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michaelr39686089
michaelr39686089
Participating Frequently
April 5, 2026
Question

Error 18 When Publishing Online in Adobe InDesign 21.3

  • April 5, 2026
  • 14 replies
  • 483 views

I realize this is a common issue for users but I cannot publish online, get an error 18 message every time. I am absolutely connected online, i have done everything i can to address the issue based on what I’ve read in the forum, and nothing is working. Why is it that there are no human beings to talk to about this with? Any help or guidance is greatly appreciated.

    14 replies

    mattp26461402
    Known Participant
    June 17, 2026

    Hey I was having a nightmare of a time with this, error #33 and #18. Tried all steps below fix for me was rolling back to 21.3

    Now all docs that errored work again. I am hoping this could help you...

    Abhishek Rao
    Community Manager
    Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    April 21, 2026

    Hi ​@michaelr39686089,

     

    Sorry for the experience, I understand how critical this is for your work. Could you please confirm your InDesign version and macOS details?

    In the meantime, please try resetting the hosts file manually using this guide:
    How to resolve connection errors with Creative Suite applications and scroll to the “Reset the hosts file manually” section. Once done, run the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool (from here: Prepare to run the Creative Cloud Cleaner tool) to remove Creative Cloud Desktop, CC Library, CoreSync and InDesign, then reinstall Creative Cloud Desktop (from: Download Creative Cloud desktop app) followed by InDesign.

    After that, relaunch InDesign and test publishing again.

    Let me know how it goes. Looking forward to update. 

    Abhishek

    Abhishek Rao
    Community Manager
    Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    April 28, 2026

    Hi ​@michaelr39686089,

     

    Just checking in to see if the issue has been resolved or if you’re still facing the Error 18 while publishing online.

    Please update the thread that we can proceed accordingly.

     

    Looking forward to your update.

    Abhishek

    michaelr39686089
    michaelr39686089Author
    Participating Frequently
    April 21, 2026

    I opened a thread about this a couple weeks ago but I’m hoping someone from Adobe will help with this. 

    I’ve been getting error 18 when publishing online for two weeks now. I’ve tried literally every troubleshooting solution, including a CC uninstall, reinstall, and the CC cleaner. Nothing has worked. When I use the CC cleaner tool (I’m on iOS) I get the attached image. It deletes everything except the host file, which as best I understand, is the file that is causing the problem.

    At this point, i don’t care if I need to delete my entire account and register a new Adobe subscription, I just need this resolved, I cannot work and it is costing me clients.

    Thanks 

     

    michaelr39686089
    michaelr39686089Author
    Participating Frequently
    April 20, 2026

    Hi, I’ve got to get this resolved, I can’t take jobs if I can’t fix this. Please help.

    THE EYES CHICO, S.L.
    Participating Frequently
    September 10, 2026

    For anyone experiencing InDesign Publish Online Error #18 or Error #33, I wanted to share what has worked for me, because this has become a recurring issue with my account.

    I have experienced these errors around five times now, including twice this week. Every time, I’m unable to upload my InDesign documents to Publish Online.

    I have tried all the usual troubleshooting: restarting InDesign and Creative Cloud, signing out and back in, changing networks, checking VPN/proxy settings, restarting the computer, etc. None of this has ever fixed the issue for me.

    The only thing that consistently fixes it is contacting Adobe Support and getting someone from the backend team to reset/refresh the Publish Online authentication associated with my account. Once they do this, Publish Online starts working again.

    Unfortunately, getting the issue escalated to the right person can take time. Sometimes Adobe has fixed it very quickly; other times I’ve had to wait 1–3 hours or longer. In my experience, it depends entirely on how quickly the case reaches someone with the necessary backend access.

    So if you are experiencing the same recurring Error #18 / #33 and normal troubleshooting is not working, ask Adobe Support to escalate the case to the Publish Online backend team and have them check/reset the authentication associated with your account.

    This issue has caused me serious problems with client deliveries. It has happened to me twice in the same week, which is incredibly frustrating for a professional service I depend on every day.

    I hope this helps anyone else stuck with the same problem. At least in my case, backend intervention has been the only reliable solution every single time.

    michaelr39686089
    michaelr39686089Author
    Participating Frequently
    April 13, 2026

    Hi, I’m now having the issue of being unable to uninstall CC because I can’t seem to uninstall Camera Raw, even though I’ve followed what seem to be the right steps to do so. Anyone able to help on this front? Thanks

    Community Expert
    Eugene TysonCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    April 5, 2026

    Start with the obvious (you may have already done this, but it fixes a lot of cases):

    • Sign out of Adobe Creative Cloud (desktop app)
    • Sign out via Creative Cloud on the web
    • In Adobe InDesign go to Help → Sign Out

    Reboot, then sign back in everywhere

    If that doesn’t resolve Error 18, it’s usually a caching/auth issue rather than connectivity. Next steps:

    Quit all Adobe apps

    • Clear the Creative Cloud cache (delete the OOBE folder):
    • Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/OOBE
    • Windows: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Adobe\OOBE

    Relaunch Creative Cloud and sign in again

    If it’s still failing:

    • Try publishing from a different network (rules out firewall/proxy issues)
    • Disable VPN if you’re using one
    • Check system date/time is set automatically (Adobe auth can fail if it’s off)
    • As a last step, reinstall the Creative Cloud desktop app

    Error 18 is almost always authentication getting stuck somewhere, not your document or internet connection.

     

    Very last resort
    https://helpx.adobe.com/ie/creative-cloud/apps/troubleshoot/diagnostics-repair-tools/run-creative-cloud-cleaner-tool.html

     

      michaelr39686089
      michaelr39686089Author
      Participating Frequently
      April 5, 2026

      Hi Eugene, thanks very much for this. I’ve tried some, but by no means all, of these options. Let’s see what happens. Thanks

        Abhishek Rao
        Community Manager
        Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
        Community Manager
        April 6, 2026

        Hi ​@michaelr39686089,

         

        I hope the issue is resolved after trying the steps shared by the expert. If you’re still facing the same issue, please update the thread with your latest observations and we’ll be happy to look into it further.

         

        Best,

        Abhishek

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