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Can't open my InDesign file after changing format to idml.

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
July 22, 2022
13 replies
3528 views

I was working on a project for work and when I tried saving it today it was not allowing me to save the file as an .indd file so I thought saving it on an older .idml file would allow me to open it later. Now it's saying "Adobe InDesign may not support the file format, a plug-in that supports the file format may be missing, or the file may be open in another application." I really need to get this file back because it was the only one saved and had all the changes for over a weeks worth of work.

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Correct answer Peter Spier

If you can download the PDF you can do a few things.

Recosoft makes a plugin that can convert, but I don't know that it will be perfect, and I believe all styles are lost, but it would be a lot better than starting from scratch. https://www.recosoft.com/products/pdf2id/

You should be able to export the text from the PDF to Word format from Acrobat, then place that into a new file. You can place the pages of the PDF in the new file on a background layer to use as a template to see what it used to look like.

2

253571236nyzAuthor

Participant

OK, so I was able to actually find the progress on my file and it has been saved and now is only available in the published section of Adobe Creative Cloud files. Is there any way I can make that file editable? Because currently I am only able to view it and then I'm assuming since it has been published on the cloud that its new format is a PDF and would make the file messy trying to go back and finish up the edits to the document and creating a new one but just copying all the edits would be alot simpler. Sorry just was wondering if that was an option or if the file is now only viewable.

Peter Spier

Correct answer

Community Expert

If you can download the PDF you can do a few things.

Recosoft makes a plugin that can convert, but I don't know that it will be perfect, and I believe all styles are lost, but it would be a lot better than starting from scratch. https://www.recosoft.com/products/pdf2id/

You should be able to export the text from the PDF to Word format from Acrobat, then place that into a new file. You can place the pages of the PDF in the new file on a background layer to use as a template to see what it used to look like.

2

253571236nyzAuthor

Participant

Heres a folder with the idml but I feel like the idml file I have now is beyond repair and its so hard to digest because I'll have to restart the whole thing.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/7uzknv63ek8e39cxhlmnf/h?dl=0&rlkey=25h0getfe2ilqb8e0phizfyfy

Joel Cherney

Community Expert

It looks for all the world like the IDML export failed. You can look at them in Notepad, or your favorite raw text viewer, and see that there's no real content inside. Also, they have sizes like "124 bytes" which means that, sadly, your attempt to export IDML failed, and you are going to have to start from scratch to recreate that week's worth of work.

I've been in your shoes before, and in the past I've actually force-quit InDesign in an effort to get something salvageable from the InDesign Recovery folder (where ID saves work-in-progress to recover after a crash). I know I'm giving you suggestions on how to close the barn door after the horses are long gone, but if you change your working methods aomewhat, you're less likely to wind up in this situation in the future.

(Honestly, it's the fact that I've been in your shoes more than once in my past that as taught me to over-save files and reversion them. So, any job I'd worked on for a week might have 28 different backup versions, because I have done a new Save As every few hours or so. It's wasteful of HD space, if you're not using something like Time Machine or Shadow Files, but HD space is cheap, and I think you'll find that you've made your money back on your HD upgrade if this technique saves you even once from needing to recreate a week's worth of work.)

E

Eugene Tyson

Community Expert

Are you working on Windows or Mac?

Can you let us know please as there are recovery options on both.

Windows

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/recover-lost-or-deleted-files-7bf065bf-f1ea-0a78-c1cf-7dcf51cc8bfc

Mac (a little more difficult without Time Machine)

https://www.howtogeek.com/361816/how-to-recover-deleted-files-on-mac/

Your IDML file should open fine in most versions of InDesign.

As you say - you're missing a plugin? That's odd as IDML should strip out plugins.

There might be more going on

Try resetting your preferences:
The easiest way to reset everything is to delete the InDesign preferences: as soon as InDesign starts to boot hold down Shift, Alt, Ctrl (and Apple/Cmd if working on a Macintosh). A dialog will appear asking to delete the InDesign Preferences, select 'Yes' on this dialog.
Further info and instructions here if needed:
https://helpx.adobe.com/in/indesign/kb/indesign-preferences-support-file-locations.html

--------

Reinstalling rarely fixes everything - you can do a complete reinstall using the
Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/cc-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html

2

253571236nyzAuthor

Participant

I tried opening it on both Mac and Windows after resetting preferences and everything. I don't know how the file got corrupted but I think that is what's going on. It is my fault for not saving multiple backups of the file but it was saving normally until it stopped and my work was almost done on the InDesign file. I don't know how to attach it on this thread because it won't allow me but I really need for it to open.

Jeff Witchel, ACI

Community Expert

If you can't get it open, you may want to consider this service: https://markzware.com/products/file-recovery-service/

Bill Silbert

Community Expert

Is the file actually showing the .idml suffix at the end of the file name? How did you try opening it? An idml should not be opened by double-clicking on it. Rather it should be opened through File>Open when InDesign is active. If none of these thoughts are relevant then it sounds like a corrupt file that, as Scott Faulkner said, you might want to upload through pastebin or whatever means is available to you.

Scott Falkner

Community Expert

Are you sure you are opening the file in the same version you saved from? Even if hte answer is no the file should open, as that is the reason for using IDML format. Can you share the file so other users can try to open it?

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