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Dave the 1st
Participant
November 26, 2025
Answered

Issue with duplicate layers when importing Illustrator files.

  • November 26, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 333 views

Explanation:

When I create a master logo file in Illustrator, I structure it so different orientations are on different artboard, ie landscape, portrait, compact etc. Then I will have the various colour options for each orientation on different layers ie, colour, reversed, white, black etc. This way I only have one file for all the different formats available.
Then when I use them I import the artboard with the orientation I want and switch on/off the appropriate layers to chosen colour variation I want.


Issue:

Previously when I would import Illustrator files, I would only see one set of layers regardless of how many artboards were used in the Illustrator file. But over the past month or so, when I follow this same process i've been using for a years of importing the Illustrator files in to InDesign, i'm now seeing the layers repeated for each of the artboards.

Simple example to help illustrate. If I have an illustrator file with with two artboards and two layers called 1 and 2. Normally when I import this, I would be able to choose the artboard I want, then select between the two layers, regardless of which board select. But now im seeing FOUR layers. The two layers dupllicated for each of the artboards which means the layers i'm now seeing are 1, 2, 1, 2.

 

When:

Not entirely certain but I think it started over the past month or two. I didn't think too much about it at first.

 

This might seem like a minor inconvenience and is significantly affecting my workflow If I have multiple artboards with multiple layers, it's actually really difficuly choosing the layers I need to switch on/off.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? Is this a function that has simple been changed? Or is it actually a bug.

Correct answer Dave the 1st

I found a similar post which contains a solution which I can confirm does work...

It looks like the option in Preferences > File Handling: Save in Background is causing this.

Turning it off will give the expected amount of layers.
https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator-discussions/trouble-with-duplicated-layers-when-importing-illustrator-file-with-multiple-artboards-into-indesign/m-p/15522041#M454182

2 replies

Participant
December 12, 2025

illustrator  or Indesign getting the some techinal issue when the Oject Layer Option and before the illustrator or Indesign i am 5 Year using the never getting faceoff of this problem 

Abhishek Rao
Community Manager
Community Manager
December 12, 2025

Hi @Ganesh23800770u7tc,

 

Thanks for reaching out. To help me take a closer look, could you confirm which versions of InDesign and Illustrator you are currently using and the details of your operating system? It would also help if you could describe exactly what is happening with the Object Layer Options on your end, so I can test the same behavior here.

If you are referring to the issue mentioned by the original poster, the product team has already addressed that. You can find the details in this thread: https://adobe.ly/44jDtW4

 

Looking forward to your update, so I can assist you further.

Abhishek

Participant
December 16, 2025

Please Check the older version Software which is showing the 4 Layer in the 1 Artborad and other 2 layer 2 Artborad It is Indesgn Proper working i am using both the software 8 Year work

BobLevine
Community Expert
Community Expert
November 26, 2025

There have been other reports of issues with Illustrator files placed in InDesign. Have you updated to InDesign 2026 20.0.1? Have you tried rolling back to InDesign 2025?

Dave the 1st
Dave the 1stAuthorCorrect answer
Participant
November 26, 2025

I found a similar post which contains a solution which I can confirm does work...

It looks like the option in Preferences > File Handling: Save in Background is causing this.

Turning it off will give the expected amount of layers.
https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator-discussions/trouble-with-duplicated-layers-when-importing-illustrator-file-with-multiple-artboards-into-indesign/m-p/15522041#M454182