Skip to main content
B
bracewell4213
Known Participant
February 2, 2026
Answered

InDesign 2026 hangs on opening some documents, can't Cancel

  • February 2, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 114 views

I was forced to update to InDesign 2026. (Mac Mini, Ventura OS) It’s being extremely buggy. 

I’m now having issues where I’ll open a doc from the Book panel and the doc opens but a modal box stays up saying “Open 1 documents” and typically hangs showing the name of a placed image. Of course, as with everything CC, the “Cancel” button never actually cancels. I can’t do anything but Force Quit and then the fun of having InDesign say files may be damaged.

I’m in the middle of a colossal project and basically have to be prepared for a hard crash every moment and don’t dare leave any files open. The Book features is super buggy, but these inherited files were set up this way (due to somebody not understanding text variables for RH, so every chapter is a new volume with 6 master pages, thanks).

Has anyone experienced this and figured it out? I now do keep updating InDesign, hoping this is addressed.

I’m syncing on DropBox, I’ve selected “Make Available Offline” to hundreds of GB of files so they all should be on my hard drive. No one else has these files open. They are in a common assets folder linked to by many layouts, but it’s not the same file every time.

Thanks for any ideas. Every time it’s “reset preferences” but there is so much customization that it’s always a bummer and doesn’t help, but….

 

 

 

    Correct answer leo.r

    Try the following troubleshooting steps:

     

    -Reset InDesign preferences and caches:

    https://www.rockymountaintraining.com/adobe-indesign-rebuilding-preferences-cache/

     

    -If it doesn’t help, try to create a new admin account in System Settings > Users & Groups and work from there. Will it make a difference?

     

    -Also, try to run a test with Dropbox disconnected that I suggested above just to see if the links on Dropbox cause the issues you experience:

     

    3 replies

    BobLevine
    Community Expert
    BobLevineCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 3, 2026

    Leo is on to something. The early versions of Ventura were pretty buggy, but also need to know how much RAM and what processor you’re using. How old is the Mac Mini?

    B
    bracewell4213Author
    Known Participant
    February 4, 2026

    I’ve been using Ventura in a stable way for a long time, and have had the latest version since July 2025, which is the final upgrade. I have a 2023 Mini with 16gb of Ram. Things changed with InDesign 2026. I really try not to mess with my setup very often if it’s stable and appropriate for the hardware. I also try not to have Auto-Update on Adobe products because the early releases are unstable. This release is full of window issues for me.

    leo.r
    Community Expert
    leo.rCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 3, 2026

    Also:

     

    I assume your InDesign files are also on Dropbox.

     

     

    As a test, try to copy your InDesign file to your local drive, then disconnect Dropbox (so that InDesign can’t find linked images) and open the file. Will it open?

    B
    bracewell4213Author
    Known Participant
    February 4, 2026

    Things tend to get better when I restart everything. 
    As I mentioned, I’m syncing to local hard drive for everything on Dropbox. Unfortunately Apple and Dropbox are not playing nice these days. As I understand it, Apple doesn’t want you to be syncing to an external drive, and Dropbox is forced to create workarounds. This is unfortunate, because there’s no way I can sync all my client Dropbox files to an internal laptop SSD for work travel, and Dropbox freaks out if I plug in my external hard drive to the laptop, it’s just not set up for swap locations. So I’m pretty much stuck with desktop Mini, large external hard drive, and hoping Dropbox can continue to sync.

    Not sure why the focus in this thread is on the Mac and the OS, which have been stable for at least 6 months. The only change has been InDesign 2026, but maybe it has changed how it handles linked files. 

    leo.r
    Community Expert
    leo.rCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    February 4, 2026

    Try the following troubleshooting steps:

     

    -Reset InDesign preferences and caches:

    https://www.rockymountaintraining.com/adobe-indesign-rebuilding-preferences-cache/

     

    -If it doesn’t help, try to create a new admin account in System Settings > Users & Groups and work from there. Will it make a difference?

     

    -Also, try to run a test with Dropbox disconnected that I suggested above just to see if the links on Dropbox cause the issues you experience:

     

    leo.r
    Community Expert
    leo.rCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 3, 2026

    First question:

     

    Is your Ventura updated to its latest version?

    B
    bracewell4213Author
    Known Participant
    February 4, 2026

    The app store says 13.7.7, from July 2025, and I do have that version.
    These bugs started when I updated InDesign to 2026 in January. InDesign 2025 was pretty stable. I’m going to restart everything and see what happens. I think Dropbox is also buggy. Sometimes I have the dot that indicates sync status in the Finder, and sometimes it disappears. I’ve synced everything to the hard drive, as I noted in my post, so ID should find everything with Dropbox off, so I’ll check that.

    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices