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motionGraphUser
Participant
June 26, 2026
Question

InDesign 21.4.1 on macOS 26.5.1 - Objects move up and left with every single click

  • June 26, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 23 views

Hi everyone,

I'm experiencing a very strange issue with Adobe InDesign 21.4.1 on macOS 26.5.1 (25F80).

Whenever I simply click an object with the Selection Tool (black arrow), the object immediately moves a few pixels up and to the left. I'm not dragging it—a single click alone changes the object's position.

To rule out document corruption, I created a brand-new blank document, drew a simple rectangle, and the exact same thing happens. Every click moves the rectangle slightly farther up and to the left.

I've attached a short screen recording demonstrating the issue.

What I've already tried:

  • Created a brand-new document.
  • Tested with a simple rectangle only (no images or text).
  • Disabled Snap to Guides, Snap to Document Grid, and Smart Guides.
  • Performed a completely clean installation of macOS.
  • Installed InDesign from scratch on the fresh system (so this is effectively beyond resetting preferences).
  • The issue persists even after the clean OS and application installation.

System Information

  • InDesign: 21.4.1
  • macOS: 26.5.1 (25F80)
  • Hardware: Mac Studio Ultra
  • Screen recording: Attached

Has anyone else experienced this issue? Is this a known compatibility issue with InDesign 21.4.1 on macOS 26.5.1, or is there another setting I should investigate?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

    2 replies

    Abhishek Rao
    Community Manager
    Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    June 26, 2026

    Hi ​@motionGraphUser,

     

    Thanks for sharing the detailed information and the screen recording. I tried to reproduce the behavior on my end, but I wasn't able to see the same issue.

    Could you please try the suggestions shared by the expert and let us know the results? In particular, we'd like to know whether the issue still occurs when you start your Mac in Safe Mode:
    https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/mac-help/mh21245/mac

    It would also be helpful if you could test the same workflow from a new macOS user account to determine whether the behavior is specific to your current user profile:
    https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/mac-help/mh15191/mac

    Additionally, could you please confirm whether you're using an external monitor? If so, does the issue only occur while using the external display, or does it also happen on the Mac's built-in display?

     

    Looking forward to your update.

    Abhishek

    M
    motionGraphUserAuthor
    Participant
    June 26, 2026

    Hi ​@Abhishek Rao 
    Thanks. 

    I have a Dell U3225QE monitor, and I downloaded Dell Display and Peripheral Manager v2.3.0.0023 (A18) from the Dell website to manage the monitor's KVM functionality.

    After further troubleshooting, I determined that Dell Display and Peripheral Manager v2.3.0.0023 (A18) was causing the issue. Once I uninstalled the application, the problem was completely resolved.

    leo.r
    Community Expert
    leo.rCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 27, 2026

    Oh yes. Monitor management utilities are another type of third-party utilities that are known to cause this issue.

    leo.r
    Community Expert
    leo.rCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 26, 2026

    Are you using any third-party utilities that can potentially cause this such as Magnet? Or any corporate security tools? You can restart your Mac in Safe mode to test this possibility.

    M
    motionGraphUserAuthor
    Participant
    June 26, 2026

    Thanks for your suggestion.

    This is a completely clean installation of macOS, and InDesign was installed fresh immediately afterward. There are no third-party utilities installed (such as Magnet or other window management tools), no corporate security software, and no plugins or extensions.

    This is a personal Mac, and the issue was present from the very first launch of InDesign after the clean installation.

    leo.r
    Community Expert
    leo.rCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 26, 2026

    Just in case, try to disable the Contextual Task Bar in the Window menu (although I doubt it would cause this issue):

    Also, try to reset preferences and caches as described here:

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

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