First keystroke sometimes missing in Indesign...

[Bartattack]

Since I updated to the recent version of Indesign (on Windows 10), it seems that when I select some text and start typing...the first keystroke does nothing. I always have to press a key 2 times before indesign replaces the selected text.

This happens almost every time. First thought it was a problem with the keyboard, but it only happens in Indesign, not in other programs. A collegue of mine has the exact same problem.

Has anybody else experienced this problem? Any ideas how to fix it?

[Laubender · Accepted solution]

This is a known bug with InDesign CC 2018.1 on Windows ( not on Mac OS X ).

See here for a workaround:

First character is skipped while typing on Windows

Best,
Uwe

[jroster]

THANK YOU. Glad I found this question and the answer! It would have killed me to contact the company IT dept. for this, unsure what was happening. It was clear, though, that this was only an ID issue.

I'd been backtracking (backtexting?) for some working days because of this. I was concerned I dumped this on myself for having toyed with some preference options. Today I decided the missing keystrokes were going to trip me up eventually, so the search for a clue began.

Subordinate note: The Issue as described on the fix page isn't quite right (First character is skipped while typing on Windows​). This unanswered first keystroke was a problem when typing the first character in ID, whether I had selected existing text or just placed the cursor and started typing, and it was on and off. (But if it's fixed, it's fixed. Just thought I'd mention this.)

Adobe - support search time lag: Curious: it took a while to find this discussion. I searched (literally) "Indesign CC first keystroke" and that didn't get me here. I couldn't have nailed it much closer, could I? Is it since it posted 8 hours prior to my search, that it hadn't yet placed high on the search cue, even with the right keywords searched?

[Vibrant_detail16B8]

You also get a big THANK YOU from me - I had the same problem 🙂

[bilglas]

I've never enjoyed the jolt of "IT'S NOT JUST ME!" as much as I did with this weird situation!! I was just imagining some tech guy saying, "Your first keystroke is doing WHAT? You're going to have to reinstall Windows...."

[amaarora]

Hi,

A plugin to fix the issue has been posted at First character is skipped while typing on Windows

Please see if this works for you

-Aman

[pandaSA]

problem is, unless InDesign is installed on C:, the install cannot find it.

And yes, I did unzip the download file and move the folder to my Adobe apps on the other drive, to run it from there.

I also want to add my vote of strong dissatisfaction with this "update" to InDesign. I have NO idea how many errors I have left strewn throughout different documents.I thought it was a typing problem of mine at first, then thought maybe it was the keyboard, and then (after quite a while) realized it was InDesign itself... but too late to remember all the editing in all the documents. MASSIVELY destructive to my work!!

[dannygarber]

It is 2018, yes? I've been having this same problem too and was wondering whether it was a Windows 10 problem, a Wacom tablet/driver problem. . .  No. It's just the genius team that let this update be released with such a glaring problem. Hey Adobe, great idea: concentrate on worthwhile updates and TESTING them BEFORE releasing them. I work in a busy print shop and I loved having to slow my pace down to accommodate the bug you managed to include. Accidentally sent out proofs to clients and was informed that some character was missing from beginning of words or numbers missing from beginning of sequences/dates/etc.. I remember when InDesign was groundbreaking (Version 2) and sent a shockwave through the design world. Kinda Ho-Hum right now with doses of WTF on occasion.

[miles_designs]

Accidentally sent out proofs to clients and was informed that some character was missing from beginning of words or numbers missing from beginning of sequences/dates/etc.

Why would you send out a proof to the client without first proofreading it yourself?

[dannygarber]

Good question. No excuse, but I will say with the rapid turnaround and deadlines in our shop, sometimes mistakes are made and that is why we proof everything, both at our end and the client's. Sometimes they miss some obvious mistakes. It happens and its all part of the process. I can say in regards to the particular job I was referring to, that it was numbers and that's why the more "eyes" on a proof, the better. I'd like any designer to come forward and say they've never sent a proof to a client that had a mistake from the design side.

[miles_designs]

Yeah, I get that.  Why can't we get jobs where they say, "Take as much time as you need, we just want it to look great."

[dannygarber]

THAT, my friend, is a perfect world and I'm still looking for it!

[ravisavis]

Same problem, although it doesn't just happen when text is highlighted. It happens whenever I haven't typed anything for a minute or so, then when I go to retype it misses the first character. Thought it might have been neurological, then decided it wasn't user error and eventually found this. I haven't tried the posted solution yet.

[tschaepps]

Why is that the attitude of free online game developers is "Wow we're sorry, we will hotfix that bug by the end of the day"....

While the attitude of Adobe, an industry in and of itself, says "Eh. YOU fix it. Here's some janky tools. Thanks for the $50 a month."

[dannygarber]

But you're missing the point! You get wonderful periodic updates annually as part of your subscription with only a few BUGS to plague your working existence. Surely you can find a workaround, yes? Or a patch? Or get in the habit of continually purging your preferences (then why have them, eh?).

If I didn't have to use CC at work, I'd be missing out on all the problems, sudden software homicides (Muse), rising subscription prices for LESS software. . .

[tschaepps]

Amen. I don't know where this company is heading but it's really looking dark and feeling a little miserable.

[Foofarawr]

Seriously, a plugin?

"Excuse me sir, the windshield wiper on my car sometimes won't start when I use the lever."

"Don't worry there, you can use that string here to manually move the wipers. Just attach them to the wiper and pull whenever the lever doesn't work."

Do we have to expect any compatibility issues whatsoever with this "plugin" once this bug is actually fixed in a real patch?

[Laubender]

Foofaraw  wrote

… Do we have to expect any compatibility issues whatsoever with this "plugin" once this bug is actually fixed in a real patch?

This is the real patch.

The point is, that it is not distributed with the Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop app. And it will not change the version number of your InDesign.

Regards,
Uwe

[BobLevine]

This has turned into nothing but a rantfest. The question's been asked and answered.

Locked.