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Adobe InDesign: Bugs

When filing a new bug, please provide:

  1. Version of Adobe InDesign, InCopy or InDesign Server
  2. Steps to reproduce the issues
  3. Expected result
  4. Actual result
  5. Test file, screenshot, video or GIF capturing the issue (optional)
If you are facing a crash in InDesign, please submit the crash report as well. How to Submit Crash Report
Join the InDesign Prerelease Program to try out the new features and the bug fixes that are available in beta builds.

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339 results found

  1. V 20.0 Bugs

    Text box content disappearing. Only will reappear after box is moved or typed in. Some content may appear and some will not be visible until box is moved again. This happens often when typing or deleting text.
    Also, now I only have 2 undos. History only shows two items.
    Just updated to 20.0 and these issues occurred right after. Please fix!

    3 votes

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    We will need more info on this, is this happening with all documents or with some specfic documents.

    Does this happen after creating or opening documents or both?

    What are the steps you have performed which are not there in History?

  2. Document made in InDesign 2024 no longer loads in InDesign 2025

    InDesign 2025 (v20.0)

    is unable to open a document (a 400 page book in one single file) that I finished a few days before updating InDesign. It was made using version 19.5. I've tried several versions of the book: both the last work file and a finished packaged version on a separate drive. I have also tried opening an older version before the latest changes with no luck.

    There are no error messages. It just starts loading it and then after a while, doesn't anymore. The book doesn't appear in the Open Recent list either even after several attempts and…

    3 votes

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    4 comments  ·  Others  ·  Admin →
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  3. program freezes after Save As

    InDesign v.19.4 freezes after Save As is used. The program is inaccessible and has to be force quit and restarted. It will reopen the document when it starts up again with no data lost. An annoyance, but at least no work is forfeited.

    3 votes

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    We 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 using it) as it is more robust.

    If you are still facing this issue even after updating it, 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 froze?
    • 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…)

    Adobe InDesign Team

  4. table of contents

    Updating table of contents causes InDesign 2024 [19.4.0.63] to crash. Over & over.

    3 votes

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    We 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…)

    Adobe InDesign Team

  5. InDesign 17.1 not working properly

    InDesign (17.1) is acting very strange for the last two months. When I click on File, Edit, View or any other topic, the tab does not open. I cannot access any action under those tabs. Also, when I eventually get to work with my document, it is extremely slow to save. It turns, and turns forever. I've been working with InDesign for over 20 years and it's the first time I have so much trouble with the software. How can that be fixed?

    3 votes

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    Can you try the following and see if it solves your issue:

    1. Quit InDesign.
    2. Delete the following:

    /Users/your_user_name/Library/Caches/Adobe InDesign 

    /Users/your_user_name/Library/Preferences/Adobe InDesign 

    /Users/your_user_name/Library/Caches/CSXS/cep_cache

    --

    Adobe InDesign team

  6. Share for Review

    After sending out a "Share for Review" in InDesign, I went back to the file after people made comments and when I go to the review, the only option is to create a new review. But if i go to my email notification and click on the link, I can see the review that way. I did not "save as" to the file.

    3 votes

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    Open the Review panel (Window>Comments>Review) to see the comments made by the people with whom you had shared the document for review.

    Please let us know if this solves the issue for you.


    InDesign team

  7. Linked EPS appears with jagged/rough edges even on High Quality Display

    I've never seen this before, but linked vector EPS files aren't previewing properly in InDesign. The edges are super jagged when they should be smooth lines.

    3 votes

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  8. indesign crashes when inserting copied text from an external document

    indesign cc 2021 16.1

    I open an existing indesign document
    I copy text from a google doc / external file
    I insert text into existing connected text frame with the text spreading over both frames

    -> indesign crashes

    (restarting indesign did not help. restarting the mac did not help. wirting text by hand without copying works. copying text within the document works.)

    3 votes

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    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 the document(s)/asset(s) to us? Please package the entire document (To package the document, choose File → Package…)


    Adobe InDesign Team

  9. Can't select gradients from swatches

    Since installing the new InDesign 2021, I'm not able to apply my colour swatches to the gradient bar. When I click on a colour swatch, it changes the main fill rather than the gradient colour.

    This was working before the update.

    3 votes

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    To apply a swatch to one of the gradient stops, you have to hold down the Alt key and then click on a Swatch in the Swatches panel. Clicking directly on any of the swatches changes the fill color of the object to the Swatch color instead of changing the color of the gradient stop.
    Please confirm the above in the previous release as well as InDesign 2021.


    Adobe InDesign team

  10. crash sleep mode

    Hello,

    I'm using InDesign 15.1.2 on a brand new Macbook Pro.

    Several times a day InDesign crashes. It seems to happen most often when:
    - my computer goes into sleep mode and I reawaken it

    but it sometimes happens when:
    - I copy text from a word document or email, and then try and paste it into a text frame within InDesign.

    Sometimes it happens for no reason, when I am using another program.

    I have spent a lot of time on the Adobe community page trying various solutions but nothing seems to have worked. I have 'problem reports' from…

    3 votes

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    We have released InDesign 2021(v16.0.0.77) with a lot of 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 froze?
    • Video recording of the issue?
    • 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…)


    Adobe InDesign Team

  11. ID crashes inserting a symbol as index reference.

    ID crashes inserting a symbol as index reference.

    Not a new problem by the looks of it.
    It doesn't matter whether I type a reference, copy and paste it or highlight text and use shortcut keys. ID always crashes if a symbol is the first thing in the index reference.

    however, if 'Sort by' is used and that doesn't start with a symbol it is okay. But this is only 'useful' when that is relevant, which is not always.

    3 votes

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    We have released InDesign 2021(v16.0.0.77) with a lot of 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 the document(s)/asset(s) to us? Please package the entire document (To package the document, choose File → Package…)


    Adobe InDesign Team

  12. When I share to review, weird things happen

    I have InDesign 15.1.1 and I've been using the new Share to Review feature often. I've noticed that my text and tables would completely disappear on random pages and the Table of Contents became messed up as well. To make the text reappear, I had to adjust the size of the frame by a pixel or two then it would return. It didn't matter if I made the frame bigger or smaller.

    3 votes

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  13. [15.0.2.323] Big problem with unrecognized user dictionaries

    macOS 10.14.6 - multiple computers with us and with customers

    We noticed today that extensive user dictionaries are recognized as such by the existing documents, but InDesign (current version) completely ignores them and thus incorrectly hyphens them.

    In a special case, a very extensive user dictionary is linked as a symlink (alias) from the Dropbox into the corresponding Linguistics folder in Application Support / Adobe. So far, this worked wonderfully with all versions and has the advantage that adjustments are automatically distributed correctly via the Dropbox.

    I tried the following:
    the symlink resolved and the extensive dictionary (a lot of…

    3 votes

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  14. Save functions unavailable

    I'm using a Mac and running Catalina, have ID 2020. Yesterday, an existing file of 33 pages stopped allowing me to save it. I had no idea it wasn't saving and lost hours worth of work by the time I realized what was happening. I tried starting a new document and pasting the text into it, but same problem. I started a new document again and it allowed me to save immediately, but the second I dropped in text (different text this time), I lost the ability to save the file. I can export to PDF or IDML, but cannot…

    3 votes

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  15. Can't export page range as pdf

    I'm unable to export a page range from InDesign as a PDF as I have done for decades. I get two options when I choose "range," "All" and "Letter V."

    3 votes

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    4 comments  ·  PDF Export  ·  Admin →
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    Did you try selecting (highlighting) “All Pages” and type whatever page range you want to export?
    If you have alternate layouts and you want to export a range of pages from a particular alternate layout, say Letter V, you can also type the page range after putting a colon, like this: Letter V: 2-3.
    This has been the case for many versions and has not changed.


    Adobe InDesign team

  16. Cannot save under a new name error code 1, network share, InDesign 2019

    When I am trying to save InDesign document to a network share using Save As or using Save a Copy, InDesign comes up with an error message saying 'Cannot save, file is damaged, error code 1'.
    InDesign 2019 is up to date.

    3 votes

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    Are you able to saveAs/ SaveACopy the file locally?
    What is the exact version of InDesign 2019 are you using? 14.0.1/14.0.2/14.0.3?
    Is it happening with all InDesign files?
    Which OS version are you using?

  17. find font

    Find Font isn't working for certain fonts. See the attached gif. I'm trying to change a passage of text set it Calibri (which I don't have installed) but when I open Find Font, Calibri isn't listed there so I'm unable to swap it out

    3 votes

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  18. Paragraph style overrides key quick not working

    When I select a paragraph and want to keep the character styles, but override the paragraph levels styles while holding down Ctrl/Shift click, this quick key does not work. Nothing happens. It used to work for CC2017. Ctrl click works for overriding character styles though. This is a nuisance, especially when it worked before

    3 votes

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    1 comment  ·  Styles  ·  Admin →
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    To remove paragraph-level overrides, but preserve character-level overrides and character styles, in the Paragraph Styles panel, hold down Shift+Ctrl and click on the Clear Overrides button at the bottom of the panel.
    To remove character-level overrides, but preserve paragraph formatting overrides, hold down Ctrl as you click on the Clear Overrides button at the bottom of the Paragraph Styles panel.

    Please also see this article: https://indesignsecrets.com/5-ways-of-removing-overrides-applied-to-paragraphs.php

    Adobe InDesign team

  19. Pasteboard not centered in layout view

    I'm not sure if this is the right bug category, but when trying to view spreads, no matter what view option I pick, the pasteboard is aligned right only, with lots of extra room on the left. If I scroll all the way left, the left edge of the pasteboard is about in the middle of the view area and if I scroll all the way right, nothing past the right edge of the pasteboard is visible. It should be the other way around if not centered, because at least then, all my tool panels wouldn't cover up what I…

    3 votes

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  20. Bad PDF Export to x1a with indd placed in InDesign

    • problem in InDesign CC2019 / macOS 10.14.3, 10.13.9
    • no problem with previous InDesign versions (on 10.13 systems)

    Sometimes i use InDesign document (page) placed into another InDesign document (because more work with some pages and reuse them in more documents). If these placed Indd documents contains RGB images with transparencies (like transparency in PSD files, or transparency effects applied to flat images in InDesign), these images are exported very bad, highly desaturated. But only when export to PDF X1a (required by our printer, i use profile "ISO Coated v2 300% (ECI)" in all indd). No problem when exporting to higher…

    3 votes

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    3 comments  ·  PDF Export  ·  Admin →
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    Need More Info  ·  amaarora responded

    Hi,
    Please can you share the sample InDesign files that can help me reproduce the issue at amaarora@adobe.com?
    Please do add a small video illustrating the bug

    Thanks,
    Aman

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