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Participant
July 19, 2012
Answered

How do i import a large word document into Indesign CS6?

  • July 19, 2012
  • 2 replies
  • 176669 views

I am a new user to InDesign, using version CS6, I would like to know if there is an easy way to import a MS word document into InDesign. The document is about 1000 pages and contains text, images and tables.

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Correct answer BobLevine

File>Place and then shift+click on the first page.

But that is going to result in a very unwieldy file. You might consider breaking into smaller pieces and using the book feature to manage it.

Bob

2 replies

Participating Frequently
April 20, 2018

Having now created 2 books in InDesign (but in CC 2017 & now 2018), one 110 pages and the other 250 pages, with a new 3rd being 700+ pages, I have found it easiest to use the BOOK doc format (.indb file), which is confusingly named for newbies.  It actually strings together individual "books" with .indd suffix, that are each a chapter of the whole book.  You can then put unique headers for each chapter, for instance, very easily.  But you can create the individual chapters and then if you wish, use an .indb file to tie everything together.  When auto-streaming text, I've never had to create a text box/frame:  Maybe that was an older requirement but all I do is PLACE->Shift/Click in the first page (I use a Template to start with for each book-chapter) and InDesign creates as many pages as needed to suck in the .docx file (and I'm at Word v16.12 now), although I've never had more than 130 pages in the chapter.  Maybe my defaults have the correct frame, that I noticed someone suggested is needed.

BobLevine
Community Expert
BobLevineCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
July 19, 2012

File>Place and then shift+click on the first page.

But that is going to result in a very unwieldy file. You might consider breaking into smaller pieces and using the book feature to manage it.

Bob

Participant
October 8, 2012

Dear Bob,

I am wondering, as a new test user, your proposed way File-place (Strg+D) is not available. Is there a workaround? I need to test function of integrate word files and sucessfully creating ebooks before buying expensive software.I approciate ny support. Many thanks in advance.

Best regards

Karl

AM Concepcion
Participating Frequently
October 13, 2013

I hear you, Peter, and that makes perfect sense. Thanks for the insight.


In my video course "Using Word and InDesign Together" on lynda.com, I have a bunch of videos on troubleshooting Word files that won't import correctly. Whether its .doc vs. docx is immaterial, in my testing.

What Peter said is correct, sometimes there is lots of extra junk. First thing is if there are hundreds or thousands of tracked changes in Word, you (or the Word user) should Accept All Changes (the Zen technique ... hee hee) before importing. A few dozen tracked changes shouldn't be a problem.

The other trick is to de-gunk the Word file, I have a chapter in the video with various techniques. Maggy-ing the Word file, using InDesign RTF, etc.

The one about round-tripping to InDesign RTF is one of the free sample movies, if you're not a lynda.com subscriber.

http://www.lynda.com/InDesign-tutorials/Using-Word-InDesign-Together/122930-2.html

AM