June 5, 2025 (Updated April 19, 2026)Dan Rodney/1 min read

Special Characters & the Glyphs Panel

InCopy Workflow Setup

Designer Sets Up

Designer creates the InDesign layout with named text frames.

Export Assignments

File → Assignments → New — bundles frames for the editor.

Editor Opens InCopy

Editor checks out content, writes within the layout's constraints.

Check In Updates

Designer sees real-time text changes flow into the InDesign layout.

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Discover how to insert special characters and use the Glyphs panel with these straightforward instructions and helpful tips.

Special characters such as Copyright Symbols, Trademark Symbols, Em Dashes, etc. can be found by going into Type > Insert Special Character.
Special spaces such as Nonbreaking Spaces, Em Spaces, etc. can be found by going into Type > Insert White Space.
Special breaking characters such as Column Breaks, Frame Breaks, etc. can be found by going into Type > Insert Break Character.
If you cannot find a character listed in one of the above menus, use the Glyphs panel using the instructions in the section that follows.

Put the text cursor where you want to insert the special character.
Go to Type > Glyphs.
The font selected will be the same as the text you are currently editing. If you would like to change the font, do so at the bottom left of the panel.
To enlarge/reduce the previews, use the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons at the bottom right of the panel.
Double–click the desired character to insert it.