Open documents

Last updated on Jun 2, 2026

Learn how to open local, cloud, and recent documents in Adobe InDesign.

You can open documents and templates in InDesign just as you would in other applications. When you open a template, it automatically opens as a new, untitled document. InDesign uses different file extensions for various file types: INDD for document files, INDT for template files, IDMS for snippets, INDL for libraries, INX for interchange files, IDML for markup files, and INDB for book files.

Open a document from your computer

Select File > Open, then select one or more documents.

Select an option:

Normal (Windows) or Open Normal (macOS) to open the document.
Original (Windows) or Open Original (macOS) to open a template as an editable template file.
Copy (Windows) or Open Copy (macOS) to open a copy of a document or template.

Select Open.

Open a cloud document

Open InDesign.

Select Your files or Projects on the Home screen.

Select a document to open it. Cloud documents display a cloud icon on the tab. InDesign autosaves them as you work and keeps version history for each manual save.

Make cloud documents available offline

Open InDesign.

Select Your files on the Home screen, then select the options icon in the cloud document.

From the drop-down menu, select Sync for 7 days option. The selected file is saved locally and remains available for up to seven days without an internet connection. You can keep working while traveling or offline, and your files update automatically when you reconnect.

Open recent documents

Select File > Open Recent.

Select one of the documents you saved recently. To control how many recent documents appear in this list, select Edit > Preferences > File Handling, then update Number of Recent Items to Display. You can display up to 30 recent documents.

Open documents from Adobe Bridge

Start Bridge from any Creative Cloud app except Acrobat, then navigate to the folder containing your InDesign (INDD) file.

Select the file, then double-click it to open it in InDesign.

Check your InDesign version

Open InDesign.

Hold Ctrl and select Help > About InDesign (Windows) or hold Command and select InDesign > About InDesign (macOS).

You can now view the version details.

Note

You can also open files created in earlier versions of InDesign. Some third-party plug-ins may also allow you to open additional file formats.

Create print and digital materials with InDesign
Design impactful ads, magazine and book layouts, and more.

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Create new documents

Create documents with presets

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