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Don34862646jbr5
Inspiring
June 7, 2026
Answered

InDesign 21.4 on Windows 11: The insertion point is invisible until I type something or use an arrow key. .

  • June 7, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 41 views

It disappears after a focus change, but editing continues normally after I click back in the text. When I click back into the text, the insertion point does not reappear until I have used an arrow key or typed something. When it does reappear, it is wherever in the text that my mouse cursor was when I clicked back in. I can work around the problem, but it's a nuisance. Has anyone else experienced this?

There is no similar behavior in any other application; it is peculiar to ID.

Thanks

    Correct answer Don34862646jbr5

    I created a new user profile inside the VM. The cursor works exactly as it should, which suggests the problem is with my original Windows profile rather than with ID.

    3 replies

    Abhishek Rao
    Community Manager
    Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    June 12, 2026

    Hi ​@Don34862646jbr5,

     

    Thanks for reaching out and the additional details. Does the issue still occur with GPU Performance disabled? Does it happen in a new Windows user profile, or in a native Windows environment outside the Linux VM? Please also let us know if changing Windows display scaling affects the behavior.

    Since you're running InDesign inside a Linux-hosted Windows VM using the Red Hat QXL display adapter, it's worth noting that while InDesign is tested across a wide range of Windows hardware and display configurations, virtualization environments can sometimes introduce display-rendering behavior that isn't seen on native installations.

    If possible, could you share a short screen recording showing the caret visible, a focus change, the caret disappearing, and then reappearing after pressing a key? That will help us investigate further.

     

    Looking forward to your update.

     

    Best,

    Abhishek

      D
      Don34862646jbr5Author
      Inspiring
      June 12, 2026

      Thanks, Abhishek. I don’t know how to make a screen recording, so I’ll have to do some research. Scaling the Windows display does not change anything. I’ve scaled it up to 600% to see whether is a tiny insertion point hiding somewhere; there isn’t.

      I don’t have access to a dedicated Windows box. I did create a new user profile in my VM, and the insertion point is visible in that. I suppose that means that my regular user profile is corrupted in some way. I’ll have to work on that.

      Mike Witherell
      Community Expert
      Mike WitherellCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      June 8, 2026

      Yes, that might be important. Too many variables for me, tho.

      Mike Witherell
      Mike Witherell
      Community Expert
      Mike WitherellCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      June 8, 2026

      Hi Don,

      Maybe you could describe your monitors native rez and size and any Windows magnification settings and whether you have tried turning GPU settings off or on or vice versa? Also, in Preferences, are you scaling the ID interface?

      Mike Witherell
      D
      Don34862646jbr5Author
      Inspiring
      June 8, 2026

      Thanks for the quick reply.

      Both monitors are 1080x1920 (portrait mode). There is no difference whether I choose high performance or “let Windows decide” (hardly ever a good idea). 

      User Interface Scaling is grayed out.

      My graphics card is NVIDIA TU116 [GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER] (rev a1), and the latest recommended driver is installed.

      This may be important. I run Linux with a Windows 11 VM. In Windows’ Device Manager, the display adapter shows “Red Hat QXL controller.” Might that be the source of the difficulty? When I used InDesign last year, it was on a dedicated Windows 10 machine, which I no longer have.

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