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Peter Kahrel
Community Expert
Peter KahrelCommunity Expert
Community Expert
August 15, 2026
Answered

Save As doesn't delete the Undo stack

  • August 15, 2026
  • 8 replies
  • 108 views

(InDesign 21.5.1, Windows 11 Pro)

There have been (are) several problems with InDesign’s Undo feature, to which a new one (as far as I know) can be added: when you Save As a document, the undo stack is no longer removed. This is a problem because over time, a document’s size can increase enormously. Reported here:

https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601180-adobe-indesign-bugs/suggestions/51605780--save-as-doesn-t-clear-the-undo-stack

    Correct answer Abhishek Rao

    Hi ​@Peter Kahrel and everyone,

     

    Thanks for your patience. I checked this further with the product team and wanted to share an update.

    This behavior is working as designed. Starting with InDesign 20.1, the behavior was intentionally changed so that the Undo/Redo history is retained after Save As. This was introduced as an enhancement based on user feedback.

    The team also clarified that retaining the Undo/Redo stack does not increase the saved document's file size, as the history is stored in memory and is cleared when the document is closed.

    If you specifically need to reset the Undo/Redo stack, the team recommends using Save a Copy instead of Save As.

    I hope this helps clarify the change. Thanks again for bringing this to our attention and helping us verify the behavior across versions.

    Abhishek

    8 replies

    Abhishek Rao
    Community Manager
    Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    August 18, 2026

    Hi ​@Peter Kahrel & everyone,

    Thank you all for taking the time to test this across different InDesign versions and for sharing your observations. 

    I tested the workflow as well and was able to reproduce the issue in InDesign 21.5.1. I’m checking this further with the product team and will keep the thread updated as soon as I have more information to share.

     

    Thanks again for your valuable help and insights.

    Abhishek

     

    (Marked correct by moderator to ensure better visibility)

    Note: Anyone experiencing this behavior, please upvote the UserVoice post shared by Peter. 

      Abhishek Rao
      Community Manager
      Abhishek RaoCommunity ManagerCorrect answer
      Community Manager
      September 3, 2026

      Hi ​@Peter Kahrel and everyone,

       

      Thanks for your patience. I checked this further with the product team and wanted to share an update.

      This behavior is working as designed. Starting with InDesign 20.1, the behavior was intentionally changed so that the Undo/Redo history is retained after Save As. This was introduced as an enhancement based on user feedback.

      The team also clarified that retaining the Undo/Redo stack does not increase the saved document's file size, as the history is stored in memory and is cleared when the document is closed.

      If you specifically need to reset the Undo/Redo stack, the team recommends using Save a Copy instead of Save As.

      I hope this helps clarify the change. Thanks again for bringing this to our attention and helping us verify the behavior across versions.

      Abhishek

        Peter Kahrel
        Community Expert
        Peter KahrelCommunity ExpertAuthor
        Community Expert
        September 3, 2026

        Thanks for clarifying this, ​@Abhishek Rao. 

          tonks_the_auror
          Community Expert
          tonks_the_aurorCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          August 17, 2026

          This behaviour is the same on my Mac.

          I tested this on my MacBook Pro, macOS Sequoia 15.7.7, InDesign 21.5.1

          In my test, when I did a “Save As” and then checked Edit > Undo > and my last action was there. I clicked on it, and the deleted item was restored. After that, I just kept hitting CTRL+z and every action I performed was “undone” all the way back to the first thing I did. So the undo stack was definitely not removed.

          Community Expert
          Eugene TysonCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          August 16, 2026

          Wonder if it’s to do with the History Panel? Maybe it’s being saved with the document? Just a guess.

          leo.r
          Community Expert
          leo.rCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          August 15, 2026

          Hi Peter, maybe I’m misunderstanding some details, but I’ve just tried a similar scenario in InDesign 2025, and the behavior seems to be the same: the undo stack is not removed after doing Save As. 

          Admittedly, I never paid much attention to this aspect of the Undo behavior so, again, maybe I’m not reproducing it exactly as needed.

          If you revert to InDesign 21.5, does the undo stack behave differently?

          Peter Kahrel
          Community Expert
          Peter KahrelCommunity ExpertAuthor
          Community Expert
          August 15, 2026

          ​@leo.r -- The behaviour is the same in 21.3 and 21.5 (and probably 21.4 as well, but I don’t have that one installed).

          leo.r
          Community Expert
          leo.rCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          August 17, 2026

          OK and now I also tested InDesign 2024 (19.5.5). 

          The undo stack IS removed there after performing Save As. So I guess the problem started somewhere in InDesign 2025.

          Coincidentally (or not?) the History panel was a new thing in that version of InDesign 2024 as it offered me a tour of the History panel.

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