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nik.m
Community Manager
nik.mCommunity Manager
Community Manager
Sep 11, 2026 5:19 PM UTC
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InDesign Known Issues Hub: See Workarounds, Vote on Priorities

 

InDesign Known Issues - [September 2026]

 

This post will be updated as issues are confirmed, workarounds are identified, or fixes are released. Please upvote the issues affecting you most—your feedback will help inform the team’s prioritization alongside broader product considerations.

 

InDesign version(s) covered: 21.x and later Last updated: September 14, 2026

 

HOW TO USE THIS POST

  • Use the links for the issues in the description to go to the original conversation and use vote button on the post or reply "+1 [Issue ID]" here so we can gauge impact.

  • If your issue is not listed here. First ensure that you update to our latest version of InDesign (check: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/desktop/whats-new/release-notes.html).
    If the issue still persists, comment below with the InDesign Version, steps to reproduce the behavior, Video recording/error screenshot, package of the document, and operating system.

  • Subscribe/follow this post for updates as statuses change.

  • Do not open a duplicate thread for issues already listed below. Reply on the original post instead, by going to it using the links available here.

 

KNOWN ISSUES

Issue

Description

UserVoice

Status

ID-01

 Indesign v21 not starting after update | Win 11 — External: Fix to be provided by Microsoft.

ID-02

 InDesign 21.3 freezes with endless loading cursor when placing images on Windows 11 —

Workaround available

ID-03

 InDesign 21.2 Undo Greyed Out and History Panel Blank on macOS Tahoe and Ventura — Workaround available

 

 

RECENTLY RESOLVED ISSUES

Issue

Community Link / Description 

UserVoice

 Status in Latest release

IDR-01

 InDesign 2026: Drop Shadows graphical glitch  UserVoice Link

Fixed

IDR-02

Share for Review Link Not Updating in Adobe InDesign for Brochure Files

 — Fixed

IDR-03

InDesign 21.4: Unable to Move Multiple Selected Objects When Dragging Over Placed Images

 UserVoice Link Fixed 

 

 

DETAILED ISSUE REPORTS

 

ID-01: InDesign 21.x does not launch after Windows update due to corrupt VCRuntime

 

Current Status: Confirmed/In testing - External (Dependent on Microsoft)

Affected versions: 21.0 and later. Does not affect 20.x versions

Affected platforms: Windows

Description:

InDesign fails to launch or crashes on startup due to corrupted VCRuntime files after a Windows update.

Workaround:

  1. Repairing the VCRuntime installed or manually installing VCRuntime v14.50.35719 resolves this issue. Before you begin, close all applications on your system.
    (https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/desktop/troubleshoot/launch-and-crash-issues/launch-issues-windows-update.html)

If you are experiencing similar issues with InDesign on your computer, please upvote this community post (https://community.adobe.com/questions-671/indesign-v21-not-starting-after-update-win-11-897997?postid=7505433#post7505433) and share the required logs.

 

ID-02: InDesign 21.3 / 21.2 freezes with spinning cursor when placing or updating placed files

 

Current Status: Investigating - Workaround available

Affected versions: 21.2 and later

Affected platforms: Windows

Description:

InDesign intermittently freezes while placing files or updating placed files. The cursor gets stuck in a spinning/loading state, and the document may still respond partially, but the page editing area becomes unusable. In some reports, the app cannot be closed normally and requires a force quit.

Workaround:

  1. Disable the two Generative AI options in InDesign Preferences.

  2. If the issue persists, please use InDesign 21.1.

If you are experiencing similar issues with InDesign on your computer, please upvote this community post (https://community.adobe.com/questions-671/indesign-21-3-freezes-with-endless-loading-cursor-when-placing-images-on-windows-11-1560065) and share the required logs.

 

ID-03: Undo/Redo disabled and History panel empty in InDesign 21.2 on macOS

 

Current Status: Confirmed (Reproducible internally) - Workaround Available

Affected versions: 21.2 and later

Affected platforms: macOS

Description:

On macOS, InDesign 21.2 and later, the undo/redo buttons stay greyed out, and the History panel remains empty even after editing a document. The issue may temporarily resolve after restarting the app or the system.

Workaround:

  1. Use to InDesign 21.1. 

  2. If needed, restart the application or system to temporarily restore functionality.

  3. Few users have been able to fix this by disabling the Generative AI options in InDesign preferences.

If you are experiencing similar issues with InDesign on your computer, please upvote this community post (https://community.adobe.com/questions-671/indesign-21-2-undo-greyed-out-and-history-panel-blank-on-macos-tahoe-and-ventura-1551926) and share the required logs.

 

 

SUBMITTING A NEW ISSUE

If your issue isn't listed above, kindly reply to this thread with the following details:

  • Title: A short summary of the issue

  • The version of the OS and InDesign installed

  • Steps to reproduce the behavior or problem

  • Expected vs. actual behavior

  • Screenshots or a brief screen recording (if applicable)

  • Any workaround you've found

This information may help the team assess the problem, and the confirmed issues will reflect in the index above.

 

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      24 replies

      renej84581193
      Participant
      Oct 27, 2026 4:19 PM UTC

      Title: InDesign 2026 – Book panel incorrectly reports files as locked when replacing older document versions

      Software: Adobe InDesign 2026 (21.5.1)
      Operating system: Windows 11
      File location: Network drive

      Problem description:

      When updating an existing InDesign book from the 2025 version to the 2026 version, InDesign incorrectly reports that certain INDD files are locked, preventing them from being added to or used to replace existing documents in the book.

      The issue occurs when replacing an older document with its corresponding updated version.

      Steps to reproduce:

      1. Open an existing InDesign book (INDB) containing multiple language versions of a document.

      2. The book contains older documents, for example:

        • BG-06-2025.indd

        • SK-06-2025.indd

      3. Updated versions of these documents have already been created and saved on the same network drive:

        • BG-10-2026.indd

        • SK-10-2026.indd

      4. Select BG-06-2025.indd in the Book panel and attempt to replace it with BG-10-2026.indd.

      5. InDesign displays an error stating that the file is locked and refuses to replace it.

      Unexpected behaviour:

      If I select SK-06-2025.indd instead and replace it with BG-10-2026.indd, the replacement works without any problems.

      This means:

      • Replacing BG-06-2025 with BG-10-2026 fails.

      • Replacing SK-06-2025 with BG-10-2026 succeeds.

      • The same updated file can therefore be used successfully, depending on which existing document it replaces.

      The affected INDD files are not actually locked. They can be opened, edited and saved normally.

      Additional observations:

      • No corresponding IDLK lock files are present.

      • Full read and write permissions are available on the network drive.

      • Creating copies of the affected INDD files in the same network folder does not resolve the issue.

      • Copying an affected file to the local desktop allows it to be added to the book without errors.

      • Disabling the Windows Explorer preview pane does not resolve the issue.

      • The problem affects multiple language versions, not just one particular file.

      Workaround:

      I was able to work around the problem by removing all outdated 2025 documents from the book and copying the already updated 2026 document entries directly from another InDesign book using the Book panel.

      This works, but requires unnecessary manual operations.

      Expected behaviour:

      InDesign should allow an existing book document to be replaced with its updated version, regardless of whether the new document originates from the same source document or a different one.

      A file that can be opened, edited and successfully linked elsewhere should not be incorrectly reported as locked.

      Conclusion:

      The issue appears to be related to InDesign's internal book document management rather than actual file locking or network permissions.

      The error is reproducible and occurs specifically when replacing an older language document with its corresponding updated version.

      Please investigate this issue, as it significantly disrupts workflows involving large, multilingual InDesign books.

      Translate
      amazing_calmness80ea
      Participant
      Oct 1, 2026 7:09 PM UTC

      Thanks for maintaining this thread and keeping the known issues and workarounds in one place. It would be really helpful if updates could also clearly indicate when a fix is actually available in a specific InDesign version, especially for issues that affect day-to-day production work. Clearer update notifications would make it much easier to know when it’s safe to update rather than having to discover these changes through the community.

      Translate
      Tammoh
      Participant
      Sep 28, 2026 5:39 PM UTC

      21.6 Using DataMerge and the creating a pdf or merges indesign is not working anymore. Have 100% to103% cpu… 21.5.1 the file took around 20 minutes to merge (5000 pages with images and QR-codes ande multimple texts.), now it get stuck at 25% of the file and then every hour a page or 2. 
      Went back to 21.5.1 and the file is ready in 20 minutes. 

      Translate
      Kristinn32088981vq0b
      Participating Frequently
      Sep 21, 2026 7:03 PM UTC

      Exported PDFs are super large in file size.
      There is no size difference between a PDF with checked or unchecked editable capabilities.
      So it seems that function is functioning as it should.
      I’m working with Indesign v21.6 (also tried reverting every update down to 20.5.5) and macOS 26.2 

      Translate
      leo.r
      Community Expert
      leo.rCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      Sep 21, 2026 7:14 PM UTC

      Can you please provide more info? What’s the PDF size? What PDF export settings are you using? Is the size significantly larger than what you used to get before InDesign 2025? Can you post screenshots of InDesign pages or upload the file itself? PDF sizes can be unusually large under certain conditions, for example numerous large complex vector files etc. 

      Translate
      Kristinn32088981vq0b
      Participating Frequently
      Sep 21, 2026 7:25 PM UTC

      It’s a 16 page PDF, file size is 250+ mb. Doesn’t matter if its High Quality, Press Quality or Smallest file size, always 250+.

      And yes, this is significantly larger that before. It shouldn’t be over 15 mb at High Quality.
      But why do vector files make a difference when exporting, especially with editable unchecked.

      I’m assuming there should be a noticeable difference between editable being checked on or off. In my case there is absolutely no difference. 

      Translate
      Hln88
      Inspiring
      Sep 15, 2026 8:50 AM UTC

      Hi Nik, all of my Online Published documents give ‘502 Bad Gateway’. I just updated to v. 21.6 and tried again with a one pager, but this also gives the same error. Is there an error in the software itself?

       

       

      Thank you!

       

      Helen

      Translate
      nicola5C4D
      Participant
      Sep 15, 2026 9:03 AM UTC

      All my published docs have the same issue. 502 Bad Gateway. Its an Adobe outage.

      Translate
        sharons60861609
        Participant
        Sep 15, 2026 1:09 PM UTC

        Same problem here, are you working on it?

        Translate
        graphics_4075
        graphics_4075
        Inspiring
        Sep 14, 2026 4:54 PM UTC

        The Drop Shadows graphical glitch is not fixed, I just experienced it and have been for the past couple days (and past few years!). The correctly marked comment states the bug resurfaced on recent versions, so I’m not sure why it’s marked here as solved.

         

        I am on Tahoe 26.6.2, InDesign 21.5.1.

         

        This is the same bug that has been occurring for years. When I move my objects with drop shadow, I think specifically over different pages/spreads, the shadow will glitch out in an incorrect visual position. The only way to get it back to normal is to turn the drop shadow on/off.

        Translate
        Cheers
        tonks_the_auror
        Community Expert
        tonks_the_aurorCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        Sep 16, 2026 11:26 PM UTC

        A user in the InDesign Secrets Facebook Group reported this issue today. InDesign 21.5.1. He doesn’t say which OS.

        Translate
        graphics_4075
        graphics_4075
        Inspiring
        Sep 16, 2026 11:47 PM UTC

        I only realized today that 21.6 has released, yet still unavailable for me. Hopefully it is fixed because I am still experiencing it on 21.5.1. 

         

        Side note: is it just me or does Adobe do a poor job at announcing updates? I don’t get emails, they post announcements on this forum super late, and I only find out about them when searching for info or checking the CC cloud app at a random time. It would be nice to be made aware of an update that fixes critical bugs when it happens, not randomly a week later. 

        Translate
        Cheers
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