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)
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No existing idea results
- ~ No ideas found ~
7529 results found
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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 -
file name in save dialog disappears, space bar deletes the text
Typing in the file name dialog box makes the text disappear or the field will be blank to start with (not retaining the original name), see screen recording
MacBook Pro M1
26.4.1
InDesign 21.31 vote -
InDesign 21.3 (2026) Share for Review Comments Unmapped on Desktop
This is an ongoing, years-long problem. When people comment via an Indesign Share for review link, the list of comments appears on the desktop app as unmapped/no pins. However, if you view the link online, you can see the same comments with pins where the commenters dropped them. It's a much more cumbersome workflow having to go to a different window to see all of the feedback. I don't know why this continues to be a problem.
InDesign 21.3
macOS Tahoe 26.3.1
Apple M4 Max1 vote -
Colour swatch in Effects panel previews as RGB instead of CMYK
My working document is CMYK. When I open my Effects panel to change a swatch colour in the Blending section, it previews the colour as RGB, not CMYK. When you click on the swatch to bring up the Effect Colour panel, the swatch shows as the CMYK breakdown. The initial Blending option panel is incorrectly previewing as RGB and the swatches do not correlate. This occurs on all colours and all FX.
1 vote -
Split Screen and Multi Window Screen Redraw Issues (diagonal slash)
I have the same error occurring on two machines (different Adobe accounts) - both fresh (a month old) installations of InDesign 2026 (V21.3)
Whenever viewing in Multi-Window (two documents side by side) or Split Screen (same document with two viewports side by side). Making minor edits often causes the top portion of one window or the other to go blank diagonally across the screen(see images). It gets filled in either white or the pasteboard color.
Scrolling up/down will correctly redraw content that comes into view, but whatever was already in the frame buffer stays and the blank area just scrolls up/down until you completely scroll to all new content.
This seems to happen whether either window is in "NORMAL" or "PREVIEW" mode and often when switching focus between windows, typically in the window losing focus. If the window receiving focus already has the blank diagonal area it briefly shows the full page then the diagonal comes back. In some cases both windows can have the diagonal slash across them.
Please remove whatever moronic new AI tool got shoved into the software and broke this basic function that has worked fine for 20 years - I have actual work I need to do!
I have the same error occurring on two machines (different Adobe accounts) - both fresh (a month old) installations of InDesign 2026 (V21.3)
Whenever viewing in Multi-Window (two documents side by side) or Split Screen (same document with two viewports side by side). Making minor edits often causes the top portion of one window or the other to go blank diagonally across the screen(see images). It gets filled in either white or the pasteboard color.
Scrolling up/down will correctly redraw content that comes into view, but whatever was already in the frame buffer stays and the blank area just scrolls…
1 vote -
eyedropper tool no longer copies text formatting
The eyedropper tool no longer copies text formatting from a selected source and applying to new text. At best, it changes the color, but not the typeface, weight, character attributes. When highlighting the source text, the eyedropper properly changes to loaded with the "T" - but still doesn't apply the text formatting correctly.
No character or paragraph styles have been applied.
Eyedropper settings are set correctly to copy the formatting.Problem persists despite resetting Indesign preferences, rebooting, manually deleting indesign preferences, rebooting, updating to latest version, rebooting.
Very annoying bug that clearly slows down work.
1 vote -
Use Typographers Quotes preference keeps being deselected
I’m using InDesign 21.1. This isn’t a new bug – it has been around for a while. I often discover that the Use Typographers Quotes is deselected, and I never deslect it. I don’t believe there’s a keyboard command that I inadvertently press that does it, so I have no idea why this happens.
Has anyone else encountered it? A minor irritant, but I finally got around to reporting it. Thanks!
1 vote -
home
Home Welcome Screen Blank After Update on all Apps
After the recent set of updates, Indesign does not show the welcome screen. When i try to create a new document (CNTRL+N, File>New>Document) the app hangs and i have to restart the app. I am able to open existing files, but not create new ones. Worked around the problem by selecting "Use Legacy New Document Dialog", but i would like to get my home/Welcome screen back.1 vote -
InDesign does not respect the selected color space
InDesign does not respect the selected color space.
Bad current state: I have the Fogra 39 profile selected in Color Settings, but InDesign still assigns the U.S. Web Coat (SWOP) v2 profile to all newly created documents. It continues to treat this unwanted profile as Working CMYK.
Required fix: InDesign should assign the correct color profile set in Color Settings to newly created documents and also use this profile as Working CMYK in Proof Setup and Export dialog.
This confusion with profiles regularly returns with each new major InDesign update. I have reported it here in the past.
1 vote -
InCopy is creating "phantom hyperlinks" in InDesign
Our InCopy editors are adding hyperlinks but they aren't showing up in InDesign. To make things worse, you can no longer add a hyperlink to the text. I discovered that InCopy is leaving phantom hyperlinks and it seems to be a bug, or at least has caused us considerable consternation. (I'm using InDesign 2026 v21.0.2 and InCopy 2026 v21.3).
Okay, I’ve gone deep into the rabbit hole and I think I’ve figured out the problem with hyperlinks not showing up, or text you can’t add a hyperlink to. It’s a lengthy, complex explanation so I’ll start with the all too easy fix and then explain why.
THE FIX: When you create a link in InCopy, you have to click the “Shared Hyperlink Destination” button.
This really only applies to multiple links that have the same destination, like how Supplemental Table 1 and Supplemental Table 2 both go to the same URL, but I don’t think it will hurt to click it for every link, just in case that URL gets repeated later on.
If you don’t click Shared Hyperlink Destination, only the first hyperlink will show up in the Hyperlinks panel, and the rest become phantom links.
And to make things worse, apparently this isn’t an issue when you make a link in InDesign. It only happens in InCopy.
If I’m right, this will fix the problem. At least, it worked when I tried it. We’ll have to see if it works all the time.
THE EXPLANATION for us InDesign nerds.
If there’s text that you can’t make into a hyperlink (the New Hyperlink option is greyed out) it’s because there’s already a link there, but for some reason it’s not showing up in the Hyperlinks panel. It’s a phantom link. However, you can still see the phantom link if you open it in Story Editor. Story Editor shows where the link is, but you can’t edit it or add a new link to the text.
The only way to fix it is to retype the text outside of the link brackets, or copy and paste the text out of the brackets (except the link sticks to the first character so you can’t copy that, which is yet another pain). After you retype the text, you can highlight the link (everything in the brackets) and delete it, and then you are able to add a hyperlink to the retyped text. You have to do this for each phantom link individually. This is an annoying and cumbersome fix, but we’ve known about it for a while.
If you want to get into the nitty gritty, I think this kind of explains what’s going on. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/17490661/how-to-properly-remove-hyperlinks-from-indesign-document-using-extendscript
I made a quick script to look for the phantom hyperlinks, but all it shows me are the hyperlinks in the Hyperlinks panel, so I can’t find the phantom links that show up in the Story Editor with a script. I may explore that some more in case the issue arises again.
But in any case, it looks like the links are losing their destination URL in InCopy because the URL is already taken by another link, but the hyperlink still remains and won’t show up in the Hyperlinks panel because there’s no destination. InDesign sees an empty link and doesn’t show it on the panel. However, when you use the shared destination button, all the links just point to that one URL and share it, and it shows up in the Hyperlinks panel. I’m going to report this to InDesign as a bug.
Whew!
Our InCopy editors are adding hyperlinks but they aren't showing up in InDesign. To make things worse, you can no longer add a hyperlink to the text. I discovered that InCopy is leaving phantom hyperlinks and it seems to be a bug, or at least has caused us considerable consternation. (I'm using InDesign 2026 v21.0.2 and InCopy 2026 v21.3).
Okay, I’ve gone deep into the rabbit hole and I think I’ve figured out the problem with hyperlinks not showing up, or text you can’t add a hyperlink to. It’s a lengthy, complex explanation so I’ll start with the all too…
1 vote
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