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
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7530 results found
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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 -
Cannot make swatches permanent in InDesign now
We have a very efficient brand template with swatch libraries created as .ai and .ase files. In InDesign and Illustrator we right-click on the swatch library and click on "Persistent". Today (April 29, w2026) my swatches libraries are missing. I've rebuilt my preferences. I've re-loaded the swatches and the option to make them persistent isn't there any more.
I read that now swatch libraries are document specific, or to make them in a template, or to use Adobe CC libraries to make our swatches. We don't choose to use CC libraries.
None of these are efficient workflows for us. Please can Adobe bring the option to make the swatches persistent back? Please compare screenshots of InDesign issue and Illustrator, Thank you.
We have a very efficient brand template with swatch libraries created as .ai and .ase files. In InDesign and Illustrator we right-click on the swatch library and click on "Persistent". Today (April 29, w2026) my swatches libraries are missing. I've rebuilt my preferences. I've re-loaded the swatches and the option to make them persistent isn't there any more.
I read that now swatch libraries are document specific, or to make them in a template, or to use Adobe CC libraries to make our swatches. We don't choose to use CC libraries.
None of these are efficient workflows for us. Please…
1 vote -
make guides
I want to make angled guides but I can't find a solution? The only thing I could find online isn't available for some reason even though I have the most updated version of Indesign. The solution people posted was to right click and there should be an option to 'make guides' out of a shape but that option does not exist. super frustrating and this always seems to happen where there is this made up easy fix that I apparently don't have access to.
1 vote -
I'm paying monthly fee for InDesign. Am on new computer and need app download don't have password. Spent hours trying to solve problem
Should be something to make this easy to do
1 vote -
Rolling cursor in InDesign
I completely get how incredibly irritating that is, especially when you have a strict deadline to hit and the software is just stuck spinning. The constant rolling cursor in InDesign is usually caused by the program getting trapped in a loop, trying to calculate or locate something in the background over and over again.
Here are the fastest ways to force InDesign to stop lagging so you can
finish and submit your work:1 vote -
Change to Text Conditions show/print status not saved
Text Conditions are not saved, unless you do some other changes to the document.
- Change the show/print status to the text conditions in the relevant palette.
- Save the document.
The status of text conditions is not saved.
If you do some other changes afterward, it is saved.
1 vote -
Flex Layout is unusable
Flex Layout feature is unusable. Not once did it work like intended. Just as an example. I just tried it again with 40 images that were dropped arranged in a grid with the intent of just standardizing the gutters quickly. But it just scrambled the order randomly. It is mind bugling. This should be feature number one. Figma Auto Layout is way better.
1 vote -
[ID-4276616][Win]InDesign 21.x does not launch after Windows update due to corrupt VCRuntime
Indesign and some other products are failing to open, and it all related to the Microsoft C++ Redistributable, we just have to repair it and it starts working again.
Please work with Microsoft on the issue, something is happening that is making it very very hard to manage and work with InDesign because of the problem. I think it is happening with other Adobe products tooMicrosoft Support request number: 2602270030003886
Impact
Cumulative update appears to be removing the msvcp140.dll, vcruntime140.dll and vcruntime140_1.dll from the C:\Windows\System32 directory
Investigations currently by Microsoft
The investigation is currently ongoing with both the Microsoft VC++ team and the MSI development team. Current findings indicate multiple contributing factors behind the reported VC runtime corruption and installation issues.
Details requested by Microsoft to be collected by customer
Capture additional logging via the [Introduction to TroubleShootingScript toolset (TSS) - Windows Client | Microsoft ( https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/windows-tss/introduction-to-troubleshootingscript-toolset-tss), to generate a DND_SetupReport and share it with sharewithID@adobe.com
- Download and unzip toolset from: https://aka.ms/getTSS
- Launch an elevated Powershell prompt
- Run the following to ensure the script can be executed: Set-ExecutionPolicy -scope Process -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Force
- Capture the installation data by running the tss script as follows: .\TSS.ps1 -Collectlog DND_SetupReport
- Zip the resulting C:\MS_DATA folder containing the files, and upload to the File Transfer site.
Indesign and some other products are failing to open, and it all related to the Microsoft C++ Redistributable, we just have to repair it and it starts working again.
Please work with Microsoft on the issue, something is happening that is making it very very hard to manage and work with InDesign because of the problem. I think it is happening with other Adobe products tooMicrosoft Support request number: 2602270030003886
Impact
Cumulative update appears to be removing the msvcp140.dll, vcruntime140.dll and vcruntime140_1.dll from the C:\Windows\System32 directory
Investigations currently by Microsoft
The investigation is currently ongoing with both the Microsoft…
1 vote -
Disable auto-scroll (hover scroll) during drag & drop
While working in InDesign with large catalogs (200+ images), there is a major usability issue during drag & drop.
When dragging images into the document, the canvas automatically shifts horizontally as the cursor approaches the window edge (auto-scroll / hover scroll behavior).
This results in:
the layout “drifting” sideways after multiple placements
the need to constantly reposition the view (similar to a typewriter carriage shift)
significant slowdown in production workflowExpected behavior:
Option to completely disable auto-scroll
Or disable it specifically during drag & drop operationsCurrent limitation:
There is no setting in Preferences to control or disable this behavior.Request:
Please add:a toggle to disable hover-based auto-scrolling
or a modifier key / setting to prevent canvas movement while dragging objectsThis is critical for high-volume layout workflows.
While working in InDesign with large catalogs (200+ images), there is a major usability issue during drag & drop.
When dragging images into the document, the canvas automatically shifts horizontally as the cursor approaches the window edge (auto-scroll / hover scroll behavior).
This results in:
the layout “drifting” sideways after multiple placements
the need to constantly reposition the view (similar to a typewriter carriage shift)
significant slowdown in production workflowExpected behavior:
Option to completely disable auto-scroll
Or disable it specifically during drag & drop operationsCurrent limitation:
There is no setting in Preferences to control or disable this behavior.…
1 vote -
InDesign 21.3 is not autofilling the file name on Adobe PDF Preset export even though the checkbox for that is auto-selected. The save As fi
InDesign 21.3 is not autofilling the file name on Adobe PDF Preset export even though the checkbox for that is auto-selected. The save As field also cannot be pasted into. I must type text into the field to export a PDF from that File menu item. I am working Mac OS Tahoe 26.4.1. Please fix this bug in the next update.
1 vote -
1 vote
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Adding info to name in save as causes the name to disappear. Typing new name causes beginning of typed name to disappear.
This is a new bug. Clean it up.
1 vote -
page number cropped off
The Page palette crops off the last row of page numbers. This has been broken for years.
1 vote -
PDF Export results in deleting a page from the InDesign Document!
I have a 330 page book PDF. After exporting my ID design as a PDF, it destroyed my Table of Contents page by leaving it clear and adding another clear page to the spread.
Every time I try to fix it by deleting the clear spread and adding a new page to start all over again, it tells me "Requested operation would cause one or more objects to be too small.
Please check whether the stroke weight is too large."
For some unknown reason I have lost my Table of Contents page and can't add even a new page to the document...Many ThanksI have a 330 page book PDF. After exporting my ID design as a PDF, it destroyed my Table of Contents page by leaving it clear and adding another clear page to the spread.
Every time I try to fix it by deleting the clear spread and adding a new page to start all over again, it tells me "Requested operation would cause one or more objects to be too small.
Please check whether the stroke weight is too large."
For some unknown reason I have lost my Table of Contents page and can't add even a new page to…1 vote -
Shadow with Registration color BUG
Якщо на сторінці є обьєкт зі спотовим кольором, наприклад з пантоном, і у будь-якого іншого обьєкта є тінь з кольором регістрейшн, то цей спот-колір потрапить у тінь. Таким чином на сепараціях окрім 4 каналів, які відображають цю тінь, зьявиться додатковий, у якому теж зьявиться зображення тої самої тіні.
Після перевірки я побачив, що те саме стається не тільки з тінню, а й з іншими обьєктами, що мають колір регістрейшн. Висновок: Індизайн вважає, що регістрейшн містить не 4 ЦМІК канали, а ВСІ фарби, що є у документі, включно зі спотовими. У попередніх версіях Індизайну такого не було.1 vote -
critical error displaying page content
By default, InDesign sets the display mode using the GPU. After updating the program, a critical error began to occur: when turning pages, part of the page content simply disappears. For example, if you have 30 objects on a spread, at some point 15 of them disappear (purely conditionally, let's call them even), while the odd ones are visible. If you press the display mode switch (the w button), now the even ones appear, and the odd ones disappear. Then, to display ALL objects, you have to switch the display to enhanced view. But on the next spread, everything can change to the opposite: now half of the objects are not displayed in enhanced view, and you need to switch to normal display mode. And then press W again, on the next page part of the object disappeared again And so on in a circle. It seems that the system needs to receive a SWITCH command to display, because one way or another the objects disappear anyway. The only radical solution to this problem: switch to display via the central processor. Then everything works correctly but extremely slowly. My operating system is Windows 10, video card is Nvidia Geforce 2070 with 8 GB of memory.
By default, InDesign sets the display mode using the GPU. After updating the program, a critical error began to occur: when turning pages, part of the page content simply disappears. For example, if you have 30 objects on a spread, at some point 15 of them disappear (purely conditionally, let's call them even), while the odd ones are visible. If you press the display mode switch (the w button), now the even ones appear, and the odd ones disappear. Then, to display ALL objects, you have to switch the display to enhanced view. But on the next spread, everything can…
1 vote -
group size error when turning page
Create a group of objects, for example, a text block plus a rectangle, and also the same rectangle separately. Then create a new page and rotate it 90 degrees in the page management window. Copy your group and the individual rectangle from the old page and place it on the flipped one. Now enter new dimensions, for example 100 by 10 mm for the group and for the rectangle. The individual rectangle will get the correct dimensions, taking into account the fact that the page is rotated 90 degrees. However, the group will have an error - the vertical dimensions will become the horizontal dimensions and vice versa. You will clearly see how the individual rectangle deforms and how the group changes even though you entered the same values for them.
Create a group of objects, for example, a text block plus a rectangle, and also the same rectangle separately. Then create a new page and rotate it 90 degrees in the page management window. Copy your group and the individual rectangle from the old page and place it on the flipped one. Now enter new dimensions, for example 100 by 10 mm for the group and for the rectangle. The individual rectangle will get the correct dimensions, taking into account the fact that the page is rotated 90 degrees. However, the group will have an error - the vertical dimensions…
1 vote -
ungrouping error
If you copy a group of objects to another layer in InDesign, and then ungroup it, those objects disappear. But what actually happens is this: take the group on layer 1, copy it to layer 2, ungroup it. They will disappear from layer 2 and appear on layer 1 UNDER the group object on the original layer 1. And you can turn off the visibility of layer 1 or even lock it completely before ungrouping the objects on layer 2, but what will happen is that the objects will be moved to layer 1 from layer 2 and hidden under the original group of objects.
If you copy a group of objects to another layer in InDesign, and then ungroup it, those objects disappear. But what actually happens is this: take the group on layer 1, copy it to layer 2, ungroup it. They will disappear from layer 2 and appear on layer 1 UNDER the group object on the original layer 1. And you can turn off the visibility of layer 1 or even lock it completely before ungrouping the objects on layer 2, but what will happen is that the objects will be moved to layer 1 from layer 2 and hidden under…
1 vote -
Paste Into don't respect the frame boundaries
I’m having an issue in InDesign with graphics using the 'Paste Into' command. When I export the file to PDF, the graphics occasionally don't respect the frame boundaries. If I duplicate the frames, the problem persists, but it appears inconsistently in different places. However, when I export as a PNG or print the page directly to a printer, the issue does not occur.
Mac Studio M1 Ultra
macOS Sonoma 14.8.4
Indesign 2026 21.3Attached pdf, png and indd files.
1 vote -
display glitch on zoom / scroll
New glitchy display issues in all documents when zooming / scrolling. Switching off GPU Performance fixes the issue, but degrades overall performance. Have not had previous issues like this in prior releases.
- Indesign Version: 21.3 x64. (Graphics card: NVIDIA RTX A2000 Laptop GPU, current drivers)
- Steps to produce result: most scrolling/zooming (alt+scroll)
- Expected result: Smooth scrolling/display
- Actual result: display glitches and requires zoom/pan to reset or change display mode.
- Samples attached. Not dependent on specific files.
1 vote
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