Inspiring

Answered

InDesign 21.4.1 x64 crashing after a few clicks

Forum|Forum|23 days ago
July 14, 2026
10 replies
104 views

Since version 21.4.1 it doesn’t take long and an InDesign session won’t work without problems anymore. I drag an image in a window or change text in a textfield and the cursor turns into the “busy” symbol (revolving circle). It doesn’t turn back into a normal cursor anymore and all functions seem to be restricted. The program seems to be busy with something.

I also cannot close the app the normal way. There is a warning window opening up when trying to do it via menu. But this window closes itself after a second and I cannot read what it says.

The only way to shut down the app is by opening up the task-manager and close it with “end task”.

I am working on a windows 11 x64 system.

Correct answer RoarkyGer

“ Also, please try disabling Generative AI (Edit > Preferences > Generative AI), restart InDesign, and check if the issue persists.”

I did switch the AI off and - it solved the problem. 😊

R

RoarkyGerAuthorCorrect answer

Inspiring

“ Also, please try disabling Generative AI (Edit > Preferences > Generative AI), restart InDesign, and check if the issue persists.”

I did switch the AI off and - it solved the problem. 😊

Abhishek Rao

Community Manager

Hi @RoarkyGer,

Thanks for confirming that disabling Generative AI resolved the issue. I'm glad to hear that helped.

I also wanted to let you know that the behavior you're experiencing is a known issue that the product team is already aware of. When Generative AI is enabled in InDesign, it can lead to freezes and lagging in certain workflows, such as placing or updating linked files. The team is actively working on a fix for this.

For reference, you can also follow this discussion where we're tracking the same issue:
https://community.adobe.com/questions-671/indesign-freezes-when-placing-updating-placed-files-help-1557069?postid=7663833#post7663833

Thanks again for confirming the workaround, and we appreciate your patience while the team works on a permanent fix.

Abhishek

R

RoarkyGerAuthor

Inspiring

This is really wired. I couldn’t replicate the error, although this occurred for the last few weeks. Since I posted this problem, it has not yet reoccurred. I didn’t change anything on my system nor reinstalled InDesign again. I am glad this has disappeared by itself and I am sorry for having you caused attention and trouble.

If this problem should come up again, I’ll be glad to have your advise and your support.

Thank you and all the best, Axel

R

RoarkyGerAuthor

Inspiring

Okay, it just happened again: I dragged a PSD-file (100 MB) into an existing image container in InDesign to change the image. Immediately the spinning cursor showed and it keeps spinning.

What is strange to me: I did these working steps yesterday too, but nothing happened.

Mike Witherell

Community Expert

Hi RoarkyGer,

First experiment you might try: go to Preferences > Generative AI Alt Text and turn off both switches. Restart InDesign and see if your problem persists.

Otherwise, if the problem is still persisting, go to Preferences > General and hit the Reset InDesign Preferences button and then restart InDesign and see if anything has improved. Make sure the Generative AI is still off before opening any InDesign documents.

Mike Witherell

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RoarkyGerAuthor

Inspiring

Dear Mike, thank you for this, I will try it and give you my response.

Abhishek Rao

Community Manager

Hi @RoarkyGer,

I'm sorry to hear you're experiencing this issue, and thank you for reporting it and for all the provided details.

To help isolate the issue, could you please let us know:

Does this happen with all documents, including a new blank document (File > New), or only a specific file?
At what point does InDesign become unresponsive (for example, while placing images, editing text, saving, scrolling, or switching tools)?
Are the INDD file and its linked assets stored locally or on a cloud/network location (OneDrive, Dropbox, NAS, etc.)? If they're on a cloud or network location, please copy them to a local drive and test again.

Also, please try disabling Generative AI (Edit > Preferences > Generative AI), restart InDesign, and check if the issue persists.

If the problem continues, please test in Windows Safe Mode to rule out third-party interference:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/start-your-pc-in-safe-mode-in-windows-92c27cff-db89-8644-1ce4-b3e5e56fe234

Finally, please create a new local Windows administrator account and check whether the issue occurs there as well:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/manage-user-accounts-in-windows-104dc19f-6430-4b49-6a2b-e4dbd1dcdf32

Please let us know the results, and we'll continue investigating.

Thanks,
Abhishek

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RoarkyGerAuthor

Inspiring

Dear Abhishek,

thank you for being so quick, I try to replicate the problem and find answers to your questions. As soon as I have them, I’ll come back to you.

Axel

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RoarkyGerAuthor

Inspiring

“Does this happen with all documents, including a new blank document (File > New), or only a specific file?” Yes, it happens with blank files too. When dragging and dropping a file into InDesign, the program crashes as described above.

“At what point does InDesign become unresponsive (for example, while placing images, editing text, saving, scrolling, or switching tools)?” When dragging and dropping images

“Are the INDD file and its linked assets stored locally or on a cloud/network location (OneDrive, Dropbox, NAS, etc.)? If they're on a cloud or network location, please copy them to a local drive and test again.” Stored locally

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