The Content Conveyor is one of Adobe InDesign’s most underused but incredibly powerful tools. Designed to speed up repetitive layout tasks, the Content Conveyor acts like a clipboard on steroids, allowing you to copy, collect, and place multiple objects across pages or documents with precision.
Whether you’re building catalogs, templates, or any multi-page publication, the Content Conveyor can dramatically increase your efficiency.
🧰 What Is the Content Conveyor?
The Content Conveyor is part of the Content Collector Tool, found in InDesign’s Tools panel. It lets you:
- Collect content (text, images, groups, frames) from one place
- Temporarily store them in a “conveyor belt”
- Place them into different parts of your document—or another document entirely
It’s particularly useful for template building, alternate layouts, and batch content reuse.
🧭 Where to Find It
You can activate it by:
- Clicking the Content Collector Tool (looks like a cart) from the Tools panel
- Or go to View > Extras > Content Conveyor
- Or use the shortcut B (to toggle between Collect and Place modes)
🛠 How to Use It Step-by-Step
🔹 Step 1: Collect Content
- Select the Content Collector Tool
- Click on the object (text frame, image, group, etc.)
- It is added to the Content Conveyor
- Keep clicking to collect multiple items
🛒 Tip: Each item appears as a thumbnail in the conveyor at the bottom of the screen.
🔹 Step 2: Place Content
- Press B again to switch to the Content Placer Tool
- Navigate to where you want to place the object
- Click to place it once, or click multiple times to duplicate
- Use Arrow keys to scroll through collected items
💡 Pro tip: Press Esc to skip placing an item and move to the next.
🎛 Content Conveyor Options
In the conveyor bar (bottom of screen), you’ll see:
- Create Link: Maintains a connection to the original (for updating)
- Map Styles: Remaps Paragraph/Character styles to the destination
- Remove Item: Deletes collected content from the conveyor
- Clear Conveyor: Empties all collected content
📦 Real-World Use Cases
| Use Case | How Content Conveyor Helps |
|---|---|
| Creating product catalogs | Reuse same layout modules or images |
| Designing print + digital layouts | Place same content in different formats |
| Working with style guides or templates | Rapidly reuse brand elements |
| Managing multi-language versions | Replace and place mirrored content easily |
🧠 When Not to Use It
- When dealing with linked content only (use Libraries instead)
- For single use copy-paste (just use CMD+C/CMD+V)
- When you want automatic syncing (use CC Libraries for that)
🧾 Summary
| Tool | Function |
|---|---|
| Content Collector Tool | Gathers content to the conveyor |
| Content Placer Tool | Places gathered content in new locations |
| Conveyor Settings | Controls links, styles, and placement |
The Content Conveyor is your layout multitool—ideal for efficient, high-volume page design.
👉 Try Adobe InDesign free for 7 days — Start your trial today.
