I lost another document in InDesign V21

You should probably roll back a version, too, until v21 is actually stable. In my experience, new releases are NEVER ready for production work before at least the second dot release.

Are you saving in and working on these files from cloud storage. I know "everybody does it" but it's and inherently dangerous workflow. Network lag or other network issues can cost you dearly. And what @Eugene Tyson says about backups is very important. Personally, I save AS with a new name including a version number at every major change to a file, and I image the data nightly so that I hopefully never lose more than a few hours iof edits at the most.

Losing client files is brutal, and you’re right to be upset. Before assuming the file is completely gone though, there are a few concrete recovery paths worth checking, because InDesign often leaves usable remnants even when it says a file is “repaired” or fails to open.

1. Check for InDesign auto-recovery files

InDesign does not always restore these automatically after a crash.

On Windows 11, check:

C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Adobe\InDesign\Version 21.0\[language]\Caches\InDesign Recovery

Look for files with names like:

• Recovered-xxxx.indd
• .idlk (lock files – delete these if InDesign is closed)
• .tmp files (sometimes renaming to .indd works)

Copy anything you find out of this folder before opening.

2. Try opening with fonts disabled (important given Adobe Fonts involvement)

This avoids triggering the same crash loop.

Method A

• Hold Ctrl + Alt + Shift immediately after double-clicking the document
  (this forces InDesign to skip loading plugins and sometimes fonts)

Method B

• Disconnect from the internet
• Sign out of Creative Cloud
• Relaunch InDesign
• Try opening the file (Adobe Fonts won’t sync)

If the file opens, immediately Save As a new copy.

3. Open in an earlier InDesign version

If you still have InDesign 2024 / v19 or v20 installed:

• Try opening the file there
• Or open a copy, not the original

Several users have reported v21-specific instability that doesn’t reproduce in older builds.

4. IDML rescue attempt

If the file will open even briefly:

• Export immediately to IDML
• Close InDesign
• Reopen the IDML and resave as INDD

If it won’t open:

• Duplicate the file
• Change the extension from .indd > .idml
• Then try opening (long shot, but sometimes works)

5. Check for OS / cloud backups (often overlooked)

Ask if any of the following were active:

• OneDrive / Dropbox / Google Drive
• Right-click file > Version history
• Windows File History
• Agency server / NAS snapshots
• Client delivery emails / WeTransfer / Slack uploads

Even a version from “yesterday” may save dozens of hours.

6. Report it with logs (this actually helps)

If they want Adobe to take it seriously, logs matter:

• Creative Cloud > Help > Create Logs
• Include:
• Windows 11 build
• Exact InDesign version (21.x.x)
• Whether files were local or cloud-synced
• Fonts involved

About backups

Not blaming, but for agency work, automatic versioning is essential, especially on a new major release. Even OneDrive alone would usually mean this file isn’t truly “gone”.