Text margins don't change when master pages are applied
Version: InDesign CC2019
Steps to reproduce: Apply a new Master page, with different margins, to a document page with text frame
Expected result: Text frame should resize to fit the new margins of the master page (as before with Layout Adjustment enabled)
Actual result: Page margins change but text frame stays the same. Useless! I have to manually adjust the text block to fit the new margins.
I work in book publishing. When laying out a book, it's often necessary to make changes to the margins of certain pages, either to accommodate the dropped opening of a chapter, or to set a spread a line long or short to avoid unsightly widows. I do this by applying a master page to adjust the margins accordingly. Up until now (assuming Layout Adjustment was enabled), the text frame margins would adjust to match the new master page margins. But in InDesign 2019, Enable Layout Adjustment is gone, and though the page margins change properly, the text frame doesn't change, and I have to manually drag it into shape. This is a big time-waste and a PITA. I've tried fiddling with all the new settings, and nothing restores the old behavior. Someone suggested that creating the document with "Primary Text Frame" enabled would make things work properly, but no luck.

Hello All,
Thank you for reporting the issue to us.
We have fixed the issue in the latest version of InDesign, Id 14.0.3
Please upgrade your InDesign application to the latest version to try out the fix.
If you are unable to see the update yet, go to Creative Cloud desktop application, open the menu (three dots) from the top-right corner and click on ‘Check For App Updates’.
If you face any problems with the new update, do let us know in the comments.
You may also follow the below given link for the list of all fixed issues in Id 14.0.3
https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/kb/fixed-issues.html
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Valerie Bellamy commented
Like the many people below, I also work on long document layouts and need the feature back, please.
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Ash commented
I have version 16.4 and this still doesn't work. Has it been replaced somehow?
I checked the InDesign User Guide and it tells me to go to Choose Layout > Layout Adjustment -- but this doesn't exist in my menu.
Thanks for any suggestions!
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Lynn W commented
Which version of InD is now fixed? I upgraded to 14.0.3, but the main flow text boxes are still hanging outside of the new margins (whether I adjust the current master, or make a new master and apply it to the pages). Or do we have to use a 3rd party script for this (thank you at least for that work-around!).
I need to adjust the main flow text boxes to be 1/8" lower on all pages, and when I adjust it on the master page, or make a new master and apply it, it doesn't work. The margin changes, but the text just stays where it is. Am I REALLY supposed to manually move the text boxes on hundreds of pages???
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Maur Grace commented
Thank you to whoever complained till they fixed this. I also work with book interiors. Whew!
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Kelly commented
After applying the master pages to my book, I was able to use the AdjustPageItems script found in Scripts/ Application/Samples to move my text frames into place. The Javascript version didn't work for me but the VBScript worked perfectly. It's a decent workaround in lieu of a proper fix.
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Anonymous commented
On Mac inDD 15.0--doesn't work again!!!
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Anonymous commented
I spent an hour yesterday messaging with Adobe. The old layout adjustment feature has been deleted from all versions after CC2018 and they have no plans on bringing it back.
Book designers, like myself, are basically screwed.
Hopefully someone out there can create a free script that will allow us to do our jobs.
Adobe isn’t going to help us. -
Michel Vrana commented
This seems to still be a bug in InDesign 2020 :(
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Ricaardo Sáchez D. commented
The feature dosen't work as the earlier vertion InD 2018 and previous, please bring back the old adjust lay out feature, is more useful than the actual, when you' re working in books and magazines it's the "real tool" =/
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pdwalker commented
October 2019, Indesign 14.0.3 on Mac.
It still doesn't work properly here.
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Philip Wood commented
Still doesnt seem to be fixed... I applied the update today 20/09/2019
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RDO commented
Is anyone still having issues with text boxes not resizing when you drag a new master page to pages? Is there a way around this?
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Michel commented
This works when adjusting margins on a master page, but does not work if applying a different master with different margins (which would work in CC 2018 and earlier)
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Anonymous commented
This seems to be working as expected, when applying an new master the things that are snapped to the margins stay with the margins as they did in previous versions of InD. Thanks!
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Cyrus Wraith Walker commented
WOW a whole year later you fix it. And after giving me so much grief on the phone that it wasn't broken. So for a year I've had to resize the text frames by hand for all the books I have worked on. Thanks for fixing it, but I really am not impressed.
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Erik Rieselbach commented
This seems to work now. Adjust Layout on the Margins & Columns panel works the way Enable Layout Adjustment did before. If you select it, text boxes resize properly when new master pages are applied.
This is a great relief. It took a long time, but I'm glad it's finally fixed. Hope it will be put into the next non-beta update.
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RDO commented
Hi Ravi, has this issue been resolved with the 14.0.3.418 update as Uwe has suggested?
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Uwe Laubender commented
Hi together,
I recommend everyone who is affected to visit InDesign Prerelease and test version 14.0.3.418.
Think the bug is fixed.Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( ACP ) -
Anonymous commented
Does Adobe ever fix their bugs? Or do they simply create more with each and every update you release?
This is a glaring issue with your software that you still have not botherred to fix after such a long time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really wish there was a viable alternative - hopefully there is a company working on something reliable that I can switch to soon. -
Angie commented
It's amazing how such a small problem can become such an issue when you are at the fitting and refitting stage of working on a book. Annoyance turns to frustration turns to anger. Here we sit, almost August 2019, and the problem still exists. Thanks for the work-around script (Rick Bates, below), but face it, a detour is still a detour, even if it gets you to the same place.