
The biggest disadvantage of the .INDK format is its strict, frustrating reliance on local directory paths. You cannot simply double-click an INDK file to install it. Users are forced to manually navigate through hidden AppData (Windows) or Library (Mac) folders, matching the exact software version and language locale (like en_US or en_GB). If the file is placed in a folder meant for CC 2023 but you are running CC 2024, InDesign will completely ignore the file. Furthermore, standard document converters fail to process INDK files because the underlying XML schema is undocumented and uniquely parsed by Adobe's internal engine.
If you need to share a readable "cheat sheet" of your hotkeys with a colleague who doesn't want to dig through hidden system folders, or if you simply want to print your shortcuts for quick reference, you must convert the file. We highly recommend converting .INDK to standard TXT, CSV, or PDF formats. Extracting the data into a spreadsheet or text list strips away the complex XML tags, giving you a clean, human-readable list of your custom Adobe commands and their corresponding keystrokes. While converting a PDF back into an INDK is impossible, extracting the reference data remains the most pragmatic workaround for printing and sharing your shortcuts.
Convert.Guru analyzes your INDK file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert INDK file to TMP, TEMP, CACHE, LOG, BAK, OLD, NEW, PART, DOWNLOAD, CRDOWNLOAD, LOCK or PID, you can use Adobe InDesign or similar software from the "Keyboard Shortcut Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DEVICE, CACHE, SOCK, SYMLINK, PID, MOUNT, FIFO, LOG, PIPE, TMP, JUNCTION or TEMP files to INDK, try Adobe InDesign or another comparable tool in the "Keyboard Shortcut Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our INDK converter.