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
7144 results found
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Burmese font rendering error
InDesign CC 15
WorldScript doesn't compose Burmese Unicode characters correctly, shifting the location of some characters and not positioning some accents correctly, do you have a plan to fix this as it has been like it for a long time? Other languages like Lao and Khmer have been fixed over time, but not Burmese.12 votesThe issue has been fixed in the latest release of InDesign – InDesign 2021.
Please update to this new version of InDesign to get the fix.—
Adobe InDesign team -
insert Previous or Next page number does not work
insert Previous or Next page number does not work. I want to have folios of "Pages 1 and 2" where I need to have the next page#. Inserting a marker (previous page or Next page results in the current page number.
Mac version 14.03
12 votesThe proper way to use this feature has been explained. It works like this:
The extra text frame (containing the Previous/Next Page Number) need not be linked to the text frame to which it refers. It just has to touch that text frame.
The way this feature works is that you have a text frame that contains some text on a certain page. That text continues on a different page that is random. So, for example, in a magazine, you have an article that starts on page 11, and then it continues on page 80. In that case, you will create a separate text frame on page 11, make it touch the text frame that contains the article and put "Continued on Page . Similarly, on page 80, you will create a separate text frame and make it touch the article and put "Continued from Page .
When you do that, on Page 11 you will see “Continued on Page 80” and on Page 80 you will see “Continued from Page 11”. And this remains dynamic in the sense that if you add or delete pages in the magazine, the Page Number in Continued on/Continued from changes automatically based on where the article continues on and where it is continued from.We hope now you’d understand why this feature is designed the way it is.
Please use the feature as described above and let us know if it does not work for you.
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Adobe InDesign teamThe proper way to use this feature has been explained. It works like this:
The extra text frame (containing the Previous/Next Page Number) need not be linked to the text frame to which it refers. It just has to touch that text frame.
The way this feature works is that you have a text frame that contains some text on a certain page. That text continues on a different page that is random. So, for example, in a magazine, you have an article that starts on page 11, and then it continues on page 80. In that case, you will create a separate text frame on page 11, make it touch the text frame that contains the article and put "Continued on Page . Similarly, on page 80, you will create a separate text frame and make it touch the article and put "Continued from Page .
When you do… -
Disappearing footnotes on export
Since updating to the latest major release of InDesign (14), we have been experiencing issues in one of our templates where footnotes have been disappearing from chapters (documents) in a Book when exporting the Book as a PDF.
This was not an issue in previous versions of InDesign and the template has not changed.
Is this perhaps a bug?
12 votesThanks for reporting. We are reviewing the bug
-InDesign Team
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Weight remains on text when exported to pdf even if changed to zero.
I am using InDesign CC 2019 14.01 x64.
Once a stroke weight has been added, if you then change the stroke weight back to zero, then when you export to pdf the pdf will have a stroke weight added to the text, even though the indesign document looks correct. It may not have the original amount of weight that was added, but it will definitely have what looks to be around a .2 weight added.
However, if you were to start a new document, then add stroke weight, then click edit - undo stroke weight, then it would export to pdf just fine. However if you saved the document with the stroke weight added, and then re-opened and changed the weight to zero, then when you export to pdf it will have a stroke weight still added (around .2, same as above).
So once you have saved a document with the stroke weight added, then no matter what you do the document will not print without the added weight.
If ANYBODY has any idea how to fix this then PLEASE let me know :) I was on chat for 4 hours but no luck. I'm really not trying to redo this 600 page book.
I am using InDesign CC 2019 14.01 x64.
Once a stroke weight has been added, if you then change the stroke weight back to zero, then when you export to pdf the pdf will have a stroke weight added to the text, even though the indesign document looks correct. It may not have the original amount of weight that was added, but it will definitely have what looks to be around a .2 weight added.
However, if you were to start a new document, then add stroke weight, then click edit - undo stroke weight, then it would export to…
12 votesThanks for reporting the issue. We are looking into it
-Aman
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Conditional text is not applied correctly after line break in IDMLs
If Unconditional text follows a line break where another Paragraph Style is applied with Conditional text, making an IDML out of the document will change the Unconditional text to Conditional.
Please see example screenshots.
12 votesThanks for reporting the issue, we are looking into it
-Aman
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Incopy 2019 cannot open icap file created by ID 2019
.icap files created with ID 2019 cannot be opened with IC 2019 with error message „An error occured while opening the file.“ Tested on Mac OS X 10.12.6.
12 votesThe fix for this issue is now available in the latest update 14.0.2 of InDesign 2019.
If you are unable to see the update notification yet, open the menu (three dots) from the top-right of Creative Cloud desktop application and click on ‘Check For App Updates’.
Once the update button is shown against InDesign, click on the button to update to Id 14.0.2.If you face any problems with the new update, do let us know in the comments.
https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/kb/fixed-issues.html -
Arabic Diacritics move to unwanted places if you use an Index Marker in the same line
Adobe InDesign CC 14.0 (Middle Eastern version -- English يدعم العربية)
a. Type this Arabic text: شَيْء غريب
b. Create new Index entry for the second word: غريب
The Diacritics should stay as they were.
Diacritic of the second letter (يْ) goes somewhere else.
12 votes -
InDesign performance issue: Slow on documents present on server
it's not an idea, but a problem. Indesign creates problems on the network and is very slow with server documents, as never before. The media told me to work locally, but I ask Adobe to solve the problem. Windows 10 64 bit - Intel processor 32 GB of ram.
12 votesThis issue has been fixed in one of the updates made to InDesign. Please update to the latest version of InDesign.
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Adobe InDesign team -
Extension option missing
Extension option is missing in Window menu. So, i can't the see my added extensions.
12 votes -
InDesign performance issue: Slow interface
The new document window is painfully slow. The pallets such as the background task pallet take some visible time to initialise themselves. As a whole the UI is always lagging.
I'm on a new iMac Pro and this is completely unacceptable. It feels as though the interface is getting in the way instead of making work easier.
12 votes -
When setting the frame grid with the shortcut key, it becomes an unintended font display
InDesign Ver.13.0.1 x64(CC 2018) Japanese Edition
Windows- make new document
- make new frame grid
- select frame grid
- press key "Ctrl+B", and open dialog
A font that starts with "B" installed in the system is displayed in the font setting of the dialog.
Should be displayed is the default "Kozuka Mincho Pr6 N".CC 2017 and older versions are no problem.
12 votesThanks for reporting the issue. We will look into this
-Aman
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Unable to change fonts
I am unable to change fonts.
Changing weights seems to work, but changing fonts does not work.
12 votesHello All,
Thank you for reporting the issue to us.
We have fixed the issue in the latest version of InDesign, Id 15.0Please upgrade your InDesign application to the latest version to try out the fix.
If you face any problems with the new update, do let us know in the comments.
You may also follow the below given link for the list of all fixed issues in Id 15.0
https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/kb/fixed-issues.html-InDesign Team
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Import XLSX spreadsheet to an InDesign table: the "-1" problem
InDesign CS4 - CC2017
Generate an Excel spreadsheet that contains at least one cell with the value "-1". Save as XLSX. Import/place (cmd-d) this file as "unformatted table".
the cells with the value "-1" should still have this value.
the cells are empty. All other values seem to show up correctly.
Additional information: Working regularly on Annual Reports with 100+ tables, our choice is to import as „unformatted table“ and to do all formatting in InDesign. After changes in Excel, all we have to do is updating the linked tables via the link panel. Table contents change, formatting stays. Perfect. But we are dependent on our clients still willing to use the outdated XLS format.
Please have a look at this problem! Thank you in advance.
Best regards
InDesign CS4 - CC2017
Generate an Excel spreadsheet that contains at least one cell with the value "-1". Save as XLSX. Import/place (cmd-d) this file as "unformatted table".
the cells with the value "-1" should still have this value.
the cells are empty. All other values seem to show up correctly.
Additional information: Working regularly on Annual Reports with 100+ tables, our choice is to import as „unformatted table“ and to do all formatting in InDesign. After changes in Excel, all we have to do is updating the linked tables via the link panel. Table contents change, formatting stays. Perfect.…
12 votesFix for this issue is now available in the latest release of InDesign 2022 - that is, InDesign 17.4 version.
Please update to this version to get the fix.
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Adobe InDesign team
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Hyphenation zone settings override discretionary hyphen exclusivity
Adobe InDesign Hyphenation Bug Report
Summary
Conflict between discretionary hyphen behavior and "After First / Before Last" hyphenation zone settings, where InDesign ignores discretionary hyphens that fall within the prohibited hyphenation zone.
Product Information
- Product: Adobe InDesign
- Component: Text Composition / Hyphenation Engine
- Feature Area: Automatic Hyphenation and Discretionary Hyphens
Problem Description
Expected Behavior
According to Adobe's documentation, discretionary hyphens should have absolute priority over automatic hyphenation rules. Specifically:
"Entering a discretionary hyphen in a word does guarantee that the word can be broken only where the discretionary hyphen appears."
When a word contains a discretionary hyphen that falls within the "After First X Letters" or "Before Last X Letters" prohibited zone, InDesign should:
1. Respect the discretionary hyphen's exclusivity (only break where discretionary hyphen appears)
2. Refuse to break the word at all since the only allowed break point falls within the prohibited zone
3. Not apply automatic hyphenation anywhere else in the wordActual Behavior
InDesign ignores the discretionary hyphen when it falls within the prohibited hyphenation zone and applies automatic hyphenation rules instead, breaking the word at algorithmically-determined positions that fall outside the prohibited zone.
Conflicting Features
Feature 1: Document Hyphenation Preferences
- Location: Paragraph Panel Menu > Hyphenation Settings
- Setting: "After First [X] Letters / Before Last [X] Letters"
- Purpose: Defines minimum character zones at word beginnings/endings where hyphenation should not occur
- Example: With "After First 3 Letters / Before Last 3 Letters", the word "aromatic" may hyphenate as "aro-matic" but not "ar-omatic" or "aromat-ic"
Feature 2: Discretionary Hyphens
- Location: Type > Insert Special Character > Hyphens And Dashes > Discretionary Hyphen
- Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+- (Windows) or Command+Shift+- (macOS)
- Purpose: Manually specify the only allowable break point in a word
- Expected Behavior: Word can only break at the discretionary hyphen location, regardless of other settings
Steps to Reproduce
- Create a new InDesign document
- Set up hyphenation preferences:
- Go to Paragraph Panel Menu > Hyphenation Settings
- Enable "Hyphenate"
- Set "After First [3] Letters"
- Set "Before Last [3] Letters"
- Create a text frame with justified text
- Insert a word where a discretionary hyphen would fall within the 3-letter prohibited zones
- Example: Insert discretionary hyphen in "example" as "ex•ample" (where • represents the discretionary hyphen)
- This discretionary hyphen falls in the "Before Last 3 Letters" zone
- Force line break to require hyphenation of this word
Expected Result
Word should not hyphenate at all, since the only allowed break point (discretionary hyphen) falls within the prohibited zone.
Actual Result
InDesign ignores the discretionary hyphen and hyphenates the word using automatic rules at a different location (e.g., "exam-ple").
Impact
Severity: Medium to High
- Typography Quality: Undermines precise typographic control
- Workflow Disruption: Manual intervention required to fix each occurrence
- Consistency Issues: Unpredictable behavior between discretionary and automatic hyphenation
- Professional Publishing: Affects quality of professional publications where precise hyphenation control is critical
User Groups Affected
- Professional typesetters and designers
- Book and magazine publishers
- Technical documentation teams
- Any users requiring precise hyphenation control
Technical Analysis
Root Cause
The hyphenation engine appears to process the "After/Before Letters" rules after or independently of discretionary hyphen evaluation, rather than respecting the documented hierarchy where discretionary hyphens should override all other hyphenation rules.
Proposed Solution
Modify the hyphenation algorithm to:
1. First check for discretionary hyphens in the word
2. If discretionary hyphen found: Evaluate if it falls within prohibited zones
3. If in prohibited zone: Do not hyphenate the word at all
4. If outside prohibited zone: Use only the discretionary hyphen break point
5. Only if no discretionary hyphen: Apply automatic hyphenation rules with zone restrictionsWorkarounds
Current Workarounds (Inefficient)
- Manual intervention: Individually edit each problematic word break inserting discretiona hyphen at start of word to prevent it from breaking.
- Character Style with No Break: Apply No Break character formatting to words with problematic discretionary hyphens
- Adjust zone settings: Reduce "After/Before Letters" values (compromises typography for other words)
- Remove discretionary hyphens: Use only automatic hyphenation (loses manual control)
Limitation of Workarounds
All workarounds require manual identification and correction of each instance, making them impractical for large documents or automated workflows.
Documentation References
Adobe InDesign Help: Text Composition
- URL: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/text-composition.html
- Relevant Quote: "Entering a discretionary hyphen in a word does guarantee that the word can be broken only where the discretionary hyphen appears."
Hyphenation Settings Documentation
- After First / Before Last Letters: "Specify the minimum number of characters at the beginning or end of a word that can be broken by a hyphen."
Additional Information
Related Features That Work Correctly
- Discretionary hyphens function properly when they fall outside the prohibited zones
- "After/Before Letters" settings work correctly with automatic hyphenation
- No Break character formatting consistently prevents hyphenation
Test Case Suggestions
Adobe should test various combinations of:
- Different "After/Before Letters" values (2, 3, 4, 5 characters)
- Discretionary hyphens at different positions within words
- Various word lengths and compositions
- Different paragraph composers (Adobe Paragraph Composer vs. Single-line Composer)
Request: Please prioritize this bug fix as it affects fundamental typographic control and contradicts documented behavior. The fix should ensure discretionary hyphens always take absolute precedence over automatic hyphenation rules, including zone restrictions.
Adobe InDesign Hyphenation Bug Report
Summary
Conflict between discretionary hyphen behavior and "After First / Before Last" hyphenation zone settings, where InDesign ignores discretionary hyphens that fall within the prohibited hyphenation zone.
Product Information
- Product: Adobe InDesign
- Component: Text Composition / Hyphenation Engine
- Feature Area: Automatic Hyphenation and Discretionary Hyphens
Problem Description
Expected Behavior
According to Adobe's documentation, discretionary hyphens should have absolute priority over automatic hyphenation rules. Specifically:
"Entering a discretionary hyphen in a word does guarantee that the word can be broken only where the discretionary hyphen appears."
When a word contains a discretionary hyphen…
11 votes -
[ID-4262670][ERROR(RSC-005) in EPUB Checker]InDesign 20.3 creates target attributes to every link in EPUB
The latest InDesign version (20.3) creates target="_blank" attributes to every link when exported as EPUB. Doesn't matter if the link contains URL or it's a link from a text anchor. The latest EPUB Check version (5.2.1) gives an error with every link that doesn't have href attribute which means every text anchor is invalid.
For example:
<h1 id="_idParaDest-1" class="Header-1"><a id="_idTextAnchor000" target="_blank"></a>Foreword</h1>In EPUB Check this is an error:
ERROR(RSC-005): Error while parsing file: element "a" missing required attribute "href"11 votesFix for this issue is now available in the latest InDesign Release – InDesign 20.4 Release.
Please update to the latest InDesign Release via CCD app to get the fix.
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Adobe InDesign team
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IDML export breaks structure when there is a tagged single row table at the start of a story
When exporting an InDesign document to IDML and re-opening it, a specific set of conditions causes the tag applied to a table to be incorrectly reordered in the XML structure, and an extraneous <Table> tag to be inserted.
This issue occurs when the table is a single-row table and is the very first element in the story (no preceding text or content). This bug disrupts the intended tag hierarchy, breaking workflows that depend on accurate XML structure.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Create a new InDesign document.
- Create a text frame on the page.
- Within the text frame, insert a table.
- a. Ensure the table is the very first element in the story (before any other text or content).
- b. Set the table to have only one row.
- Apply a tag to the table (in my example CustomTable).
- Export to IDML
- Open the IDML
- Open the Structure Panel and examine the structure. You will observe the following:
- a. The "CustomTable" tag now appears before a <Table> tag representing the table. The expected order is the <CustomTable> tag encapsulating, the cells.
- b. The "CustomTable" tag is before the actual table in the story, without any content inside of it.
Expected Result:
The structure of the document should be maintained after exporting to IDML and re-opening.Actual Result:
The custom tag appears before the table and a <Table> tag is added to the structure, disrupting the intended structure of the XML.Environment:
InDesign 2024 (19.5)
InDesign 2025 (20.1)
Windows 11When exporting an InDesign document to IDML and re-opening it, a specific set of conditions causes the tag applied to a table to be incorrectly reordered in the XML structure, and an extraneous <Table> tag to be inserted.
This issue occurs when the table is a single-row table and is the very first element in the story (no preceding text or content). This bug disrupts the intended tag hierarchy, breaking workflows that depend on accurate XML structure.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Create a new InDesign document.
- Create a text frame on the page.
- Within the text frame, insert a table.
- a.…
11 votes -
2025 InDesign (v20.0) Frequent Crashing on MacOS 15.0.1 Sequoia
Ever since the 2025 version of InDesign released earlier this month, I have had constant crashing issues while working on multiple files. I have been using MacOS 15 Sequoia since it released in September. At first it seemed to crash at random every 5-30 minutes while going between open indd tabs. I think I can more consistently trigger it now by trying to open/navigate around a .indt file. I have a screen recording attached of me clicking around with a 2025 .indt file, a 2025 .indd file, and a 2024 .indd file. Within this minute long recording, InDesign crashes twice, both times when going between/opening the .indt file to the regular 2025 .indd file.
Ever since the 2025 version of InDesign released earlier this month, I have had constant crashing issues while working on multiple files. I have been using MacOS 15 Sequoia since it released in September. At first it seemed to crash at random every 5-30 minutes while going between open indd tabs. I think I can more consistently trigger it now by trying to open/navigate around a .indt file. I have a screen recording attached of me clicking around with a 2025 .indt file, a 2025 .indd file, and a 2024 .indd file. Within this minute long recording, InDesign crashes twice,…
11 votesWe have released InDesign 2025(v20.2.0.036) with many stability fixes. We recommend you upgrade to the latest version (if you’re not already on it) as it is more robust.
If you still face this issue even after updating, please submit the crash report to us. (Guidelines to submit crash are available at (https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/kb/submit-crash-reports.html )
Also, please send the following information to santalwa@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 us with the document(s)/asset(s)? Please package the entire document (To package the document, choose File → Package…)
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Adobe InDesign Team
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"Visual Cursor Movement" not working in Arabic in ID 19/19.01
On previous versions of ID with Arabic support, I could press left arrow to move cursor left, right arrow to move right. In versions 19 and 19.01, the cursor goes to the beginning or next line of Arabic text. So I have to select 'Logical Cursor Movement' under settings but now cursor move the opposite way: left arrow moves cursor right.
11 votes -
Hanging drop cap has wrong indents in 2023 v18
In v18 (2023), when a paragraph has both a drop cap and a hanging indent (negative first line indent), the indent gets messed up on subsequent lines.
This came from a bug report by Lut Van Nooten on the InDesign Secrets LinkedIn group:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7006264075831648258/The solution is to disable the new Composition Preference: "Honor Text Indents in addition to Text Wrap"
However, in this case, this is clearly a bug because there is no text wrap!
11 votesThis issue was fixed in one of the recent updates (18.2) of ID2023 release.
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Adobe InDesign team
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Workspace Disappears on open - InDesign 18.0
Workspace Disappears on open - InDesign 18.0. Only shows when I go to Window>Workspace>Reset [workspace name]
iMac OS Ventura 13.0
11 votes
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