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Participant
June 30, 2026
Question

Cannot export files if a linked image is large

  • June 30, 2026
  • 4 replies
  • 0 views

The new versions of InDesign (21.3–21.4.1) cannot export files if a linked image is large (more than 1 GB tiff). When exporting to PDF, only a gray square appears, and the JPG export is empty. The last working version is 21.2.

    4 replies

    Inspiring
    June 30, 2026

    I had a similar problem, converting a large TIFF to PSB helped.

    rob day
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    June 30, 2026

    Hi ​@David3787643819g2 , Also, are you linking or embedding the .tif? How much RAM is available, and when you select the image, what is the image’s Effective PPI listed in the Links panel?

    Abhishek Rao
    Community Manager
    Community Manager
    June 30, 2026

    Hi ​@David3787643819g2,

     

    Thanks for reaching out and sorry to hear you're running into this issue.

    I tested this on InDesign 21.4.1 using a large TIFF sample that I created in Photoshop, but I wasn't able to reproduce the behavior on my end.

    Could you please confirm your operating system? Also, does this happen with one particular TIFF, a specific set of TIFFs, or all linked TIFF files larger than 1 GB? It would also be helpful to know which application created those TIFF files.

    If possible, please share the affected TIFF or a packaged InDesign document containing it by following these steps:
    https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/preflighting-files-handoff.html#package_files

    If the files are confidential, feel free to send them to me via DM using any public cloud-sharing service such as Google Drive or Dropbox.

    Additionally, could you please share:

    • A screenshot of the PDF export preset/settings you're using.

    • Whether the issue still occurs after saving the document as IDML, reopening it, and exporting again.

    These details will help us investigate the issue further.

     

    Looking forward to your update.

    Thanks,
    Abhishek

    BobLevine
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    June 30, 2026

    If you can reproduce it consistenctly report it here: Adobe InDesign: Bugs: Top (7595 ideas) – Adobe InDesign