User Guide Cancel

Known issues in InDesign

  1. InDesign User Guide
  2. Get to know InDesign
    1. Introduction to InDesign
      1. What's New in InDesign
      2. System requirements
      3. Common questions
      4. Use Creative Cloud libraries
    2. Workspace
      1. Workspace basics
      2. Contextual task bar
      3. Customize your workspace in InDesign
      4. Toolbox
      5. Set preferences
      6. Properties panel
      7. Touch workspace
      8. Default keyboard shortcuts
      9. Undo edits and manage History panel
      10. Document recovery and undo
    3. Generative AI (Not available in mainland China)
      1. Text to Image
      2. Generative Expand
      3. Generate Effect in InDesign (Beta)
      4. Generative AI FAQ
  3. Create and layout documents
    1. Documents and pages
      1. Create documents
      2. Work with parent pages
      3. Work with document pages
      4. Set page size, margins, and bleed
      5. Work with files and templates
      6. Convert PDFs to InDesign files in InDesign (Beta)
      7. Create book files
      8. Add basic page numbering
      9. Number pages, chapters, and sections
      10. Convert QuarkXPress and PageMaker documents
      11. Share content
      12. Understand a basic managed-file workflow
      13. Save documents
    2. Grids
      1. Grids
      2. Format grids
    3. Layout aids
      1. Rulers
      2. Align and distribute objects using rulers
      3. Measure objects using the Measure tool
  4. Add content
    1. Text
      1. Add text to frames
      2. Threading text
      3. South-East Asian Scripts
      4. Arabic and Hebrew features in InDesign
      5. Create type on a path
      6. Bullets and numbering
      7. Insert MathML to create math expressions
      8. Glyphs and special characters
      9. Text composition
      10. Text variables
      11. Generate QR codes
      12. Edit text
      13. Align text
      14. Wrap text around objects
      15. Anchored objects
      16. Linked content
      17. Format paragraphs
      18. Format characters
    2. Typography
      1. Using fonts in InDesign
      2. Kerning and tracking
      3. Scale and skew type
      4. Apply color effects to type
    3. Format text
      1. Format text
      2. Auto Style text
      3. Work with Style Packs
      4. Tabs and indents
    4. Review text
      1. Track and review changes
      2. Add editorial notes in InDesign
      3. Import PDF comments
    5. Spell check and language dictionaries
      1. Check spelling, autocorrect, and dynamic spelling
      2. Create, add, and manage dictionaries and words
      3. Change dictionary preferences
      4. Duden dictionary
    6. Add references
      1. Create a table of contents
      2. Footnotes
      3. Create an index
      4. Endnotes
      5. Captions
    7. Styles
      1. Paragraph and character styles
      2. Map, export, and manage styles
      3. Object styles
      4. Drop caps and nested styles
      5. Work with styles
      6. Leading
    8. Tables
      1. Format tables
      2. Create tables
      3. Table and Cell styles
      4. Select and edit tables
      5. Table strokes and fills
    9. Interactivity
      1. Hyperlinks
      2. Dynamic PDF documents
      3. Bookmarks
      4. Buttons
      5. Forms
      6. Animation
      7. Cross-references
      8. Structure PDFs
      9. Page transitions
      10. Movies and sounds
    10. Graphics
      1. Understand paths and shapes
      2. Draw with the Pencil tool
      3. Draw with the Pen tool
      4. Apply line (stroke) settings 
      5. Compound paths and shapes
      6. Edit paths
      7. Clipping paths
      8. Change corner appearance
      9. Frames and objects
      10. Align and distribute objects
      11. Linked and embedded graphics
      12. Integrate AEM assets
    11. Color and transparency
      1. Apply color
      2. Use colors from imported graphics
      3. Work with swatches
      4. Mix inks
      5. Tints
      6. Understand spot and process colors
      7. Blend colors
      8. Gradients
      9. Flatten transparent artwork
      10. Add transparency effects
  5. Find and replace
    1. Find and replace text
    2. Find and replace fonts
    3. Find and replace glyphs
    4. Find and replace using GREP expressions and queries
    5. Find and replace objects
    6. Find and replace colors
    7. Search options to find and replace
  6. Share
    1. Save and access cloud documents
    2. Organize, manage, and share cloud documents
    3. View and manage versions in cloud documents
    4. Common questions about InDesign cloud documents
    5. InCopy on the web (Beta)
    6. Share and collaborate        
    7. Share for Review
    8. Review a shared InDesign document
    9. Manage feedback
    10. Invite to edit
  7. Export, import, and publish
    1. Place, export, and publish
      1. Publish online
      2. Publish online dashboard
      3. Copy, insert graphics
      4. Export to Adobe Express
      5. Export content for EPUB
      6. Adobe PDF options
      7. Export to HTML5
      8. Export content to HTML (Legacy)
      9. Export to Adobe PDF
      10. Export to JPEG format
      11. Import SVG files
      12. DPS and AEM Mobile overview
      13. Supported File Formats
      14. Export and import User Settings
    2. Printing
      1. Print booklets
      2. Printer's marks and bleeds
      3. Print documents
      4. Inks, separation, and screen frequency
      5. Overprinting
      6. Create PostScript and EPS files
      7. Preflight files before handoff
      8. Print thumbnails and oversized documents
      9. Prepare PDFs for service providers
      10. Prepare to print separations
  8. Extend InDesign
    1. Automation
      1. Data merge
      2. Plug-ins
      3. Capture extension in InDesign
      4. Scripting
  9. Troubleshooting
    1. Fixed issues
    2. Known issues
    3. Crash on launch
    4. Preference folder read-only issue
    5. Troubleshoot file issues
    6. Unable to export InDesign file to PDF
    7. InDesign document recovery

Find known issues and limitations in the latest release of InDesign.

InDesign 20.0 and later

Issue 1: [macOS Only] All PDF preset filenames containing double-byte and accented characters disappear when InDesign 2025 is launched.

Workaround: Ensure you take a manual backup of the PDF preset files present within the folder /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PDF/Settings/ for future use. Alternatively, you can try renaming the filenames to ASCII characters before launching ID version 2025.

Issue 2: InDesign 2025 (version 20.0) and later crashes when launched using Rosetta2 on M1/M2/M3 Max Apple Silicon as it's not supported on Rosetta2.

Workaround 1: Mac users can continue to use InDesign 2025 (version 20.0) and later on Apple silicon and Intel-based Mac.

Workaround 2: Update your macOS to Sequoia to work with InDesign 2025 (version 20.0).

Workaround 3: Revert to InDesign 2024 if you are on older macOS Ventura and Sonoma.

Please refer to the latest system requirements with the updated macOS specifications for the smooth operation of InDesign 2025 (version 20.0) and later.

InCopy 20.0 and later

Issue: InCopy 2025 (version 20.0) and later crashes when launched using Rosetta2 on M1/M2/M3 Max Apple Silicon as it's not supported on Rosetta2.

Workaround 1: Mac users can continue to use InCopy 2025 (version 20.0) and later on Apple silicon and Intel-based Mac.

Workaround 2: Update your macOS to Sequoia to work with InDesign 2025 (version 20.0).

Workaround 3: Revert to InCopy 2024 if you are on older macOS Ventura and Sonoma.

Please refer to InDesign system requirements with the updated macOS specifications for the smooth operation of InDesign 2025 (version 20.0) and later.

InDesign 19.2 and later

Issue 1: InDesign crashes when text containing paragraph style with paragraph shading attribute is viewed in Copy Editor.

Workaround: Update to macOS Sonoma14.5 and above.

Issue 2: InDesign crashes intermittently when Story Editor is opened for a long text document.

Workaround: Update to macOS Sonoma14.5 and above.

InCopy 19.2 and later

Issue: InCopy crashes intermittently for InDesign and InCopy assignment workflow.

Workaround: Update to macOS Sequoia15 and above.

InDesign 19.0 

Issue: InDesign 2024 and InDesign 2023 have the same GUID when installed in Windows.

Workaround: Upgrade to InDesign 18.5.1 after installing InDesign 19.0.1 to get the correct configuration.

InDesign 18.x and 19.0 

Issue 1: The screen turns white when trying to marquee select objects on the layout or selecting text with the Text tool in CPU Preview and Overprint Preview modes in macOS Sonoma.

Workaround: Update to macOS Sonoma14.3

Issue 2: InDesign crashing on macOS Ventura (13.0, 13.1, 13.2).

Workaround: InDesign could crash due to a faulty dyld module in macOS 13.0, 13.1, and 13.2. Upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.3 to fix the crash.

InDesign 17.0 (October 2021 release)

Issue: Unable to launch Adobe InDesign.

Workaround: If you are using Trend Micro Antivirus software, update it to version 17.0 or above. If the issue persists, add InDesign to the exception list in application settings.

Content-Aware Fit

  • When you place an asset in an InDesign document and select Content-Aware Fit as the frame fitting option, InDesign crashes. This issue occurs if the GPU driver of the machine is disabled. To resolve this issue, enable the GPU driver of the machine.
  • Content-Aware Fit Preference option is ignored on placing an image by directly clicking on the document with loaded place gun without creating a frame

Adjust Layout

  • Frame grid size, Char Aki, and Line Aki values are adjusted incorrectly when changing page size from Adjust Layout dialog box with Adjust Font Size preference enabled.
  • Frame grids in threaded frames increases disproportionately to the page when changing page size from Adjust Layout dialog box with Adjust Font Size preference enabled.
  • [Mac] Effects applied on the text content do not get adjusted with Adjust Layout.
  • Graphic cells having Pasted Into graphics no longer show graphic content after using Adjust Layout.

Properties panel

  • While reducing the number of pages containing objects from the Properties panel, no alert message is shown.
  • When the Color pop-up from the Properties panel is in expanded state, dialog box that opens while performing certain operations is hidden behind the Color pop-up.

Import PDF Comments

  • PDF comments added by iOS or Android Acrobat Reader, or by Apple Preview are not imported in InDesign.
  • When you scale an object having a non-text comment, the comment moves to another place or disappears.
  • Text comments in the following scenarios are not mapped to the text and are marked unmapped:
    • Comments on text that falls outside a text frame
    • Comments on all caps text
    • Comments on master page objects
  • Insert Text comment is shifted by few characters in MENA document.
  • Text comments are merged with other drawings on text which might make text comments to hide or not appear correctly.
  • Comments imported in an IDML document cannot be mapped.
  • On trying to drag the pageitem by clicking on annotation draws the same annotation at some other location.

Fonts

  • When you select a font as favorite through fonts.adobe.com, it takes a long time to reflect the changes in the Favorites filter on the Find More tab of the Character panel (Window > Type & Tables > Character).
  • [Mac] While creating the outline for Apple Color Emoji font you get the following error:
    Please select one or more characters that can be converted to outlines.

 Adobe

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