Inspiring

Question

Editing placed documents by mistake

Forum|Forum|9 months ago
April 14, 2025
6 replies
1782 views

I have a big issue, and it is one that is totally my fault, and I cannot get used to remembering this.
I am hoping that someone can help me find a way to make this more prominent so that I don’t keep doing it. Or find a way so I can’t do it.

I sometimes use Word documents that I place into InDesign.
My issue is that when I am inside my InDesign document, I forget that I have placed a Word document into it, and I start making edits in InDesign to that Word document (inside of InDesign).
Then my Word document does not match my InDesign document.

Is there a way to make it more prominent or make my placed document stand out more inside of my InDesign document so that I will realize it is a placed document?
Or is there a way that I can set up InDesign so that it will not let me make edits to placed documents inside of InDesign?
I hope what I am trying to convey is making sense.

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Community Expert

One other option is to pay attention to the upper left corner of the text frame.

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

AttrollAuthor

Inspiring

Yeah, the upper corner of the text frame I was aware of but it is so tinny, it is easy to overlook.

I want to thank you all for your ideas and suggestions.
I wanted to keep this as simple as possible.
I wanted to keep using Word for my placed documents because I like the spell checker that Word has. In my opinion, the InDesign spell checker stinks, I hate it.

My decision.
I have been playing around with InCopy since you all recommended it.
I never knew anything about InCopy or that it even existed before it was mentioned here.
Now that I have spent some time playing around with it, I think this is the solution that I am looking for.
I like that if I try to edit a placed document in InDesign from InCopy it warns me.
This is exactly what I was looking for. I will just use InCopy from here forward and slowly start converting my Word documents to InCopy.
I see so many more benefits to using InCopy. I wished I had known about this before.
I wonder how many other addon programs there are that I don’t know about.

Thank you all.

Rick

Robert at ID-Tasker

Brainiac

@Attroll

But if you convert WORD files to InCopy - you'll lose spell checker?

If you REALLY want to just have your text "highlighted" - then, either lock the layer or apply object style?

Or... Base all of the ParaStyles used in this text on one master ParaStyle - and apply color / underline / whatever to it - but rather not shading, as it will slow down text rendering.

Then, when you need to export PDF - just edit this one ParaStyle - and the rest will follow.

@Attroll wrote:

[...]

I wonder how many other addon programs there are that I don’t know about.

If you work on Windows... then there is only one that you would really need 😉

Mike Witherell

Community Expert

Yes, I agree. InCopy is a splendid solution. But the OP essentially needs more training with the basics of how things work. In the meantime, the OP might beneficially make iterative backup copies periodically as they work.

Mike Witherell

Community Expert

Too bad that has never been a 2-way link.

For that scheme to really work you would have to:

Use matching paragraph styles in Word and InDesign
Only edit the text in Word because edits flow into ID; but not out

A clumsy workaround using only InDesign and Word would be:

Place only .RTF file into InDesign
Use matching style names in Word and ID
Make edit changes in ID and export out to RTF with the same filename
Or edit in Word and update the link in InDesign

Bottom line: the feature should have been a 2-way street option; but it really isnt.

Arguably, in editorial/version workflows, that can be a good thing.

But to another person that can be a shortcoming.

Mike Witherell

BobLevine

Community Expert

As I see it, for true editorial workflows, InCopy exists and works quite well right out of the box for small workgroups. The OP has been given a solution for two-way Word workflows but doesn't want to pay for it.

Seems to me that everything's been covered here.

AttrollAuthor

Inspiring

I have set it up so that I have matching paragraph styles in Word and InDesign.
That is not the issue.
What I wanted to continue doing was to edit my text in word and then update it in InDesign.
I really don’t want a two-way workflow that I have to pay for.
I am writing a book and am over 400 pages into it and I have a lot of placed text throughout the book.
I am not sure what InCopy does because I have never used it, but I will look into it and see what it does and if this could work in any way.

What I was wanting.
What I was basically hoping for was to have all boxes that have placed text in them to have a highlighted box or more prominent box around it, maybe even a boarder that makes it stand out more than a regular text box. This would be very helpful for me. Then I would realize that it is a placed text and not a regular text box.
The little chain link at the top of the placed text box is to easy for me to overlook.

Is there a way to make the placed text box stand out more than a regular text box?

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Community Expert

When you place your text into InDesign, it is no longer considered a "Word document". I was confused and thought you were linking to it.

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

AttrollAuthor

Inspiring

Dave Creamer of IDEAS
Yes, you are correct to a point.
Once in InDesign, it is part of the InDesign document.
However, if you have “Create Links When Placing Text and Spreadsheets File” turned on, it allows you to edit in the original Word document from InDesign but opening Word.

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Community Expert

OK--so you ARE linking to it. I wasn't sure based on your original post. (I know how it works...)

If you link to a Word document, you have to use paragraph and character styles VERY precisely in Word. And when you place it, you need to match the Word styles to InDesign styles. Then, when you place or update, you have to select all the text and remove any overrides (from the Paragraph Styles panel).

If you can't remember which files are linked, I would follow @Robert at ID-Tasker suggestion and put it on a locked layer. The inconvenience is minor compared to making the edit and style changes in InDesign absentmindedly.

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

Robert at ID-Tasker

Brainiac

@Attroll

You could place and reflow your text on a dedicated Layer - and lock it.

AttrollAuthor

Inspiring

Robert at ID-Tasker

That would work but then I would have to unlock it when ever I wanted to edit or update the word documant.

Robert at ID-Tasker

Brainiac

Robert at ID-Tasker

That would work but then I would have to unlock it when ever I wanted to edit or update the word documant.

By @Attroll

Yes - but that would be a conscious decision - not a mistake?

And that's just a single click?

Or you mean AFTER you've updated Word document outside of InDesign?

BobLevine

Community Expert

You'll need Wordsflow from emsoftware. It's the only way to get two-way editing of DOCX files.

AttrollAuthor

Inspiring

BobLevine

I don't really want to pay $179 per year for something like this.

BobLevine

Community Expert

Well, as I said, it's the only way with Word files. Beyond that, you can try opening your Word files in InCopy, save as ICML and placing those. That will create a link and lock the files from accidental editing. Any editing you do in InDesign will automatically apply to the ICML.

If you are working with others, they'll need a subscription but it's only $5/month (on an annual basis) and they'll be able to see the InDesign layout as they work on it.

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded