BUG: InDesign 2025–2026 forces pasted Illustrator vectors to embedded EPS
Description:
InDesign 2025–2026 frequently forces pasted Illustrator vector artwork to be placed as embedded EPS, even when the artwork is extremely simple (few paths, no effects, no transparency).
When pasting from Illustrator, the following warning appears:
“This command would create a large number of page items and would severely degrade performance. Data will be placed as embedded EPS.”
After confirming the warning, the pasted object is no longer editable:
- Ungroup is unavailable
- Individual vector paths cannot be selected
- Fill and stroke cannot be edited
- The object cannot be used as an image frame
Steps to Reproduce:
1. Create a simple vector object in Adobe Illustrator (2–3 shapes, no effects).
2. Copy the object.
3. Paste into InDesign 2025 or 2026.
4. The performance warning appears and the object is embedded as EPS.
Expected Result:
The pasted artwork should be converted into native, editable InDesign vector paths, as in earlier InDesign versions.
Actual Result:
InDesign forces the artwork to be placed as embedded EPS, making it non-editable.
Additional Notes:
- Occurs even when “Prefer PDF When Pasting” is disabled.
- Occurs even when “Copy PDF to Clipboard” is enabled.
- Clipboard settings are correctly configured.
- The same artwork pastes correctly as editable vectors in earlier InDesign versions.
This behavior worked correctly in earlier versions of InDesign and appears to be a regression.