InDesign 21.4.1 is crashing every time I try to open it on a Windows 11 PC.

Forum|Forum|2 days ago
July 17, 2026
2 replies
24 views

It has been working with no problems for years but now I am unable to open. If double clicking a file to launch, it will get as far as displaying the file but then freezes. If launching InDesign from the task bar, it will open the standard UI display but then will freeze.

The pre-flight shows "checking" and I can hear the PC working on something in the background, but nothing within InDesign works and I have to end task using Task Manager.

I have uninstalled/installed numerous times but still having the same issue. I have also gone through the delete preferences process.

R

RAWIIIAuthor

Participant

Hi Abhishek, thanks for the reply.

I’ve now tried all your recommendations above and it’s still freezing on launch. However, when in Safe Mode, it did get a little further to the welcome screen, before freezing again!

Any help would be appreciated.

BobLevine

Community Expert

Is Windows fully updated? How much RAM do you have?

R

RAWIIIAuthor

Participant

I have fully updated Windows… which I think is where the issue started. I have 32Gb Ram. I’ve never had any issues with InDesign before and I’ve been using it for many years.

Abhishek Rao

Community Manager

Hi @RAWIII,

Thanks for reporting this issue, and I'm sorry for the experience you're having.

Since you've already tried reinstalling InDesign and resetting the preferences, could you please go through the troubleshooting steps outlined in this HelpX article:
https://helpx.adobe.com/in_hi/indesign/kb/crash-on-launch.html

In particular, please try the following:

Rename the CEP and UXP folders, then relaunch InDesign to rule out any extension or plugin-related issues.
Rename the InDesign Caches folder located at:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Adobe\InDesign\<version>\<language>
and relaunch the application.
Repair the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable from the Control Panel.
Verify that the InDesign Preferences folder has the required read/write permissions.
Temporarily disable your antivirus/security software (or add InDesign as an exception) to check whether it's blocking the application during launch.

Additionally, please test the issue by starting Windows in Safe Mode to help isolate any third-party interference:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/start-your-pc-in-safe-mode-in-windows-92c27cff-db89-8644-1ce4-b3e5e56fe234

Please let us know the results after trying these steps, and we'll be happy to assist you further.

Abhishek

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