Crash when synchronizing book styles

[lauraf2110769]

I have a four chapter book (about 80 pages) and every time I try to sync styles InDesign crashes. It worked fine yesterday, but today I made some changes and now every time I click the sync button in the book menu (Synchronize styles and swatches with the Style Source); instant crash. I've tried with all the chapters open and saved, only the style source open, restarted, deleted and re-added the chapters, etc. Thoughts?

[Laubender · Accepted solution]

lauraf2110769  wrote

…Thoughts?

Hi Laura,

export all InDesign documents used in the book file to IDML.

Open the IDML files and save as InDesign documents with a new name.

Do a new book file with the saved documents and try to synch again.

Regards,
Uwe

[Srishti Bali]

Hi Laura,

We are very sorry you run into this issue. We would like to know if the steps suggested by Uwe worked for you, or the issue still persists.

Kindly update the discussion if you need further assistance with it.

Thanks,

Srishti

[GalacticGorilla]

Hi,

I'm having the exact same problem, and I don't want to change it to an IDML file.

This ultimately needs to be an EPUB file and I don't want to he has a bunch of wacky file extensions when I have to verify this through so many different programs.

UPDATE: I transfered everything to IDML file, and it will export to reflowable epub. 

The problem is that IDML files can only be saved one time. If i resave, it makes a new file. This is a 450 page project. I need to save and check hundreds of times. This solution is will not work. 

Im sure you are thinking "Create the entire file, THEN do the IDML conversion on your Very LAST save."

NO- I cant do this huge project that will take months on the off chance that that MAY possibly work. This file neeeds to be parsed by half a dozen diferent epub hosting sites with different file standards.  

This solution is untenable. Does anyone have any better solutions?

Thanks for your time. 

[Laubender]

No, I have no better solution.

Other than putting all pages into one big InDesign document.

I still have no idea what's the real cause of the synching bug that leads to crashes.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Kathleen23281091htrp]

This procedure does not work. I also keep having this issue on a document for a client. This is unacceptable. 

[Uwe26630984mjrg]

Hi @Kathleen23281091htrp ,

what did you do exactly?

Did you export all doucments in the InDesign book file to IDML?

Did you save every IDML file as new document?

Did you do a new InDesign book file and loaded the converted documents to that book file?

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

[Kevin McKee KJM Projects]

I have been using the book function for ages and I have never had this problem, until now. This function is one of the main reasons I use InDesign as I compile manuscripts for various companies, if this isn't corrected without me having to jump through hoops and workarounds, I am going to have to find another suite of products that can fulfil my needs and that work properly without any fuss. I don't see why I have to pay for a professional product that doesn't work!

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @Kevin McKee KJM Projects,

I'm really sorry to hear about the trouble you're facing with the book sync function. I understand how frustrating it is, especially when it’s a key part of your workflow. A common fix is to export the InDesign files in your book to IDML format, then reopen them and save with new names. After that, create a new book file and try syncing again. This often resolves such crashes. 

Let me know if this helps or if you're still having trouble!

Thanks, 

Abhishek Rao

[Kevin McKee KJM Projects]

Hi Abhishek - thank you - I did all that - and no go - it still crashes on the first attempt at syncing

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @Kevin McKee KJM Projects,

Thank you for your quick response, and I'm truly sorry to hear that the issue persists. To help us investigate further, could you please submit the crash report? You can find the instructions on how to do this [here](https://adobe.ly/3Zzg01v). 

Additionally, if possible, could you package the affected InDesign file and share it with us for testing? You can follow the steps outlined [here](https://adobe.ly/4gAeMcj). This will greatly assist us in identifying the problem and finding a solution.

Thank you for your cooperation, and I appreciate your patience as we work through this!

Thanks, 
Abhishek Rao

[Kevin McKee KJM Projects]

Hi - I have done it again and sent the crash report - I think the crash report was actually sent everytime it happened because it was set on automatic.  I battled with using the assignment function so I have uploaded the files to WeTransfer.  This document I am working on is my business plan: WeTransfer link: https://we.tl/t-f610YFqJ9Y

Thank you for your help it is really appreciated

Regards

Kevin

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @Kevin McKee KJM Projects,

Thank you for your cooperation and for sending over the necessary files and crash report. We are currently analyzing the data you provided and will perform tests to identify the root cause of the issue.

We aim to update you as soon as we have more information. Your understanding and patience during this process are greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Abhishek Rao

[Kevin McKee KJM Projects]

Thank you Abhishek

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @Kevin McKee KJM Projects,

Thank you for sharing the files and your detailed feedback. I appreciate your patience as we work through this.

I attempted to reproduce the synchronization crash using the provided files, and I’m glad to report that it worked fine on my end without any crashes. This suggests that there may be a specific issue related to your setup.

To help us further diagnose the problem, could you please try testing the synchronization in Safe Mode? This can help identify if any third-party plugins or system settings might be interfering with InDesign’s performance.

If you continue to experience crashes, let me know, and we can explore additional troubleshooting steps together. Thank you for your cooperation, and I’m here to assist you!

Best,
Abhishek Rao

[Kevin McKee KJM Projects]

Good morning @Abhishek Rao - apologies for my ignorance - how do I start inDesign in Safe Mode?

I don't have third-party plugins as far as I know - I also saw something about testing preferences - how do I do that?

[Kevin McKee KJM Projects]

oops I meant re-setting preferences

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @Kevin McKee KJM Projects,

No worries at all! I'm happy to guide you through both steps.

To start with Safe Mode, here are the steps depending on your operating system:
- For macOS, please refer to [this guide](https://adobe.ly/47IttWL).
- For Windows, here's the [Microsoft guide](https://adobe.ly/3zpyeYG).

As for resetting preferences in InDesign, you can follow Adobe's [step-by-step instructions](https://adobe.ly/3Bh2XYl) to restore default settings and see if that helps resolve the issue.

Could you also let us know the version of InDesign you're using and the OS details? That will help us better understand the issue.

If you need further assistance, feel free to reach out! I'm here to help.

Thanks, 
Abhishek Rao

[Kevin McKee KJM Projects]

Hi @Abhishek Rao - apologies for the delay - I have started in Safe mode but then couldn't open InDesign because the wifi etc was disconnected and I couldn't't;t get it to connect again - I also reset the preferences, neither really worked so I synchronised eash doc individually - it was one file the seemed to cause the crash so I exported the file to PDF then the PDF to TXT, and I am bust recreating the document from scratch - lest's see if this works - so far it seems to be working - I am about 1/2 way through

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @Kevin McKee KJM Projects,  

Thanks for the update! I understand how frustrating it can be when these issues persist, but it’s great to hear that recreating the document is helping so far. Kudos for your patience and persistence!  

If you run into any further issues or need assistance as you continue, feel free to reach out. I’m here to help, and we’ll get it sorted together.  

Best,  
Abhishek Rao

[alexisn51061934]

Hi Laura

I had the same issue - since updating to InDesign 2025 - InDesign would crash when I synch a book.  After some digging, for me the issue was that I had InCopy in the Parent Pages of the document I was synching to.  Removing the InCopy from the parent solved the problem for me.  (This used to be fine with InDesign 2024 but not for 2025.). If this is also your issue, this may help.

Regards,

Alexis