I’d like to request a long-overdue feature that would significantly improve efficiency for many users: the ability to assign direct keyboard shortcuts to Character Styles, just as we can with Paragraph Styles (Apply Style 1–9).

Why this matters:
In many editorial and layout workflows, character styles (like emphasis, inline bold, or language-specific styling) are used just as frequently as paragraph styles.

The current workaround—creating scripts for each style and manually assigning shortcuts through the Keyboard Shortcuts panel—is unnecessarily complex for a feature that feels fundamental.

This limitation is particularly frustrating because character styles are already present in the UI, and the keyboard shortcut field is even visible in the style editing dialog—just grayed out.

Suggested Implementation:
Allow the first 9 character styles to be assigned shortcuts (like Paragraph Styles 1–9).

Or provide full shortcut assignment per character style directly in the style options.

Display any conflicts or warnings if a shortcut is already in use, as with other customizable commands.

Why now:
Modern workflows demand speed and flexibility.

Many designers rely on styles to maintain consistency across documents.

Competing software and plugins are beginning to offer more fluid control over styles and shortcuts.

Thank you for all the continued improvements to InDesign. This change would be a small tweak with a big impact for everyday users.