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Nikos Vardakis
Inspiring
July 11, 2025
Question

Greek Accent Rendering Issue in Adobe InDesign on macOS

  • July 11, 2025
  • 3 replies
  • 1085 views

Dear Adobe Support Team,

I am experiencing a persistent issue with Adobe InDesign (Mac version) while working on a Greek language book. Despite having tested extensively, the problem remains unresolved.

Issue Description:

When typing or correcting Greek text containing accented vowels (e.g., the word "παρότι ήμουν ακόμα δώδεκα"), InDesign renders the accents incorrectly by duplicating or triplicating the accent marks. Examples of incorrect rendering include:

  • "παρ΄΄ότι΄ ΄ήμουν ακόμα ΄δ΄ώδεκα"
    where the accents appear as multiple apostrophe-like marks attached to vowels.

This issue appears consistently across different users with the same InDesign version and on macOS.

Environment:

  • macOS (Sequoia 15.4.1, but the problem exested with previous MacOS versions)

  • Adobe InDesign (Latest version used, but the problem exists also in InDesign 2024)

  • Greek keyboard layout active

  • Document uses Times New Roman font (also tested with Minion Pro)

  • Adobe Paragraph Composer enabled

  • Language set to Greek

  • World-Ready Composer tested and enabled, but issue persists

Tests and Troubleshooting Performed:

  1. Verified the keyboard layout on macOS is set to Greek and tested input outside InDesign (e.g., TextEdit), where accents display correctly.
  2. Changed InDesign composer settings between Adobe Paragraph Composer and World-Ready Composer — no improvement.
  3. Tested multiple fonts (Times New Roman, Minion Pro) — issue persists regardless of font choice.
  4. Disabled all typographic features in InDesign preferences:
    • Turned off Typographer’s Quotes (Smart Quotes)
    • Disabled all OpenType substitutions (ligatures, contextual alternates, stylistic sets)
  5. Created new documents with default settings — problem remains.
  6. Reset InDesign preferences to factory defaults — no resolution.
  7. Tested copy-pasting text with
    • Precomposed accented Greek characters (default)
    • Unicode base characters plus combining diacritical marks —
    Result: Text with combining marks renders correctly without duplicated accents.
  8. Confirmed issue is not related to font files or macOS keyboard input but seems related to how InDesign processes precomposed accented Greek characters.
  9. Observed the problem consistently across other colleagues using the same InDesign version on Mac.
  10. Tried temporarily disabling some font versions in Font Book — no improvement.
  11. Considered but rejected GREP-based or post-processing workarounds, since the requirement is for correct real-time rendering during typing.

 

Summary:

  • The issue is specific to Adobe InDesign on macOS when typing or editing Greek text with precomposed accented characters.

  • InDesign duplicates or misrenders Greek accent marks in real time.

  • The problem does not occur when using Unicode combining diacritical marks.

  • The problem is not related to fonts, keyboard settings, paragraph styles, or document corruption.

  • The problem appears to be an internal rendering or input processing bug in InDesign on macOS.

  • No available setting or workaround fully resolves the issue without disrupting the workflow.

Request:

Please investigate this issue and provide a fix or update that allows Adobe InDesign on macOS to correctly render Greek accents typed as precomposed characters during real-time editing.

This is critical for professional Greek typesetting and large projects with ongoing text corrections.

Thank you for your attention and support.

If you need any additional information or sample files, I am happy to provide them.

Best regards,

Nikos

3 replies

Joel Cherney
Community Expert
Joel CherneyCommunity Expert
Community Expert
July 17, 2025

Hello Nikos, I have some questions about your issue, and also how your issue is described. Please don't take this the wrong way - I really do want to see your issue resolved - but did you create this bug report with ChatGPT or some other AI agent? I've seen a few "bug reports" with exactly this format, and they all tend to have problems that can make the issue described harder to solve, in the end. 

 

For example, Abhishek has already pointed out that you can't perform this test with Minon Pro:

 

• Unicode base characters plus combining diacritical marks —
Result: Text with combining marks renders correctly without duplicated accents.

 

Can you maybe try it with a broader array of fonts? That might help to exclude "problems with a particular font file" as a cause of your issue. Because:

 

Confirmed issue is not related to font files or macOS keyboard input but seems related to how InDesign processes precomposed accented Greek characters.

 

You may have seen this behavior, but there's no evidence here that actually confirms this claim. I think that maybe your AI assistant is being "confidently wrong" here? 

 

I restarted in safe mode, and tried to launch ID 2024, but it was worse! It was very slow, very laggy, and the typing problem was a disaster!!  I didn't even try to create a new user...! My iMac runs with 2TB SSD disk and 32 GB of ram, so I don'y think it's a performance issue!

 

It's my understanding that laggy behavior in Safe Mode on macOS happens because no drivers are loaded, so that everything is being handled by the CPU without help from the GPU. But testing your fonts when booted into Safe Mode demonstrates that your problem isn't being caused by any of those things that are not loaded during Safe Mode. If you'd tried it with a new user and it worked fine, you'd know that the problem was caused by something you'd installed in your user account.

 

That is probably still worth trying (trying it with a new user account), because we still have no idea why this problem is happening to you. It's not happening to Kasyan, who is also using macOS and the same 19.5 version of InDesign. Are you both using the standard Greek polytonic keyboard that comes with macOS? And using it as described here? I personally find it unlikely that the key repeat rate could affect your text input in any way at all (!??!?!), but if Kasyan said "you should check your keyboard input settings" I'd personally look there first. 

 

I'd also look into what kinds of tools you and your fellow users have installed in common, as you've mentioned that your colleagues have experienced this issue. Do we have any reports of this issue from outside of your workplace? If not, the problem is more likely to be found in something that all of you have installed (that I wouldn't expect to find on Kasyan's workstation). 

N
Nikos VardakisAuthor
Inspiring
July 17, 2025

Hello @Joel Cherney and thank you for your reply!

To answer your questions:

did you create this bug report with ChatGPT or some other AI agent?

 

No, of course I don't take this the wrong way, but yes, I used ChatGPT for the report I posted here in my first post. I have been struggling to find a solution for many months now!

That was my last attempt: try to ask ChatGPT, just in case there is something I have missed...

I tried many things, and at last, I asked it to create a complete brief for me, to post it here, because there were so many things scattered around, and it would be easier for me, to have all things gathered in one place.

 

Can you maybe try it with a broader array of fonts? That might help to exclude "problems with a particular font file" as a cause of your issue. Because:

 

Confirmed issue is not related to font files or macOS keyboard input but seems related to how InDesign processes precomposed accented Greek characters.

 

Yes, I have tried many orther fonts, in a new document in InDesign 2024 (19.5.4) and the same thing happens.

 

 

 If you'd tried it with a new user and it worked fine, you'd know that the problem was caused by something you'd installed in your user account.

 

I haven't tried it with another user account. I will try it and come back with an update

 

 

It's not happening to Kasyan, who is also using macOS and the same 19.5 version of InDesign. Are you both using the standard Greek polytonic keyboard that comes with macOS? And using it as described here? I personally find it unlikely that the key repeat rate could affect your text input in any way at all (!??!?!), but if Kasyan said "you should check your keyboard input settings" I'd personally look there first. 

 

As I replied to Kasyan's post, if you type slowly, everything is ok. But when you type a bit faster, it happens.

I am not using polytonic Greek keyboard, just Greek. I tried using polytonic Greek, and the problem is still there.

 

 

I'd also look into what kinds of tools you and your fellow users have installed in common, as you've mentioned that your colleagues have experienced this issue. Do we have any reports of this issue from outside of your workplace? If not, the problem is more likely to be found in something that all of you have installed (that I wouldn't expect to find on Kasyan's workstation). 

 

The same problem exists in 3 other colleagues of mine, who confirmed me that in InDesign 2025 the typing is getting better, but in InDesing 2024 the problem is the same as mine. 

I have some scripts installed. I removed them and restarted InDesign, and nothing changed...

 

I will try it with a new user and I will come back with an update.

 

Than k you all for your help! I wish that we come to a solution with this...

 

Nikos

Kasyan Servetsky
Kasyan Servetsky
Legend
July 17, 2025

"Are you both using the standard Greek polytonic keyboard that comes with macOS? And using it as described here?"
I use the standard Greek (monotonic) keyboard.  As Nikos does, I also type ; (semicolon) followed by a vowel.
I just tried the polytonic keyboard and it works for me as well, though the keyboard layout is a little different than in the instructions.  (I'm on Sequoia 15.5). 

However, all these breathing marks are too much for me.

I agree with Joel and suggest to temporarily add a new (clean) user account, log in and start InDesign to see if the problem gone/remains. If it's gone, trashing InDesign preferences may help.

 

 

 

    Kasyan Servetsky
    Kasyan Servetsky
    Legend
    July 16, 2025

    Γεια σου Νίκος!
    I have to type a lot in Greek in InDesign (in version 19.5) because my daughter goes to a Greek school and I have to help her with homework. I have no issues with accented characters at all. See the attached screen record. Since she's on summer vacation, I lost my knack a little, but it works as expected for me.
    I guess the problem is not with InDesign but with your keyboard settings.
    Here's what I have:

    Κασσιανός

      N
      Nikos VardakisAuthor
      Inspiring
      July 17, 2025

      Γειά σου Kasyan!!

      I am really happy to read that your daughter goes to a Greek school and you help her! Greek language is very difficult to learn and I congratulate you both!!

      Unfortunatelly, the keyboard settings did not make any difference. In fact, that was one of the first things I tried.

      If you type slowly, the result is ok, but if you type a bit faster, the problem is still there!

      Thank you for your time and wishing you the best for your daughter in school!!

        Abhishek Rao
        Community Manager
        Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
        Community Manager
        July 11, 2025

        Hi @Nikos Vardakis,

         

        Thanks so much for sharing all these detailed observations and the image example. I completely understand how frustrating this must be, especially when working on professional book projects.

        Could you please confirm the exact version of InDesign you're using (for example, 20.4.1, 20.4, etc.)? Also, let me know if this issue happens only with certain documents or even with brand new blank files.

        It would be really helpful if you could share a sample InDesign file where this occurs, along with a short screen recording showing your typing workflow, so I can check it further with the team. If the file is confidential, you can share it via DM on the community. Please package the file before sending. You can find steps here: https://adobe.ly/4eMCX6Q.

        You can upload it to a public cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox, generate a download link, and share it with us.

         

        Looking forward to your update.

        Abhishek 

        N
        Nikos VardakisAuthor
        Inspiring
        July 11, 2025

        Hello @Abhishek Rao and thank you for your quick reply!

         

        It happens to old and new documents, so I will give you the Google Drive link to the new file I just created. In that folder you will also find the video with the screen recording, to see it for yourself.

        https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15C0oc0qgseIyjn0AITPGVWEqmdI_6119?usp=drive_link

        I currently use InDesign 2024 (19.5.1.114) and I created the package with that version.

        The same problems happens to my colleague, here in my office, who is using InDesign 2025 (20.2.0.36), but mostly with older documents, and I think (but I'm not sure) the problem is "bigger" if that file comes from another computer, which I don't know what version of InDesign the other person is using.

         

        I did some more tests in both versions of InDesign (2024 and 2025) and the typing problem is slightly smaller when using 2025 version. But I have to work this file in 2024 version, so maybe there is a workaround that I haven't thought of yet. I have to say that I have tried everything I have read in forums (deleting prefs, reinstalling InDesign etc...)

         

        Is there maybe a way to clear something like "cache" that comes with the indd file? I don't know if there is something lie that...

         

        Thanks in advance for your time!

        Nikos

        Abhishek Rao
        Community Manager
        Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
        Community Manager
        July 14, 2025

        Hi @Nikos Vardakis,

         

        Thank you so much for sharing all these detailed insights, along with the sample file and screen recording. I really appreciate the effort you've put into this. It's very helpful for us to understand the issue better.

        I'll be sharing your file and video directly with the engineering team so they can investigate further. In the meantime, could you please also test the issue while using your Mac in safe mode and in a new user profile? You can find instructions here: https://adobe.ly/4kF7aWP and https://adobe.ly/4lpjETx. This will help us check if any third-party apps, plugins, or user account-specific settings might be affecting the behavior.

        Additionally, please confirm the exact macOS versions being used on both your machine and your colleague’s. I'd also recommend updating InDesign to the latest version 20.4.1, then testing the issue again and letting me know if there's any change.

        I'll keep you posted as soon as I hear back from the team.

         

        Looking forward to your update!

        Abhishek 

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