We recently updated to new Windows 11 workstations (loaded with memory, great graphics cards, SSD drives, separate SSD scratch disks etc.) and InDesign is almost unusable due to lag (click and wait, click and wait...). We are now going to test downgrading to Windows 10 on the new machines. We have 10+ year old Windows 10 Pro machine running InDesign and Illustrator faster than the new ones. Every other app is lighting fast except Adobe. One of my employees has been scowering the forums and none of the suggested solutions have helped.Very discouraging!
We are sorry to hear about your experience. This is not the experience we want you to have.
Would you mind elaborating on the issues you are facing, your workflow, where you store files, or sharing a screen recording to demonstrate the issue? Also, would you mind confirming the application's exact versions and system specifications of your workstations, including GPU make & model?
Also, we have consolidated the most popular solutions that help fix slow performance issues. Please check this HelpX article for more details.
Let us know how it goes. We'd be looking forward to your response.
Hi Anshul, the issues we are facing are primarily related to Indesign, and to a lesser extent to Illustrator. There is a signifigant delay between inputs from mouse or keyboard and seeing the adjustment on screen. Even the simplest actions, to select an object, draw an object, enter a text frame or move a selected object seems to take between 2-10 seconds to respond per action. Undoing/redoing have similar delays. The issue seems to be more pronounced on larger files, but affects any file with more than a few objects in it. Having images, linked or embedded files doesn't seem to make a difference. We have live drawing disabled, preflight disabled, and have tried resetting preferences, and clean installs multiple times.
Our workflow is generally creating graphics for print media and business forms, so generally involve just Indesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. The graphics we are using are not particularly complicated and don't use any of the 3D, and just dop shadows and such for effects. Usually we will have Illustrator or Indesign open alongside some MS Office documents and a web browser. Fonts are installed locally, there are currently around 300 installed, which is similar to how many were installed on the old Windows 10 workstations. The files we are editing are being accessed from a 2022 local file server. We used the same server for several months prior to upgrading to Windows 11, and had no issues. Installing windows 10 on one of the new workstations seems to have resolved 99% of the speed issues. I will record a video and post it in a seperate comment, thanks.
There are a couple of things that can slow down InDesign documents. Did you check if some of them are in your document? https://creativepro.com/6-tips-speed-up-indesign/ (there's also a script mentioned in the comments that sets up the speedy things for you)
Sorry, disregard the email I posted below. In this video I'm panning around in Illustrator and then going into Indesign. Indesign lags when I'm panning, zooming in and out, highlighting text, dupicating and typing. It's not obvious in the video but it is very slow on my end. I have rebooted and it helped for a bit but the problem returns. Please advise. I will double check with my collegue to see if he has tried the aforementioned suggestions. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing the details, @mikem9446475. In addition to Monika's suggestion, I would suggest trying to work from the computer's internal HDD/ SDD instead of a local server and see if that makes a difference. Also, try turning off the Internet if possible so there is no external interruption in the background while testing. Please check and confirm if this helps!
Thanks for sharing the video, @mikem9446475. It seems like it is lagging a lot on your end. InDesign on Windows doesn't support GPU preview as of now; that could be the reason for the lag here. Also, in the recording, it is visible that you are working with large files in both apps by looking at the scroll bar of the documents window/tab.
Illustrator & InDesign are both pro design apps, and they can consume a lot of RAM, CPU & caches on your local Drive (SSD/ HDD) when working with large-size files. Would you mind checking if the same behavior happens with a new file on both apps? If yes, please share a small screen recording.
Also, would you mind confirming your system specification (RAM, CPU, GPU, SSD, fan (cooling solution), heatsink (if any used), PSU, motherboard make & model) and sharing the files with us for further investigation?
Hi Anshul, the issues seem to be unresolved but inconsistent.
here's a quick update:
System Specs: Processor Intel(R) Xeon(R) W-2133 CPU @ 3.60GHz 3.60 GHz Installed RAM 64.0 GB (63.7 GB usable)
Windows 11 C: is an 512 PCI-E internal drive
D: scratch is 1tb internal SSD
We've been experiencing periods of normal funtionality and completely unusable slowdown. Remedies we have tried so far:
Working locally vs server: no change
Disconnecting from server and internet: no change
Uninstalled all fonts and used font management software for temporary activations: Improvement, but not consistent.
Working large files vs small: no discenable change. We have live drawing disabled, and run on medium preview. A file with 300 pages vs 20 doesn't seem to produce a signifigant slowdown
Working with illustrator and Indesign simultanously seems to cause a signifigant slowdown, however as we were running 8 year old machines with the same software (just windows 10 being different) with a barely any lag, I don't see how this could be due to hardward limitations.
Panels open vs closed, disable preflight etc: no change.
Adobe font auto activation off/on: no change
The only way the problem seems to present is when either program has been active for awhile. I have tried to limit the undo states, but this doesn't seem to make a difference. Once either indesign or illustrator begins to lag, the rest of the system seems to bog down within a few minutes. We are running on 4K dual monitors, however dropping resolution or swapping them for HD monitors made very little difference.
Attached is a short video that shows the input lag. This is a file that has 16 page in it, and almost no linked graphics or images. As you can see, it starts with a more signifigant delay, then seems to catch up. This effect seems to last for a while, but switching pages or files seems to reintroduce it. Illustrator is open, but no file is open in illustrator.
Thanks for sharing the recording & details information. It seems to be a massive slowdown while working in InDesign, as shown in the screen recording. I can understand your frustration. This is not at all an ideal working environment for anyone.
Would you mind confirming the CPU installed on the other machine where the apps are working well?
How frequently has this system been shut down in a week?
Also, InDesign doesn't use GPU. Only Illustrator does.
Try closing the other apps which are not required to speed up Indesign, as it relies on the CPU entirely on Windows.
Additionally, I would suggest a clean re-installation of the Creative Cloud apps. Uninstall all apps using theCC Cleaner tooland reinstall from theCreative Cloud Desktopapp. Ensure to keep a backup of your preferences and older versions which are unavailable on the CC Desktop app.
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