[ID-4272869] InDesign adds Blank space to top during PNG export for converted documents
I booted up 2026 (version 21.0) and opened a file that I was working on literally yesterday. I have a text box over a solid fill background shape. When I exported them both together yesterday, it worked as expected. Today, it exports with an obnoxious blank space (or filled space if I uncheck "Transparent Background") at the top.
Absolutely nothing changed with the file, it's just happening in 2026 and not in 2025. Comparison attached.
Workaround: Export the document to IDML
Hi,
Thank you for reporting the issue. We have been able to reproduce the issue, and it is currently under investigation.
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Adobe InDesign Team
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Bill Adams
commented
I am experiencing the exact same issue with InDesign 21.0, also when using a file that worked perfectly in a previous version. This causes extra work to go into Photoshop and crop out the unwanted space.
To recreate:
- Create a text-based object in an InDesign 21.0 file
- Select the object
- Ctrl+E, name it, click the desired Export settings, including "Selection", Export
- Open new image in Photoshop (or place it in a document) and there will be additional blank space at the top of the image -
AB
commented
This particular error is due to text. Ungroup your selection, create outlines (CMD+SHFT+O) of the text in your selection, regroup and re-export. This is a know issue and has plagued indesign for awhile.
I use "Export Selection" all the time, stinks I have to create outlines just to avoid the "White Plague Bar" :)
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Shaun Harrogate commented
Same problem here in InDesign 2026 (v21.0) on windows 11.
It looks to me like an issue with text frames that originated in an older version of InDesign.
When I export a newly created text frame it works just like it used to. -
SR
commented
After the latest InDesign update (InDesign 21.0 x64. Windows), PNG export does not work as expected. When exporting a selected objects as PNG with a white background, an extra white bar appears at the top of the image. This bar is not visible in InDesign but shows up in the PNG file, especially when inserted into Word. The PNG file should crop tightly to the selected objects without any extra white space. After update the PNG file contains an extra white bar at the top, even though the export settings are correct. This issue did not occur before the update.