Lock + Unlock Objects

You can use the Lock command to specify that you don’t want certain objects to move in your document. Locked objects stay locked when a document is saved, closed, and then reopened. As long as an object is locked, it cannot be moved. 

Select the object or objects that you want to lock in place. To lock the objects, choose Object > Lock. To unlock an object, click the lock icon. To unlock the objects on the current spread, choose Object > Unlock All On Spread.

You can also use the Layers panel to lock or unlock both objects and layers. When you lock a layer, the positions of all objects on a layer are locked, and the objects cannot be selected.

Lock or unlock layers

Locking is useful for preventing accidental changes to a layer. A locked layer displays a crossed-out pencil icon in the Layers panel. Objects on locked layers cannot be selected or edited directly.

To lock or unlock one layer at a time, in the Layers panel, click a square in the second column from the left to show (lock) or hide (unlock) the layer. To lock all layers except the target layer, choose Lock Others in the Layers panel menu. To unlock all layers, choose Unlock All Layers in the Layers panel menu.