Custom .joboptions presets break all PDF exports in InDesign 20 (macOS 15.6.1)
⚠️ Critical Bug: Custom .joboptions presets instantly disable all PDF export in InDesign 20 on macOS 15 — exports appear to finish but no PDF is produced. Removing the preset restores functionality. Confirmed reproducible across multiple systems.
InDesign 20.0 on macOS 15.6.1 silently fails to export PDFs after a custom PDF preset (.joboptions) is created or added. The export appears to complete, but no file is generated and no error message appears. Removing the custom .joboptions file immediately restores export functionality.
This occurs even when the preset is a clean derivative of “Press Quality” or “High Quality Print,” suggesting a parsing or sandbox issue with the Adobe PDF Library in InDesign 20/macOS 15.
Steps to Reproduce:
Open InDesign 20.0.
Export a document to PDF successfully using High Quality Print.
Go to File → Adobe PDF Presets → Define → New and create a custom preset (any name).
Export again.
Result:
Export appears to succeed but no PDF is produced.
No error dialog or warning appears.
Additional Notes:
Reproducible on multiple Macs (Intel and Apple Silicon).
Default .joboptions files work normally.
Custom .joboptions files immediately break exports, including valid PostScript syntax.
Suggests regression in sandbox access or preset parsing introduced in InDesign 20/macOS 15.
If you’re seeing this issue, please click “Vote” and comment “Same here” so Adobe can prioritize the fix.
Tarsha Rockowitz
shared this idea
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Tarsha Rockowitz
commented
Other users on macOS 15.x, please confirm if custom .joboptions break PDF export for you. This is a crucial part of my job. Would love to know if any others have experienced a similar issue.