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A
aleGi
Participant
January 15, 2026
Answered

CC LIbraries for GRADIENT on InDesign

  • January 15, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 117 views

Since I often work with different clients who have a specific color palette indicated in the Guideline, I created the COLOR Libraries for each one, implementing them over the years. So they can be used in the 3 Adobe programs: Illustrator, Indesign and Photoshop (and wherever you can use it as it is very useful. Now I run into a big problem: InDesign doesn't treat the "gradient" swatch as normally as it does in Adobe Illustrator. In fact I would say that it has been doing it for some time: if you save the gradient it saves you a separate file with the gradient. Illustrator instead saves a Gradient sample. It's just not possible to make InDesign consistent with other programs. Because it works well in Illustrator while in Indesign it is decidedly more complex and not very useful. Thanks for listening.

Correct answer Abhishek Rao

Hi @Alessandra28990995pg6b,

 

Thanks for taking the time to share the details and screenshots, and sorry for the earlier confusion. What you're seeing is expected behavior. InDesign doesn't currently support using gradient swatches directly from CC Libraries the same way Illustrator does, which is why the gradient appears grayed out. This has been a limitation rather than a recent regression.

The recommended workaround is to create and manage gradients directly in InDesign, or copy an object with the gradient applied from Illustrator and paste it into InDesign, so the gradient is added to the Swatches panel there. You can find more details on the workflow and limitations here:
https://adobe.ly/49HkfeT
https://adobe.ly/3LPufKX

I understand this consistency across apps is important, and I'm sorry this isn't supported at the moment. If you're open to it, please consider upvoting and adding your comments to the related UserVoice request for sharing Illustrator gradients with InDesign via CC Libraries. That helps the product team prioritize feature requests and keeps you informed of any updates.

 

Please try the suggested workflow and let me know if it works as expected on your end, or if you notice anything different.

Abhishek 

2 replies

A
aleGiAuthor
Participant
January 16, 2026

Ciao/Hi,
I’m aleGi66 (also Alessandra Giacobbe)
I work on a MacBook Pro 14 inch 2023. Apple M2 Max memory 32 gb System Tahoe 26.2 chip with 994.66 gb system memory. We have the Adobe Suite updated to 2026 but we don't use it yet. We use Bridge, InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop 2025 for work currently. InDesign 2025 is updated to version 20.5.1.

I attach screenshots of the 3 programs in the Suite. The gradient was created by Illustrator and then used in all programs in the Suite.  see Adobe_CC_Libraries_compare.png

Adobe_CC_Libraries_compare.png

But Indesign DOES NOT RECOGNIZE IT, in fact it is grayed out (you see it highlighted in RED as PROBLEM)..

How to create a GRADIENT color in inDesign vs Illustrator: see   Adobe_create_Gradient.png

Adobe_create_Gradient.png

 

I hope I have been thorough in explaining the problem. It's not from this version that it appears, it's been around for a while now but I was hoping it would be corrected or at least that the programs would be standardized so that we only have one way of managing colors. so instead it forces you to find methods to be able to work in the same way throughout the Suite.

Best aleGi66

    Abhishek Rao
    Community Manager
    Abhishek RaoCommunity ManagerCorrect answer
    Community Manager
    January 16, 2026

    Hi @Alessandra28990995pg6b,

     

    Thanks for taking the time to share the details and screenshots, and sorry for the earlier confusion. What you're seeing is expected behavior. InDesign doesn't currently support using gradient swatches directly from CC Libraries the same way Illustrator does, which is why the gradient appears grayed out. This has been a limitation rather than a recent regression.

    The recommended workaround is to create and manage gradients directly in InDesign, or copy an object with the gradient applied from Illustrator and paste it into InDesign, so the gradient is added to the Swatches panel there. You can find more details on the workflow and limitations here:
    https://adobe.ly/49HkfeT
    https://adobe.ly/3LPufKX

    I understand this consistency across apps is important, and I'm sorry this isn't supported at the moment. If you're open to it, please consider upvoting and adding your comments to the related UserVoice request for sharing Illustrator gradients with InDesign via CC Libraries. That helps the product team prioritize feature requests and keeps you informed of any updates.

     

    Please try the suggested workflow and let me know if it works as expected on your end, or if you notice anything different.

    Abhishek 

    Abhishek Rao
    Community Manager
    Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    January 15, 2026

    Hi @Alessandra28990995pg6b,

     

    Thanks for explaining your workflow in detail. To help me look into this more closely, could you please confirm the exact version of InDesign you are using along with your OS details?

    I tested this behavior in Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign on my end, and the gradient added from Illustrator to CC Libraries appeared to behave the same way in both InDesign and Photoshop. To better understand where things might be diverging in your setup and workflow, could you please share a short screen recording showing the full process, starting from creating the gradient, adding it to CC Libraries, and then using it in InDesign and the other app you are comparing it with?

    That will help me see exactly what you are running into and check this more accurately.

     

    Looking forward to your update.

    Abhishek

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