Inspiring

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When I click on an InDesign window, it disappears to the back of other program windows.

Forum|Forum|17 hours ago
June 30, 2026
5 replies
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When I click on an open InDesign window, it disappears behind other program windows. I need to either reset my workspace or switch the Application Frame on or off. I’m now having to do this every 5-10 minutes, which is utterly ridiculous. I’ve been plagued with issues for a number of years now, and it’s an absolute hindrance which really affects my workflow. I’ve also tried binning the pref file on multiple occasions, which makes no difference whatsoever. Does anyone have a ‘permanent’ solution for this? You have no idea how appreciated it would be if you did. Thanks.

Correct answer Abhishek Rao

Hi @johnl58670991,

Thanks for reaching out and sorry the hear that you experience this issue, As the expert mentioned, this appears to be the same issue reported by several other macOS users in this thread:
https://community.adobe.com/questions-671/indesign-window-hides-behind-other-apps-macos-26-3-1-1554703?postid=7693809#post7693809

I wanted to let you know that I've already logged a bug for this behavior, and the product team is actively working on a fix. I'll keep this thread updated as soon as I have any news to share.

In the meantime, if possible, could you please share a short screen recording showing the complete workflow, from clicking the InDesign window to it unexpectedly moving behind the other application windows? This will provide additional data points to help the team with their investigation.

Thanks again for your patience.

Abhishek

johnl58670991Author

Inspiring

Hi Abhishek, here you go. Thanks.

Screen Recording 2026-06-30 at 11.38.48.mov

Abhishek Rao

Correct answer

Community Manager

Hi @johnl58670991,

Thanks for reaching out and sorry the hear that you experience this issue, As the expert mentioned, this appears to be the same issue reported by several other macOS users in this thread:
https://community.adobe.com/questions-671/indesign-window-hides-behind-other-apps-macos-26-3-1-1554703?postid=7693809#post7693809

I wanted to let you know that I've already logged a bug for this behavior, and the product team is actively working on a fix. I'll keep this thread updated as soon as I have any news to share.

In the meantime, if possible, could you please share a short screen recording showing the complete workflow, from clicking the InDesign window to it unexpectedly moving behind the other application windows? This will provide additional data points to help the team with their investigation.

Thanks again for your patience.

Abhishek

sima.

Community Expert

This is one of those stubborn, long-running InDesign bugs, so I'll leave a few things worth trying.

1. Roll back to InDesign 20.5.3
This is honestly the one I'd try first. Someone in the Adobe forums specifically said the issue happens on 21.3 but doesn't happen at all on 20.5.3 — so it sounds like this might be a regression that got introduced in a recent update, not some ancient unfixable thing. You can grab an older version through Creative Cloud: click the three-dot menu next to InDesign and look for "Other Versions." Worth a shot before you do anything more drastic.

2. Mess with your monitor's resolution/scaling
If you're on an external display, try nudging the resolution or scaling setting one notch and then putting it back to where it was. Sounds dumb, but a few people said this basically forces the window layers to "refresh" and the problem goes away, at least temporarily. Quick to test, costs you nothing.

3. The Dock trick + turning off Application Frame
(The two things I mentioned earlier — Assign to All Desktops in the Dock, and unchecking Application Frame under the Window menu.) Still works for some people, doesn't for others. Worth keeping in your back pocket, just don't expect it to be a guaranteed fix.

4. Test with a brand new Mac user account
This one's more of a diagnostic step than a fix, but it's useful. Adobe support actually suggested this — create a new admin account on your Mac and open InDesign there. If the problem doesn't happen on the fresh account, that tells you it's something in your current user's system settings (probably Mission Control or display arrangement stuff) rather than InDesign itself being broken.
Real talk though — this bug's been floating around since 2023 and Adobe's still just saying "under investigation," so I wouldn't hold my breath for some clean permanent fix to drop anytime soon. If I were you, I'd start with the version downgrade. That's the one actual lead that points to a real cause instead of just a workaround.

johnl58670991Author

Inspiring

Many thanks, Sima. I’ll give some of those a try. It’s a bit disappointing, to be fair. I’ve been using Adobe for the best part of 30 years, and I don’t think I’ve been faced with an issue like this that hasn’t been resolved quickly with an update.

johnl58670991Author

Inspiring

InDesign version 21.4.1 and OS Tahoe 26.5

leo.r

Community Expert

Here are some other threads on this or a similar issue:

johnl58670991Author

Inspiring

Really appreciate it, Leo. I was hoping for a definitive solution, but it still looks like they’re working on the issue. Fingers crossed it’s fixed soon, as it’s driving me mad!

leo.r

Community Expert

What are your InDesign and operating system versions? If you’re on Mac, then several users did report this issue (try to search for it). Not sure if a solution was found so far.

leo.r

Community Expert

p.s. of yeah of course you’re on Mac if you can disable the Application Frame.

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