Font list messed up after latest Cloud client update

Report · Jul 11, 2024

Hello!

I hope someone has an idea, because I'm at my wits end. Yesterday I did an update of the CC client, which was retrospectively stupid, because it messed up one particular font I very much use, Roboto.

The font isn't installed in the system, but put into ID's \Fonts folder. Until two days ago all was fine.

After the update, which unfortunately activated Adobe Fonts by default, the Roboto font was shown as missing when I open ID. In the font list in ID's menu the symbol next to Roboto had changed from "TT" to a cloud symbol. Looking into the cloud client and the font management from Adone Fonts being still active, I saw that it conflicts with a Roboto font from Adobe. Same name, but not same font and more styles. So I removed Roboto from the manager, deactivated Adobe Fonts, deleted the Roboto font files from \Fonts, restarted ID and put them back again. After that it was OK for the moment and the symbol next to Roboto changed back to "TT".

Today, the problem was back again. With Adobe Fonts being off and Roboto being deleted from \Fonts for a test, ID would still list it. So I thought Adobe's apps manage some own font list, which they indeed do. Going through the many installation folders, specifically under the Cloud Client, there was an entire folder related to fonts. Supposing it could be the source of the problem, I removed it. However, no change.

Any other idea or something I'm overlooking? TIA!

Report · Jul 11, 2024

Addition: in https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/stop-background-activation-of-fonts/td-p/1150647... there was a suggestion to turn off something in the ID prefs, but for me it didn't work.

Besides, I'm confused by this setting "Auto-activate Adobe Fonts". Why would we need Adobe Fonts at all and why auto-activate?

Report · Jul 11, 2024

Addition: all styles are double.

Report · Jul 11, 2024

It's getting even weirder. When loading a document which uses Roboto, the font isn't marked as missing anymore, though in the list it's still with cloub symbol and double styles. Same like yesterday, the problem seems solved. For the moment.

Report · Jul 12, 2024

Continues. Next morning, first start. The document I opened wouldn't show Roboto as truly missing, because the text isn't marked, but in the Find/Replace Font dialog, the three Roboto I use are listed as missing.

I would like to know where ID gets the information to list Roboto when it's a) not installed in the system and b) not in Indesign CC 2022\Fonts folder. Does anybody know? This is driving me nuts. Stupid software!

Report · Jul 12, 2024

I thought this could be a solution:

Go into the Cloud Client and activate Adobe Fonts for the moment
Go to font management. It would list the Roboto from Adobe Fonts there as cloud font. Remove it.
Start ID and check the font list in the menu. In this very moment, Roboto would show the symbol TT.
Close ID again, deactivate Adobe Fonts, start ID again. ID would find Roboto as local, added font in \Fonts.

Again, it worked for the moment. Today, the cloud client got another update. Let's hope this font problem is fine now.

Report · Jul 12, 2024

Besides, I'm confused by this setting "Auto-activate Adobe Fonts".

Hi @Doc Maik, If you are sure you don’t want to use the Adobe Type library that comes with your subscription, you can disable it from your Creative Cloud app—Preferences>Services>Adobe Fonts.

The (free) Google font version of Roboto conflicts with the version in the Adobe Type library, so if the document was created using the Adobe Type version, and you have Adobe Fonts activated along with Auto-activate, InDesign is going to try to activate the cloud version and ignore the TT version installed in your fonts folder. Disabling Adobe Fonts from the CC app and opening the document should show Roboto as missing, and then you can replace it with your installed Google Fonts TT version.

Why would we need Adobe Fonts at all and why auto-activate?

Because the library is large, the fonts are high quality, and the service comes with your subscription.

You don’t install Adobe Fonts in one of the OS font folders—you have to go to AdobeType, browse for the fonts you want to use, and click Add Font to activate. You can turn fonts on and off as needed form the site, so if you open a document that uses a deactivated cloud font, the Auto-activate preference lets you skip the manual activation steps.

Report · Jul 15, 2024

@Rob: the problem was not Adobe Fonts itself as a features, but how the Cloud client deals with it. First and main problem is that Adobe Fonts messes Roboto up when activated. This should not happen. So I had to turn off Adobe Fonts, even if wanted to use it which is luckily not the case. Second and most annyoing problem is that this "Auto-activate Adobe Fonts" option in Indesign is ON by default, plus Adobe Fonts sort of turns itself on again in the Cloud client after an update of the Cloud client. The client also puts itself into auto-start every time it's updated or repaired. I have never seen such a nasty piece of software in my life. When nothing is disabled, the cloud client and its related tools start about 15 background processes without any need and purpose.

Report · Jul 15, 2024

Roboto and other Google fonts create conflicts-- comes up a lot. See this:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/problem-with-text-in-idml-file/m-p/14737964#M580...

Report · Jul 15, 2024

Also, I don't have any problems with Adobe Type, it's always on and I use the fonts for much of my work. If I wanted to use Roboto or another Google font, I would make sure Google's TT version is not installed in my system, and activate Adobe's OpenType version from AdobeType

Report · Jul 15, 2024

Not sure if this helps with your particular situation, but I can force a conflict error message by installing the Google TT version in my OS fonts folder, and then try to activate Adobe‘s cloud version from the AdobeType site. Here Find Font shows the path to my user fonts folder, and lists Google’s version number:

If I try to activate Adobe’s version from the AdobeType site, I get this:

If I remove Google’s version from my user font folder, and try to activate again, the Adobe version installs—cloud fonts are installed locally in a hidden sync folder. Find Font now lists the Adobe version and you can see the version number is different.

Here’s the font user guide, which has a section on conflicts:

https://helpx.adobe.com/fonts/kb/add-fonts-desktop.html

Report · Jan 27, 2025

Update: while moving to a new workstation, the same mess appeared again. Only, that the method described above didn't work anymore in ID 2024. After having removed the font(s) from Adobe Fonts and deactivating it, the fonts where still placed in \Fonts folder, but not detected and used. When enabling "Auto-activate Adobe fonts" or so in ID's preferences, the well-known, buggy, neverending activation process started. So this wasn't it.

The only other option that came to my mind was to actively add the font(s) in \Fonts in the Cloud client, which wasn't necessary as they were listed there already, as part of the activation. So far, so good. Main problem: when opening documents that used one of the particular fonts, the missing font dialog came up and showed the affected font name, but with a "(TT)" added to its name and that was the actual conflict. The font name! Not a topic with ID...

What I ended up doing and which solved the problem: I installed the font(s) on the system, something I actually wanted to avoid, but since the font management in ID only seems to work for fonts you get from Adobe, this is the only way. This is so pathetic, Adobe, so pathetic...