Adobe InDesign: Bugs
When filing a new bug, please provide:
- Version of Adobe InDesign, InCopy or InDesign Server
- Steps to reproduce the issues
- Expected result
- Actual result
- Test file, screenshot, video or GIF capturing the issue (optional)
- or
No existing idea results
- ~ No ideas found ~
7441 results found
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Datamerge
Version: Indesign CC 2017.1. Same behaviour in both Windows 7 and El Capitan 10.11.6.
Steps to reproduce: Create a layout file and a tab delimited text file like the ones seen on the info images.
Expected result: A pdf with the same data as the text file and preview.
Actual result: A pdf with its first record correct, but the following two incorrect. See description image.
Solutions/workarounds
Decrease the column names number of characters and/or make sure no placeholder has overset text (used solution).
Create a merged document. The values seem to work as expected then (this solution was not possible in my case).
Misc info
Although making sure there are no overset text frames seems to fix the problem there were many text frames like that in the actual layout, and all except one of them worked as expected. The data itself fit the frames without any problem and no overset warning is shown after the export.
Provided are the actual test files as well. Se file ”datamergebug_files.zip”.
A really nasty bug since the preview should definitely not differ from the actual output.
Version: Indesign CC 2017.1. Same behaviour in both Windows 7 and El Capitan 10.11.6.
Steps to reproduce: Create a layout file and a tab delimited text file like the ones seen on the info images.
Expected result: A pdf with the same data as the text file and preview.
Actual result: A pdf with its first record correct, but the following two incorrect. See description image.
Solutions/workarounds
Decrease the column names number of characters and/or make sure no placeholder has overset text (used solution).
Create a merged document. The values seem to work as expected then (this solution was not…
2 votes -
Folio overlays
Abode indesign CC 2017 - 08/30 - Windows
My colleague and I are trying to make a folder with Publish online, and sometimes we need 'Folio Overlays' tool - but it doesn't work. For me it's too big to see on the screen, makes everything slow - and for her, it doesn't work at all, it doesn't show anything at all.2 votes -
Can't change page after selecting an XML node, until setting focus to the main page area
Summary: After selecting a node in the XML tree, double-clicking any of the page thumbnails or master page thumbnails has no effect. The page won't change until I click on the main page area.
Steps to reproduce (in Windows):
1. With a document open in Indesign CC, open the XML Structure pane.
2. Double click on any of the page thumnails in the "Pages" palette.
Expected result: I exepct the page to load, that I double clicked.
Actual result: Nothing happens.2 votes -
Persistent startup screen
When opening old ID documents frequently the startup screen hangs on the main screen. This happens specially after missing images, plug-ins an fonts warnings. Have to quit and relaunch ID...
2 votes -
AGLFN: ZWJ, ZWNJ, ZWS in PDF
Indesign is not written ZWJ (U+200D), ZWNJ (U+200C), ZWS (U+200B) with its glyph name uni200D, uni200C, uni200B respectively.
This is not helping in copying the text with ZWJ (U+200D), ZWNJ (U+200C), ZWS (U+200B) from PDF.
These non-printing characters are copied has "space" instead.
These non-printing characters in Indic scripts are part of text. With and without these characters, text can changes its meaning.
Please support these characters with AGLFN glyph names in fonts in Indesign, PDF export feature.
More info
https://github.com/adobe-type-tools/agl-aglfn/issues/1#issuecomment-323822117
2 votes -
Surface Pro 4 And Gestures
I have a new Surface Pro 4. When using Adobe applications, gestures on the touch pad (for example pinching or scrolling) either don't work or are really bugy with little control. I was told by Adobe that this is due to the detachable keyboard on the Surface Pro.
2 votes -
Multiple Bugs in CC17
Display issue 1
Random lines appeared on my screen. Baseline grid and guides were hidden as I was in Preview Mode, no explanation for these lines.Display issue 2
Text doesn’t display correctly when I apply a different Paragraph Style Sheet. (It displays the text in both the original Paragraph Style and new paragraph style on top of one another, even though the new Paragraph Style is selected). I needed to deselect and reselect another paragraph of text to rectify the issue.Dialogue box issues
Both videos show how I’m unable to select from the drop down menu in InDesign. In the first video I want to select the ‘Photoshop Path’ from the Clipping Path dialogue box, but am unable to do so.
The second video show how I want to create a PDF (via File/Export) but I cannot change the PDF settings from the drop down menu.
Needed to quit the program and restart to rectify the problem.Display issue 1
Random lines appeared on my screen. Baseline grid and guides were hidden as I was in Preview Mode, no explanation for these lines.Display issue 2
Text doesn’t display correctly when I apply a different Paragraph Style Sheet. (It displays the text in both the original Paragraph Style and new paragraph style on top of one another, even though the new Paragraph Style is selected). I needed to deselect and reselect another paragraph of text to rectify the issue.Dialogue box issues
Both videos show how I’m unable to select from the drop down menu in InDesign.…2 votes -
window
Fuck You Adobe
2 votes -
The lists of entries for a cross reference is not ordered
Some panels with items (e.g. links) can be ordered by clicking the column header. Others cannot. Among these are the lists of references to choose from when inserting a cross-reference. These seem to be totally unordered. As a result, it is a pain to look for the right one (e.g. choose from a few hundred in a large document). I consider this a bug because other panels do have this ordering
2 votes -
Colour picker turns everything to blank with strokes, applies stroke
Colour picker is broken. Everything is checked, but when I use it, it turns the object picked from into blank with black stroke. When applied, it adds a black stroke. This is true of text, objects, and links. Deleting local settings changed nothing.
2 votes -
Profiles equal to the Output-Intend get lost on PDF-Export
When exporting a PDF all profiles equal to the Output-Intend (which in my case is the Document-Colorspace PSO Coated V3) get lost when exporting.
I have created a small test-file with an PSO Coated V3 Image and an ISO Coated V2 Image.
When Exporting as PDF X4 with Output-Intend Set to PSO Coated V3 the Image that IS PSO Coated V3 looses its profile and the same for the ISO Coated V2 when the Output-Intend is set to that.
This is horrible for Colormanagement. I've been in contact with "Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG" and they suggested to report this to Adobe as a bug.
They way it is you can not differenciate between images that don't have a profile and images that already have the correct profile. As a result all images get converted again in prepress - even those that already are in the correct profile.
If you have any further questions feel free to ask and i'll help out as good as i can :)
Thanks!
When exporting a PDF all profiles equal to the Output-Intend (which in my case is the Document-Colorspace PSO Coated V3) get lost when exporting.
I have created a small test-file with an PSO Coated V3 Image and an ISO Coated V2 Image.
When Exporting as PDF X4 with Output-Intend Set to PSO Coated V3 the Image that IS PSO Coated V3 looses its profile and the same for the ISO Coated V2 when the Output-Intend is set to that.
This is horrible for Colormanagement. I've been in contact with "Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG" and they suggested to report this to Adobe…
2 votes -
Missing color in PDF from InDesign
I have an InDesign file with a placed PSD file in it, which contains two spot colors. When I save the file as a PDF out of InDesign, only one of the two spot channels is visible.
I'm running the latest versions of InDesign, Photoshop, and Acrobat. To reproduce, open the attached InDesign file and save as a PDF. The resulting PDF should show a yellow and blue spot, but only the blue is visible. (The PDF generated during packaging also exhibits the problem.)
2 votes -
Page Information is repositioned and cutoff when document is below a certain Document width
If a document has a width smaller than a certain size, the Page Information on exported PDFs becomes re-positioned lower and outside the left and right bounds so becomes cut off, as opposed to being within the crop mark area, no matter how long the file name is.
1 vote -
InDesing 2026 - Document assembly issue
When I try to assemble my InDesign document, an error message appears stating that it is impossible to package the document or link the necessary files. However, no links are broken and the path to the company server is working. This is very problematic when I have a multi-page document…
1 vote -
Unable to copy/past script label text
With this post I would like to report another bug.
In Indesign CC2026, it's not possible to copy/past a script label text.
Please fix this.
I'm using Os X.
1 vote -
BOM in CSV
for more than 7 years this problem is known to Adobe. Excel, Open source office suits etc. export CSV with BOM. it's against standard. one can import to textedit and save. Why is adobe not able to clean out that BOM?? I mean 25 years ago I was able to do a data merge. InDesign these days can not handle an excel exported CSV file. Really? Please guys. make the stuff work, that have worked 30 years ago. yes, shame on microsoft. shame on you both. users have to do a research to solve a problem, that has not existed 30 years ago because microsoft had the brilliant idea to once again add something to a standard and by that not sticking to the standard anymore. brilliant. thank you. Please fix microsoft's bug. I know, I ask for much. but it's not that big of a deal to fix that for you and make data merge in InDesign work without us users to need to use a 3rd tool to convert
for more than 7 years this problem is known to Adobe. Excel, Open source office suits etc. export CSV with BOM. it's against standard. one can import to textedit and save. Why is adobe not able to clean out that BOM?? I mean 25 years ago I was able to do a data merge. InDesign these days can not handle an excel exported CSV file. Really? Please guys. make the stuff work, that have worked 30 years ago. yes, shame on microsoft. shame on you both. users have to do a research to solve a problem, that has not existed…
1 vote -
Installing InDesign 20.5.2 caused the system to make it the default version, replacing 21.2.0 as the default app for opening InDesign files
When I double-click the file I have been working on, I get an error message that says it couldn't be opened because it was created by a newer version of InDesign. It calls out 21.2 as the offender. If I look at the recent updates for Creative Cloud, it looks like 21.2 was updated 19 days ago, and 20.5.2 was updated 13 days ago. It looks like the association for which app to open .indd files was changed with the 20.5.2 update, and it no longer opens the latest version of the product. I can open 21.2 manually, but I can't just click on the file and have it open correctly. Your right hand doesn't know what the left is doing! Please send another update for the 21.2 (or later dot number) to correct this.
When I double-click the file I have been working on, I get an error message that says it couldn't be opened because it was created by a newer version of InDesign. It calls out 21.2 as the offender. If I look at the recent updates for Creative Cloud, it looks like 21.2 was updated 19 days ago, and 20.5.2 was updated 13 days ago. It looks like the association for which app to open .indd files was changed with the 20.5.2 update, and it no longer opens the latest version of the product. I can open 21.2 manually, but I…
1 voteWorkaround1: Set Default Version to 21.2.0
- Right-click any .indd file
- Select Open with → Choose another app
- Click More apps
- Select Adobe InDesign 21.2.0
- Check “Always use this app to open .indd files”
- Click OK
Workaround2: Uninstall 21.2.0 and reinstall it to correct the default application.
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Adobe InDesign Team
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InDesign 2026 (21.2.0.30) crashes every time on quit on macOS 26.2 (Abort trap: 6)
Version of Adobe InDesign, InCopy or InDesign Server
Adobe InDesign 2026, Version 21.2.0.30 (Build 21200)
Running on macOS 26.2 (25C56) on Apple Silicon (Mac14,2, 16 GB RAM)
Steps to reproduce the issue
1. Launch Adobe InDesign 2026.
2. Open any document (or create a new blank document).
3. Work normally for a while, or even do nothing.
4. Choose “InDesign > Quit InDesign” or press Cmd+Q.
5. Confirm quitting if prompted.
Expected result
InDesign quits cleanly without any error message and returns to the macOS desktop.
Actual result
• InDesign crashes on quit every time.
• macOS shows a crash dialog stating that “Adobe InDesign 2026 quit unexpectedly” (or similar wording).
• The macOS crash report shows:
• Exception Type: EXC_CRASH (SIGABRT)
• Termination Reason: Namespace SIGNAL, Code 6, “Abort trap: 6”
• Crash is triggered in Thread 10.
• This happens even after:
• Resetting InDesign preferences on launch.
• Deleting InDesign caches and preference folders in the user Library.
• Completely uninstalling and reinstalling InDesign via Creative Cloud.
• Testing in a brand-new macOS user account.
Additional context
• The same InDesign version (21.2.0.30) on my previous Mac and macOS version did not show this problem; the issue started only after migrating to the new Mac (same InDesign version, newer macOS).
• No third‑party plug‑ins are installed (or all third‑party plug‑ins have been removed for testing).
• The crash occurs regardless of which document is open; even a new, empty document triggers the crash on quit.Version of Adobe InDesign, InCopy or InDesign Server
Adobe InDesign 2026, Version 21.2.0.30 (Build 21200)
Running on macOS 26.2 (25C56) on Apple Silicon (Mac14,2, 16 GB RAM)
Steps to reproduce the issue
1. Launch Adobe InDesign 2026.
2. Open any document (or create a new blank document).
3. Work normally for a while, or even do nothing.
4. Choose “InDesign > Quit InDesign” or press Cmd+Q.
5. Confirm quitting if prompted.
Expected result
InDesign quits cleanly without any error message and returns to the macOS desktop.
Actual result
• InDesign crashes on quit every time.
• macOS shows a crash…1 votePlease submit the crash report to us. (Guidelines to submit a crash are available at (https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/kb/submit-crash-reports.html )
Also, please send the following information to sharewithID@adobe.com :
- Reproducible Steps – What were you doing when InDesign crashed?
- Video recording of the crash
- Is(Are) the issue related to a specific document(s)/asset(s)? If yes, could you provide the document(s)/asset(s) to us? Please package the entire document (To package the document, choose File → Package…)
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Adobe InDesign Team
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FlexObject Items Invisible in Preview Mode (possible culprit: IDML Roundtrip)
Bug Report: FlexObject Items Invisible in Preview Mode (probably bugged after IDML Roundtrip)
Product: Adobe InDesign 2025 (v20.x)
Feature: Flex Layout / FlexObject (new in InDesign 2025)
Severity: Major — affects preview mode of the new flex objects
Date: February 20, 2026
Summary
FlexObject containers and their child items become invisible in Preview screen mode (but remain visible in Normal mode and Overprint Preview) after a document has undergone an IDML export/import roundtrip. The issue also propagates to any copies made from affected objects — even copies placed outside the FlexObject container.
The root cause was identified as a missing registration of these page items in the internal spread-level page item collection. Items exist in
page.allPageItemsbut are absent fromspread.allPageItems, which Preview mode apparently relies on for rendering.
Suspected Trigger
The affected document had previously undergone an IDML roundtrip (export as .idml, then reopen). The document contains FlexObject containers (the new Flex Layout feature introduced in InDesign 2025). The hypothesis is that the IDML reconstruction does not fully re-register FlexObject items in the spread's internal page item hierarchy. Since FlexObjects are a very new feature, it is plausible that the IDML serialization/deserialization path does not yet handle them with full fidelity.
Steps to Reproduce
- Create a new InDesign document.
- Add a Flex Layout container (FlexObject) with several child items (e.g., image frames with the object style "Album in REZI KURZ").
- Save and export the document as IDML (.idml).
- Close the document and reopen the exported .idml file.
- Save as .indd.
- Switch from Normal screen mode to Preview screen mode (View → Screen Mode → Preview, or press W).
Expected: All items remain visible.
Actual: The FlexObject and all its children disappear entirely.Additional observation: Copying an affected item out of the FlexObject and pasting it elsewhere on the page does not fix the issue — the copy inherits the "unregistered" state. Even extracting just the placed image (graphic content) from a frame and pasting it into the document independently produces a new frame that is also invisible in Preview mode.
Systematic Exclusion of Common Causes
The following properties were checked programmatically (via ExtendScript) on all affected objects and confirmed to be not the cause:
| Property / Setting | Value Found | Would Cause Invisibility? |
|---|---|---|
|item.nonprinting|falseon all items | No — correctly set |
|item.visible|trueon all items | No — correctly set |
|item.itemLayer.visible|true| No — layer is visible |
|item.itemLayer.printable|true| No — layer is set to print |
|item.transparencySettings.blendingSettings.opacity|100on all items | No — fully opaque |
| Object Style.nonprinting|falseon all relevant styles | No — styles do not suppress printing |
|item.fillColor|"None"(frames are graphic frames) | Not relevant |
| Geometric bounds vs. page bounds | All items within page boundaries | No — not on pasteboard |
| Link status of placed images |NORMALon all images | No — links are intact |
| Content type of frames |GRAPHIC_TYPE| Correct |Key distinction: Items are visible in Overprint Preview (View → Overprint Preview) but invisible in Preview screen mode (the mode that hides guides and pasteboard). This rules out any rendering/transparency issue and points to a metadata/registration problem specific to Preview mode's rendering path.
Diagnostic Finding: Missing Spread Registration
Using ExtendScript, the following discrepancy was discovered:
// On an affected document: spread.allPageItems.length; // → 0 (WRONG — should contain items) page.allPageItems.length; // → 21 (correct — all items present) // After creating a NEW rectangle via script on the same page: spread.allPageItems.length; // → 1 (new item registers correctly) page.allPageItems.length; // → 22All 21 page items (1 FlexObject + 9 Rectangles inside it + 10 Images + 2 loose Rectangle copies) were found via
page.allPageItemsbut none appeared inspread.allPageItems.A freshly created Rectangle (via
page.rectangles.add()) registered inspread.allPageItemsimmediately, confirming that the spread collection mechanism itself works — it is specifically the IDML-reconstructed FlexObject items that fail to register.This strongly suggests that Preview mode uses the
spread.allPageItemscollection (or an equivalent internal list) to determine which items to render, while Normal mode and Overprint Preview use a different rendering path that includes all items regardless of spread registration.
Workaround
A manual workaround was discovered and automated via ExtendScript:
- Cut the affected top-level item.
- Create a temporary Rectangle on the page.
- Paste Into the temporary Rectangle (Edit → Paste Into).
- Select the pasted item inside the container and Cut it back out.
- Remove the temporary Rectangle.
- Paste the item back onto the page.
- Restore the original geometric bounds.
This paste-into/cut-out cycle forces InDesign to re-register the item in the spread's internal collection. After this procedure, the item (including FlexObjects with all their children) appears correctly in Preview mode.
An automated repair script was developed that:
- Detects all top-level items present inpage.allPageItemsbut absent fromspread.allPageItems
- Applies the paste-into workaround to each affected item
- Verifies successful re-registration afterward
- Groups the entire operation under a single Undo step
Impact
- Print production: Items invisible in Preview mode may also be missing from PDF export or print output (not yet verified but likely given the correlation between Preview mode and print rendering).
- User confusion: Designers may not notice the issue until final proofing, as items appear normal in the default working view.
- Propagation: The issue spreads to any copies made from affected objects, making it difficult to isolate without programmatic diagnosis.
- Magazine production affected: The issue was discovered during production of a print magazine (folker magazine, issue 25-4), where FlexObject layouts are used for album review image grids.
Requested Fix
- Ensure that IDML import fully registers all reconstructed page items — including FlexObject containers and their children — in the spread's internal page item collection.
- Consider adding a document integrity check that detects and repairs unregistered page items on document open or IDML import.
- Verify that other new object types introduced alongside Flex Layout are also correctly handled during IDML roundtrips.
Environment
- InDesign version: 2025 (v20.x, latest available as of February 2026)
- OS: Windows
- Flex Layout feature: Enabled, actively used
- Document history: Created in InDesign → exported as IDML → reopened → saved as .indd
- Diagnosis performed with: ExtendScript via JSX execution (InDesign DOM scripting)
Bug Report: FlexObject Items Invisible in Preview Mode (probably bugged after IDML Roundtrip)
Product: Adobe InDesign 2025 (v20.x)
Feature: Flex Layout / FlexObject (new in InDesign 2025)
Severity: Major — affects preview mode of the new flex objects
Date: February 20, 2026
Summary
FlexObject containers and their child items become invisible in Preview screen mode (but remain visible in Normal mode and Overprint Preview) after a document has undergone an IDML export/import roundtrip. The issue also propagates to any copies made from affected objects — even copies placed outside the FlexObject container.
The root cause was identified as a missing…
1 votePlease send the following information to sharewithID@adobe.com :
- Reproducible Steps – What were you doing when the issue occurred?
- Video recording of the issue
- Is(Are) the issue related to a specific document(s)/asset(s)? If yes, could you provide us with the document(s)/asset(s)? Please package the entire document (To package the document, choose File → Package…)
Also provide answers to follow queries
1. During IDML workflow , are you opening the indd containing flex in version 20.0-20.5 or you are opening the IDML in version 21.0 onwards?
2. What type of objects / images you are using?
3. are you grouping the items or creating nested flex frames?
4. You are only using object style to flex items or through any other menu?
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pdf
Many occasions over the last couple of weeks when I try to export a PDF, it just blocks, wheel turning in the top right corner, and nothing happens until I forcibly close the program through Task Manager. On may occasions the completed PDF then appears in the folder.
1 vote
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