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H
hutts72
Known Participant
September 29, 2022
Answered

Imported text from MS Word is missing after yet another Indesign crash!

  • September 29, 2022
  • 4 replies
  • 466 views

Hi everyone,

Not sure if there is much i can do to save me around 20hrs of work, but i'll try anyway.

Indesign recently crashed and upon restart and opening my document I see empty text frames without any text which was placed from MS Word.

Are there any magic tips that could be tried to see if this can be resolved??

Indesign is not as reliable as it used to be.... very frustrating!!!

Fingers crossed there is someone that can help.

Cheers!!

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Jumpenjax

Work around is you can select all on your word doc and paste it into InDesign.

4 replies

Jumpenjax
Community Expert
JumpenjaxCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
October 4, 2022

Work around is you can select all on your word doc and paste it into InDesign.

Lee- Graphic Designer, Print Specialist, Photographer
H
hutts72Author
Known Participant
October 4, 2022

Thanks Lee. I ended up doing this.... 

Barb Binder
Community Expert
Barb BinderCommunity Expert
Community Expert
October 1, 2022

If InDesign shuts down unexpectedly due to system errors, power outages, or other problems, then any unsaved changes made to InDesign documents you were working on may be lost. The InDesign automatic recovery feature can help you retrieve these documents.  

—https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/kb/indesign-document-recovery.html

 

~Barb

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
H
hutts72Author
Known Participant
October 4, 2022

Thanks Barb, I had no success with this. The recovered version was missing the text.

But appreciate your thoughts 😉

 

James Gifford—NitroPress
James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
October 1, 2022

Really dumb question: are you sure you saved your document after placing the text and working on it?

 

Not saying this is you, but I've seen many... developing users of advanced software continue practices learned with all web/net/laptop based tools, just closing the laptop when they quit and never realizing that local apps don't automatically preserve everything out there in cloud land. 🙂

 

Until one disastrous day...

 

ETA: On rereading the post, it does seem clear that you never saved the doc. If you didn't and you closed and reopened your computer with ID open and the doc unsaved, and if you're in the habit of working this way... crashes are gonna happen. Very few apps are designed to sleep or hibernate multiple times without getting corrupted.

 

Save your docs often, at least when you quit a session. And it's really better to close major apps than leave them open during power-up sessions.

 

—

    H
    hutts72Author
    Known Participant
    October 4, 2022

    Thanks James,

    Yes, the document was saved several times. I actually exported the document as a pdf so the client could proof the document. This is the only 'intact' version I have with copy placed. I have even expored the possibility of converting the pdf to indesign which sounds possible if the claims are correct?

    E
    Community Expert
    Eugene TysonCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    October 1, 2022

    What text is missing? Very hard to know your issues without screenshots or test files. 

    Can you supply the actual files?

    Have you used the Find to see if the text is still in the document. Perhaps it's overset?

     

    I have found Docx files unreliable and resaving to .doc much better for placing into InDesign.

    Why instantly blame InDesign and not Word? Weird stance when you don't know the issue that caused this.

    H
    hutts72Author
    Known Participant
    October 4, 2022

    Hi Eugene,

    Thanks for your reply.

    The text doesn't appear to be overset. Have tested in the Story Editor mode and nothing appears.

    I have used this same workflow for years and never really had any issues?? Yes, perhaps the issue is with Word. I guess the crash happened with Indesign and therefore that would seem an obvious spot to point the finger at.

    In the process of trying to save a sample file I had indesign crash 6 times. I wonder if there is a deeper issue at play here???

    I have attached a sample file, it may or may not be of help.

    Thanks again!

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