Does InDesign 2025 Support Drag and Drop for Opening Files?

[dublove]

InDesing 2025 does not support drag and drop to open files?
It doesn't seem to have been revolutionized, and I've heard that it uses more CPU than previous versions.

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[Frans v.d. Geest]

It does support it, I can drag a .indd file onto the InDesign app icon on my Mac just fine to open it.

[Steve Werner]

I agree with @Frans v.d. Geest . I have no problems dragging an InDesign file onto InDesign 2025 to open it.

[mmanicar]

I have the same problem...

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @mmanicar,

Thanks for reaching out regarding the drag and drop functionality in InDesign 2025. I’d like to help you troubleshoot this issue. Could you please provide the following details?

1. The version of InDesign you are using.
2. The operating system you are currently on.

If possible, could you also share a screen recording demonstrating the issue? I've tested this functionality on my end, and it seems to work without any problems.

Looking forward to your response!

Best,

Abhishek Rao

[mmanicar]

Windows 11, Indesign 20.0
The problem appears when I disable the "Show Home Screen When No Documents Are Open" in General Preferences.
Whit the Home Screen visible the drag and drop is possible, but Home Screen is really annoying and is probably useful only for people that work on really few files.
Also, drag and drom of documents doesn't work also dropping them on Indesign title bar (this works in every PC software), but this function probably never worked in indesign.

Please let me know
Marcello

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @mmanicar,

Thanks for the details! We've tested the drag-and-drop functionality on both Mac and Windows systems, and it seems to work as expected. However, to make sure we're fully aligned, could you please share a screen recording of the issue? This will help us understand the specific behavior you're experiencing. 

Reference: [Apple Support - Drag and Drop](https://adobe.ly/3YTBwgv)

Best,  
Abhishek Rao

[Joel Cherney]

I'm running both InDesign 20.0 and 19.5 on a Windows 10 machine, currently at 22h2. I can drag & drop INDDs onto 19.5 and they open just fine, but nothing happens at all when I drop 'em on 20.0. Haven't yet tested with IDML. 

[mmanicar]

The drad and drop works only if you have the Home Screen shown

Ciao
Marcello

[Joel Cherney]

I found that drag&drop usually works when I have the Home Screen shown, but it never works when I turn it off.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Confirming this. I very rarely open INDD files by dragging onto the active windows, but it always worked before. Now does not work on a blank main screen even though I get a +COPY cursor.

Maybe AI can help.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Another confirmation (Win 11, ID 20)

[defaultd708ayb5tdn9]

I'm having this problem too, dragging files into the InDesign work area, nothing happens. Can confirm it was working in InDesign 2024

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your input regarding the drag-and-drop functionality in InDesign 2025. I’ve been able to reproduce the issue you’ve described, where drag-and-drop works only when the Home Screen is visible and fails when it’s disabled.

I have informed the product team about this behavior, and they are currently investigating it. I will keep you all updated with any progress or solutions as soon as I have more information.

Thank you for your patience!

Best,

Abhishek Rao

[mmanicar]

Suggest also to make the program accept drag and drop on title bar.

Ciao Marcello