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Indesign Causes Other Windows to Freeze

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
May 17, 2024
7 respuestas
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Hey All,

I've been hitting this issue for a couple years now. I've experienced it across two jobs using separate computers and Adobe accounts, leading me to believe it's an issue with the software, but I haven't been able to find an answer to the issue.

I will be working in InDesign and every couple of minutes all of my other windows will "lock up". I am not able to interact with any other program in any way. InDesign stays fully functional during this, but if I were to, for example, go to open an excel spreadsheet, I am not able to pull it up. Windows that are already open on my screen are also locked up, and I'm not able to use them.

This only ever happens with InDesign. Never Illustrator or PhotoShop.

My temporary fix is to hit ctrl+alt+delete and open then close the task manager. This works every time, but impedes my flow and is frustrating.

I use InDesign and Windows - both fully updated.

Help would be much appreciated!

Bug

Mejor respuesta de drd_2069

UPDATE: It seems to occur when the ID window is maximized. If the ID window is floating, or spanning several monitors it does not seem to lock up other windows. At least a teamporary work around, but clearly a program issue.

I had this problem when inverting the mouse keys to left-handed (in Windows settings). I reverted the settings in Windows to right-handed and reassigned the keys in the mouse app – that solved the problem.

Abhishek Rao

Community Manager

Greetings everyone,

Thank you very much for continuing to share your experiences. I recognize how disruptive this freezing issue has been, and I will escalate this for further investigation with the product team.
To gain a better understanding, could any of you please provide a brief screen recording that demonstrates the entire workflow leading up to the point when other windows freeze while InDesign stays responsive? Observing the issue in real-time will greatly assist us in comprehending what is occurring and allow us to investigate it thoroughly on our end.
Whenever you manage to record it, feel free to upload it here. I will ensure it is reviewed by the team.

I look forward to your updates.

Abhishek

Abhishek Rao

Community Manager

Hi everyone,

Thanks a lot for sharing all your inputs and experiences around this issue. The latest InDesign version 21.0 is now available via the Creative Cloud Desktop app. Could you please install this update and test if the freezing behavior still occurs when using it?

Once you've tested, please let me know your observations, so I can further review and investigate.

Looking forward to your updates.
Abhishek

A

aneliese_8842

Participating Frequently

ok, i'll let you know how i get on

A

aneliese_8842

Participating Frequently

updating to the new InDesign made no difference

M

Michel29389098pj9l

Participant

Exact same issue here, no IT expert. The issue has followed me accross 3 different laptops now. I am currently on 64gb ram, so that's not the issue with this. I just got this laptop and it's brand new and just installed all of the latest versions.

Abhishek Rao

Community Manager

Hi @Michel29389098pj9l,

Thanks for sharing your experience, and I'm really sorry to hear this issue has persisted across multiple machines. Could you please confirm the version of InDesign and Windows you're currently using? If not on the latest 20.5 version, please test the issue on that. Also, does this happen with specific files or actions inside InDesign, or does it occur regardless of what you're working on?

If possible, try running your system in Safe Mode and check if the problem still occurs. That can help narrow down whether something running in the background, like antivirus or other software, might be conflicting. A short screen recording showing what happens when the freeze occurs and how it resolves would also help us look into this further with the team.

Let me know what you find.

Abhishek

T

Toi_B

Participating Frequently

Thank you. I am using version 17.4 on Windows 11 Pro version 21H2. This occurs regardless of what I'm working on, but if I remember correctly this problem started about the same time my indd files reached 1Gb sizes. I will dig up some old smaller files to try, plus your other suggestions, and give updates.

T

Toi_B

Participating Frequently

I was wondering if you found a solution. Mine started just recently. When I click on another app it would freeze. I would switch to InDesign and back again just so it unfreezes, and as long as I don't click the trackball I can save my work. Crazy thing is I have been using this 2022 version without any problem at all, until I recently installed more RAM and hard disk. I then removed the RAM and hard disk, and even reinstalled InDesign, but now the problem has decided to stay.

leo.r

Community Expert

Crazy thing is I have been using this 2022 version without any problem at all

By @Toi_B

And do you have the same issue with the current InDesign 2025? Just make sure to uncheck the option to remove older versions when you install InDesign 2025 if you still need the 2022 version.

S

sabrine_0531

Participant

Hey There.
Did you come to any solution to this problem? I have the same exact problem, and our Company IT support has now given up. They have tried everything.
I always used an iMAC and a macbook pro in the past, but at my new job I had to switch to a PC (thinkpad P16S - info below) and I have had the problem since I started in oktober 2024.

I have NEVER expierenced this issue before at my old job and It is SO annoying

Infomation on my current computer:
Unit name DESKTOP-7PQSUC2
Fuldt enhedsnavn DESKTOP-7PQSUC2.Belman.local
Processor 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1270P 2.20 GHz
Installed RAM 32,0 GB
Unit-id B7CCA46D-7EDC-40C9-8CC6-98825BCA2D76
Product-id 00330-80000-00000-AA527
Systemtype 64-bit operativsystem, x64-based processor

A

Anubhav M

Community Manager

Hello @sabrine_0531,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Could you check if InDesign behaves this way when working with specific file or when using certain tools? Also, kindly try running Illustrator under a different administrator account (Windows) and under Safe Mode (https://adobe.ly/4dTkgxL) and share your observations.

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Anubhav

D

dilini_3682

Participant

We tried EVERYTHING - our IT support tried to fix it - Your ADOBE SUPPORT even tried 3 times to fix it - EVERYTHING is updated and tested and in the newest standars, and Indesign has been deleted and reset several times - BY ADOBE SUPPORT. So even ypur support couldnt solve this problem. I also tried to switch computer and the same problem accour.

SO what is your solution now when your own senior tech support could not solve this problem with the freezing of other programs.

K

KlausKo

Participant

Same issue here - issue occuring since 2024 (could have very well started in May). I was assuming some hardware issues but -what shall i say- the issue made it over to the new hardware without any problems.

As the threadstarter, i open windows task manager (closing is not required) and all is accessible again. However, it is wrecking workflow.

Adobe Indesign build 20.0.1 x64

Windows 11 build 22631.4751

Hardware Intel Core Ultra7 165H / 32GB RAM

Policy doesn't allow to turn off antivirus.

Abhishek Rao

Community Manager

Hey @KlausKo,

This sounds like a hassle. Quick check—do you see any spikes for InDesign in the Task Manager when the freeze hits? And yeah, as Bob mentioned, the antivirus point is solid. Even though you can’t disable it, antivirus rules for communication protocols can sometimes mess with app performance. Additionally, you could try turning off the firewall (if any) on the device and test the issue. You might need help from your IT team for this, as it could require an admin prompt to enter a password.

How exactly is InDesign causing the freeze? Would you mind describing the issue a bit more?

Also, have you tried running your system in safe mode yet? It’s a great way to rule out other factors like third-party apps. Reference: Safe Mode Guide.

Let us know how it goes!

Best,
Abhishek

K

KlausKo

Participant

Hi - no spikes notable whatsoever. The "freeze" is like a pain of glass put over the whole windows desktop blocking any interaction - apart from working with InDesign. Just like the threat starter mentioned:

"I will be working in InDesign and every couple of minutes all of my other windows will "lock up". I am not able to interact with any other program in any way. InDesign stays fully functional during this, but if I were to, for example, go to open an excel spreadsheet, I am not able to pull it up. Windows that are already open on my screen are also locked up, and I'm not able to use them."

Opening windows task manager fixes the issue right away.

Tweaking the AV or turning off the firewall (as mentioned) is not doable.

BobLevine

Community Expert

Sounds like you have a serious system issue. It's virtually impossible for InDesign to cause issues with other applications. How much RAM do you have?

D

defaultcvacxm9zydd8Autor

Participant

16GB - brand new laptop. Problem only occurs w/ InDesign and has followed me from my last job.

I use InDesign with factory settings aside from some added keyboard shortcuts and a few small preference changes.

BobLevine

Community Expert

If this were a common issue we'd be seeing it a lot. You're the only one I've seen report it. I have no idea what the issue is but is if this is a company machine, I'd have the IT folks look at it because again, it's virtually impossible for any application to cause other applications to lock up.

Finally, you say Windows and InDesign are fully updated...please provide full build numbers.

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