InDesign Files Take 45–60 Seconds to Delete or Rename on macOS

Forum|Forum|10 days ago
July 9, 2026
4 replies
38 views

When I try to delete Indesign files from my desktop, even if the files are small - it can take up to 60 seconds for things to fully delete. Same when using box or google drive folders and copying to desktop. These are small files, and no other program’s files take the amount of time the Indesign files do. Sometimes even renaming takes up to 45 seconds. What’s up with this? Mac OS 15.7.7, Indesign 21.4.1.

Brad @ Roaring Mouse

Community Expert

I have the same exact issue. Deleting or even moving .indd files takes Finder an inordinate amount of time to finish. I’ve experienced this both in Ventura and Monterey.

Bill Silbert

Community Expert

What type of Mac are you using? Intel or Silicon Chip?

Abhishek Rao

Community Manager

Hi @NotiriousHDP,

Thanks for reaching out, and sorry to hear you're experiencing this issue.

To help us narrow down the cause, could you please confirm whether the same behavior occurs with a newly created and saved InDesign (.indd) file, or is it limited to existing files?

Also, if you're using any backup or file synchronization software (such as Time Machine, Box Drive, Google Drive or Dropbox), could you temporarily pause or disable it and check whether deleting, copying, or renaming InDesign files in Finder becomes any faster?

Finally, could you also test the same workflow in macOS Safe Mode to help determine whether any third-party extensions or background services are causing the delay? Ref: https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/start-up-your-mac-in-safe-mode-mh21245/mac

Please let us know the results.

Abhishek

Abhishek Rao

Community Manager

Hi @NotiriousHDP,

I wanted to check whether you're still experiencing this issue or if it has been resolved. If it's resolved, could you please let us know what helped fix it? Your update could be helpful for others who might run into the same behavior. If the issue is still occurring, let us know and we'll be happy to continue investigating with you.

Best,

Abhishek