Adobe InDesign 2026 Freezes at Startup on Windows 11 (Intel + NVIDIA RTX)

Question

Windows 11, updated / Intel Ultimate 9 @ 3.7 / 96 Gig RAM / Nvidia RTX 5080

Indesign CC2026 l(latest version) goes through the starting sequence to the screen reached when the app startup is complete – with hourglass on and the app is non-responsive. I had to leave the computer for an hour and when I came back, the stall was still in effect.

• I deleted preferences and restarted, and got the same results
• I uninstalled, reinstalled and got the same results
• I uninstalled and reinstalled one version back, and got the same results.
• Everything was working fine yesterday.

I am bumping a deadline and appreciate any and all help.

Thanks to those who know more than me,
Joe

Abhishek Rao · Answer

Hi @Joe,I hope the suggestions shared by the expert helped get things moving. Could you please let us know if you tried them and whether they resolved the issue? If you’re still facing the same behavior, please share an update so we can look into this further. Also, could you confirm the exact InDesign 2026 version you’re using, for example 21.1 or 21.2? In the meantime, I’d recommend going through the troubleshooting steps outlined here, as they specifically cover launch and freeze issues: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/kb/crash-on-launch.html.Looking forward to your update.Abhishek

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