Adobe InDesign 2026 Freezes on macOS (Apple Silicon) During Startup, Image Import, and PDF Export

Problem

Adobe InDesign 2026 may freeze on macOS (especially Apple Silicon) during startup, image

import, or PDF export. The app opens but becomes unresponsive.

Cause

Deadlock caused by CEP/CCX extensions (onboarding and experimentation web panels) related to

Creative Cloud, IPC, and CEF services.

Permanent fix

1. Quit InDesign.

2. Go to:

/Applications/Adobe InDesign 2026/Adobe InDesign

2026.app/Contents/Resources/CEP/extensions

3. Rename the folders below by adding '.DISABLED':

- com.adobe.butler.OnBoarding

- com.adobe.butler.OnBoardingForLearnPanel

- com.adobe.experimentation

Or run this code in terminal:
cd "/Applications/Adobe InDesign 2026/Adobe InDesign 2026.app/Contents/Resources/CEP/extensions" || exit 1

sudo mv "com.adobe.butler.OnBoarding" "com.adobe.butler.OnBoarding.DISABLED"
sudo mv "com.adobe.butler.OnBoardingForLearnPanel" "com.adobe.butler.OnBoardingForLearnPanel.DISABLED"
sudo mv "com.adobe.experimentation" "com.adobe.experimentation.DISABLED"
 

4. Relaunch InDesign.

⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠Emergency command⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠

If InDesign freezes, run in Terminal:

killall CEPHtmlEngine CCXProcess AdobeIPCBroker

Note

These extensions are not required for normal InDesign usage. You can re-enable them later if Adobe releases a fix soon. 

PLEASE ADOBE, FIX IT!! 😱