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Convert PDFs to InDesign files in InDesign (Beta) app

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  • InDesign User Guide
      1. What's New in InDesign
      2. System requirements
      3. Common questions
      4. Use Creative Cloud libraries
      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
      1. Text to Image
      2. Generative Expand
      3. Generate Effect in InDesign (Beta)
      4. Generative AI FAQ
  • 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
      1. Grids
      2. Format grids
      1. Rulers
      2. Align and distribute objects using rulers
      3. Measure objects using the Measure tool
      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
      1. Using fonts in InDesign
      2. Kerning and tracking
      3. Scale and skew type
      4. Apply color effects to type
      1. Format text
      2. Auto Style text
      3. Work with Style Packs
      4. Tabs and indents
      1. Track and review changes
      2. Add editorial notes in InDesign
      3. Import PDF comments
      1. Check spelling, autocorrect, and dynamic spelling
      2. Create, add, and manage dictionaries and words
      3. Change dictionary preferences
      4. Duden dictionary
      1. Create a table of contents
      2. Footnotes
      3. Create an index
      4. Endnotes
      5. Captions
      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
      1. Format tables
      2. Create tables
      3. Table and Cell styles
      4. Select and edit tables
      5. Table strokes and fills
      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
      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
      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
    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
    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
      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 or PNG format
      11. Import SVG files
      12. Supported File Formats
      13. Export and import User Settings
      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
      1. Data merge
      2. Plug-ins
      3. Capture extension in InDesign
      4. Scripting
    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
    1. InDesign User Guide
        1. What's New in InDesign
        2. System requirements
        3. Common questions
        4. Use Creative Cloud libraries
        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
        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
        1. Grids
        2. Format grids
        1. Rulers
        2. Align and distribute objects using rulers
        3. Measure objects using the Measure tool
        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
        1. Using fonts in InDesign
        2. Kerning and tracking
        3. Scale and skew type
        4. Apply color effects to type
        1. Format text
        2. Auto Style text
        3. Work with Style Packs
        4. Tabs and indents
        1. Track and review changes
        2. Add editorial notes in InDesign
        3. Import PDF comments
        1. Check spelling, autocorrect, and dynamic spelling
        2. Create, add, and manage dictionaries and words
        3. Change dictionary preferences
        4. Duden dictionary
        1. Create a table of contents
        2. Footnotes
        3. Create an index
        4. Endnotes
        5. Captions
        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
        1. Format tables
        2. Create tables
        3. Table and Cell styles
        4. Select and edit tables
        5. Table strokes and fills
        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
        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
        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
      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
      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
        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 or PNG format
        11. Import SVG files
        12. Supported File Formats
        13. Export and import User Settings
        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
        1. Data merge
        2. Plug-ins
        3. Capture extension in InDesign
        4. Scripting
      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

    Learn how to edit PDFs by converting them into InDesign files using the InDesign (Beta) app.

    Need to edit some text or modify the layout of a PDF? You can now convert PDFs to InDesign files while maintaining document fidelity in InDesign (Beta).

      Explore the beta app
    InDesign (Beta) is available for testing and feedback. Try it now to experience new features.

    Get started
    Note:
    • Ensure you're connected to the internet and logged in to your Adobe account to convert PDFs to InDesign files.
    • It is only available in the InDesign (Beta) versions of English International and English North America.

    1. Launch InDesign (Beta) app.

    2. Select File > Open.

    3. Select a PDF, and edit the text and layout per your requirements.

    Tip:
    • With the latest InDesign Beta version, you can open multiple PDFs from any source (e.g., PDFs created from Illustrator, Photoshop, Express, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Numbers, Canva, etc.)
    • Drag and drop PDFs into the InDesign (Beta) app.
    • Converted PDFs now support superscript and subscript, baseline shift, underline, tables, special characters, hyperlinks, nested ordered and unordered lists, spot colors, and gradients.
    • Improved alert dialog when unsupported or password-protected PDF files are opened.

    Limitations and Known issues

    • InDesign isn't able to convert PDF files that are Password-protected, corrupted or malformed in any manner, and created from unreliable sources.
    • Some issues with Kerning, Tracking, Leading, and Alignment.
    • Superscript & Subscript is visually correct but uneditable.
    • Advanced Bullets & Numbered lists (having different colors or styles) are not supported.
    • Advanced Table Features (having different borders & their variations, complex tables with Bullets & Numbers) are not supported.
    • Grouping of paragraphs into a single text frame isn't supported.
    • Character & Paragraph styles are not supported.
    • You can convert any file less than 100 MB with a maximum page count of 200.

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