Custom Font Missing from InDesign Document

[rschlegel]

For some unknown reason, I lost a custom font that I had used in an Indesign document. It was available for 2 years, but now it is missing!

I need to know 2 things:

1. What is the name of this custom font (see image below)?

2. What could cause it to go missing?

<Title renamed by MOD>

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Have you just updated to ID 2025? 

[rschlegel]

I believe I have 2025. It is version 20.0.  What happened?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Check first two pages of the forum - enormous number of posts with problems related to ID 2025. 

If you've old INDD files that used font you are looking for - you should get a warning about this font. 

It's possible that it is still somewhere on your drive. 

[jmlevy]

Do you get an error message about a missing font when you open this file? If yes, can you post a screenshot?

[rschlegel]

No, I did not get any warning when I opened the file. I just opened my backup file using InDesign 2024, and found the font intact (Timberline Regular). I looked in the Fonts folder to the 2024 version, hoping to find the needed font, but the folder is empty. 

What can I do?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@rschlegel

It's Adobe Font so you can activate it again.

[rschlegel]

I believe I have a few non-Adobe custom fonts in my doc. If so, what course of action should I take to get them to work again? 

Is there some place where I can copy/paste them, or import them from my 2024 app to my 2025 app? Where do they reside?

Or, must I leverage my backup files, and work with InDesign 2024?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

What platform? 

On a PC - you can just right button mouse click and select "Install". 

On Mac - no idea. 

[rschlegel]

I am using a Mac.

What do you right-click on in Windows PC to install?

[jmlevy]

On a Mac, fonts are usually installed at the user level: [your_user_name] > Library > Fonts. Just drop the font files in this folder.

You can easily go to the library by using the Go menu, in the Finder.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

I am using a Mac.

What do you right-click on in Windows PC to install?

By @rschlegel

On the OTF / TTF file. 

[rschlegel]

My book is actually comprised of 17 chapter files. Since I have already revised and saved 5 of them (updating. them from InDesign 2024 to 2025), unless I figure out how to install the missing fonts, I think I will need to copy/paste my added paragraphs from the 2025 file to the 2024 backup file. Is it possible to have both versions of InDesign open simultaneously on my computer to easily copy/paste between them?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Yes, you can have more than one major version installed on your machine. 

But if you open 2025 file in 2024 - you'll see a message if you want Adobe to convert it for you. 

Or you can export from 2025 as IDML - and then open this IDML file in 2024. 

[rschlegel]

So, if I open a revised 2025 file in InDesign 2024, and convert (revert) it back to 2024, will that automatically correct the missing font issue, and restore the Timberline text to its correct font, or can I reapply the correct Timerline font to the apropriate text?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

I've no idea - I was just describing INDD file conversion process. 

[rschlegel]

I will give that a try.

[rschlegel]

Strangly, I have not yet done anything to correct the issue, but the Timberline font is now showing on my Fonts menu, and all timberline text is now dsplaying correctly in my revised 2025 files! I don't understand, but happy. 

[BobLevine]

Check the folder the InDesign file is in. Is there a document fonts folder in there?

[rschlegel]

There is a Fonts folder in the application folder, but it is empty. 

[BobLevine]

Is the font in a document fonts folder? That might cause an issue opening in a new version of InDesign until you save it and close it then reopen it in 2025.

[rschlegel]

Ah! Re-opeing it after saving it may be the solution.