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Known Participant
August 3, 2026
Question

Publish Online Issue

  • August 3, 2026
  • 4 replies
  • 13 views

Issue: InDesign Publish Online Errors #33 (Update) and #18 (New Publish)

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to publish both our company’s indoor and outdoor catalogs using InDesign's Publish Online feature. I've used Publish Online every year for several years without any issues, so this behavior is completely new.

When I try to update an existing published document (my preferred workflow), I consistently receive Error #33. If I instead try to publish it as a new online document, I receive Error #18.

This is happening with both of our catalogs, not just a single file.

I've already tried the troubleshooting steps I found on Adobe's forums and support articles, but none have resolved the issue.

Troubleshooting I've tried:

  • Signed out of Adobe Creative Cloud, restarted my computer, and signed back in.
  • Updated InDesign to the latest version and restarted.
  • Tried publishing while connected to our VPN and while disconnected from the VPN.
  • Verified that my system date and time are set to update automatically.
  • Saved the document as an IDML file and tried publishing from that version. Unfortunately, the IDML conversion broke text boxes throughout the document, so that isn't a practical workaround.
  • Had a co-worker attempt the same task on her computer, and she received the same errors.

Has anyone experienced these errors before or found a solution? Are there any additional troubleshooting steps I should try, or does this appear to be an issue with the Publish Online service itself?

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

4 replies

Abhishek Rao
Community Manager
Community Manager
August 3, 2026

Hi @Madeleine22193658m6ip,


Thanks for sharing all the details, and I'm sorry you're running into this issue.

Since you've already tried most of the common troubleshooting steps, could you please try publishing a brand-new blank InDesign document using Publish Online and let us know if that succeeds?

I'd also recommend reviewing the known causes for Publish Online Error #18 and Error #33 in the following HelpX article to see if any of them match your scenario:
https://adobe.ly/4w4luhe

As another test, could you temporarily disconnect from your office network and try publishing while connected to a different network, such as your phone's mobile hotspot? This will help us determine whether the issue is related to the network environment.

Lastly, could you please confirm your operating system and its version?


Looking forward to your update.

Abhishek

Known Participant
August 3, 2026

Hello! 

Thank you for your reply. 

A blank, brand new InDesign file did successfully upload under “Publish Online”. So there’s hope there! 

I disconnected from my network and used my phone’s hot spot instead. Same error for the original problem files. (I think it could be a size issue potentially because they’re both text/image heavy files). Error #33 once more. 

Operating System/Version: Mac Studio, Sonoma 14.5

 

leo.r
Community Expert
Community Expert
August 3, 2026

I think I recall a suggestion to check Spreads when you publish online. I’m not sure it will address your particular errors.

Known Participant
August 3, 2026

Yes, for our catalog files we always chose “spread” over “pages”. I previously also tried switching to “pages” to see if it would export successfully, and still the same errors!