ID sometimes doesn't update document change, but does when zoomed in or out or forced redraw.

Hi @Coldd,  

I hope Eugene’s suggestions helped you narrow down what might be causing this redraw issue. When you get a chance, do share an update on how things are going and if any of the steps helped isolate the problem. Looking forward to hearing from you!

^

Abhishek

Okay, dealing with an issue like this across multiple computers, operating systems, and even different InDesign versions is definitely unusual and must be frustrating. It suggests the cause might be something common to your setups or workflow rather than a simple glitch on one machine. 

First, let's figure out if this is tied to specific documents. Does the screen redraw issue happen even if you create a brand new, completely blank document? Or does it only seem to affect older or more complex files?

If it is happening with existing documents, try saving a problematic one as an IDML file (File > Save As >IDML. Then, close the original and open the newly created IDML file. Sometimes this process can clean up minor corruption within the file that might cause display issues.

Background applications can sometimes interfere with InDesign. Think about any utilities you run consistently across your machines things like font managers, cloud sync tools (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.), clipboard managers, window management tools (like Magnet), security software (like WebRoot), or active VPNs. Try temporarily disabling these one by one to see if the behaviour changes.

A good way to test for broader software conflicts is to boot one of your Macs into Safe Mode. This prevents many third-party extensions and login items from loading. If InDesign behaves normally in Safe Mode, it strongly points towards one of those disabled items being the culprit.

(Windows has a Safe Mode too).  

While less likely given it happens on multiple machines, it costs nothing to quickly rule out a local hardware interaction on one computer. Does the issue still occur if you use a different monitor or display cable on that specific machine?

To check if the problem is linked to your specific user profile settings or files, try creating a brand new user account on one of your computers (Mac or Windows). Log in as that new user and launch InDesign. Does the redraw issue still happen? If not, it points to something specific within your main user profile.

Display Performance Settings: Even though toggling the main GPU Performance setting didn't help, double-check the specific display quality under View > Display Performance. Does the redraw lag happen regardless of whether it's set to Fast Display, Typical Display, or High Quality Display? Does switching between these modes also force the screen to update correctly, similar to when you zoom?

Fonts are notorious for causing odd issues in design software. If you're using any font management utility (like Suitcase Fusion, FontExplorer X, even managing fonts extensively through Adobe Fonts/Creative Cloud), try temporarily disabling it or deactivating non-essential fonts. Test InDesign using only basic system fonts. Also, use your font manager's tools (or Font Book on Mac) to validate your fonts and check for corruption.  

Do you have any third-party plug-ins installed for InDesign? Try temporarily disabling them to see if one might be interfering.

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Clean Reinstall (Last Resort): While simply reinstalling InDesign often doesn't fix deep-seated issues (as preferences might be left behind), if nothing else works, performing a complete uninstall using the Adobe Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool, followed by a fresh reinstall, can sometimes resolve stubborn problems. You can find the Cleaner Tool here: https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/cc-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html