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Rick Meikle
Known Participant
November 21, 2019
Answered

How to hide Application Bar?

  • November 21, 2019
  • 7 replies
  • 10830 views

Does anyone know how to hide the "Application Bar" in InDesign CC 2020? It is useless to me and uses screen real estate. (This is not the Application Frame, which I have turned off. Nor is it the Control bar, which I have turned on.)

    Correct answer gray_0397

    Changing this line in the XML file worked for me, you to be sure to change the workspace that your using and I needed to have Indesign closed when I changed it, otherwise Indesigned changed it back when I closed it.

    7 replies

    G
    gray_0397Correct answer
    New Participant
    May 21, 2025

    Changing this line in the XML file worked for me, you to be sure to change the workspace that your using and I needed to have Indesign closed when I changed it, otherwise Indesigned changed it back when I closed it.

      J
      Julio28375274vct1
      New Participant
      September 18, 2025

      Hi, they've changed something again and that line of code doesn't exist anymore. If anyone knows where is it right now it will be helpful. Thanks.

      I hope people from adobe stop adding new unrequested features and starts fixing what doesn't works.

       

      [abuse removed by moderator]

      100pk
      100pk
      Inspiring
      March 7, 2024

      Revisiting this post since it is still not solved. After the update to 19.2 and 19.3 the application frame returned. So I had to dig up where to change what in the workspace.xml. But when deciding to use InDesign in Applicationframe the applicationbar is always active and the xml ‘hide the application bar’ is set to false again.

      It is functiuonality I dont want or need and also in the applicationframe mode it would save a lot of space…

      P
      Pickory
      Braniac
      March 7, 2024

      I wonder if this could be scripted. See ApplicationBarShown.

      U
      urban.space.man
      Inspiring
      March 7, 2024

      I haven't tried it, but this dictionary says it's 'read only'.

      https://www.indesignjs.de/extendscriptAPI/indesign-latest/#GeneralPreference.html

      U
      urban.space.man
      Inspiring
      February 7, 2022

      Yes, it's annoying, especially since you can turn it off in Illustrator.

       

      On a Mac, open the files "Start_CurrentWorkspace.xml" and "Essentials_CurrentWorkspace.xml" in this folder (may differ slightly depending on your version of InDesign):

      /Users/[user]/Library/Preferences/Adobe InDesign/Version 17.0/en_GB/Workspaces/

      Find this line:

      <app-container-control-bar id="64" origin="1 44" size="595 37" is-closed="false"/>

      And change it to:

      <app-container-control-bar id="64" origin="1 44" size="595 37" is-closed="true"/>

      Save the XML files, and restart InDesign.

        G
        GPGW
        Known Participant
        November 4, 2025

        Every year i have to go through this motion 😠

        J
        Julio28375274vct1
        New Participant
        November 5, 2025

        Could you fix it? after last update i can't find that line of code anymore.

        paulflong
        paulflong
        Inspiring
        April 2, 2021

        I think I figured out how to remove this bar, there may be another way but I couldn't find it.

         

        1. Take a snapshot of where your pallets are located so you can remember how you like everything.

        2. Go to window > workspace > advanced, you'll see the bar disappear. this leads me to believe there is a way to turn it off somehow other than this method.

        3. Set up your pallets again and save the workspace as a new name (window > workspace > new workspace). *note, you have to move the pallets out of the advanced preset location to enable the ability to save a "new workspace"

          100pk
          100pk
          Inspiring
          May 20, 2022

          Finally a solution, thanks; and why would Adobe think in al her wisdom that this is the best way to be able tot pull this off.

            paulflong
            paulflong
            Inspiring
            April 13, 2023

            glad to help.

              M
              mecdos
              Inspiring
              June 18, 2020

              yes, i hate that stupid thing. 

                hammer0909
                hammer0909
                Inspiring
                November 21, 2019

                In InDesign 2020, they moved most of the items that were in the Application Bar to the bottom of the Tools panel. Reserving what's left of the Application Bar for the Home Screen. In previous versions of InDesign you could only turn off the Application Bar when you turned off the Application Frame. Unfortunately now, there are no controls to hide the Application bar which now seems to be primarily the Home bar.

                R
                Rick MeikleAuthor
                Known Participant
                November 21, 2019

                Thanks. I figured as much, but it never hurts to ask in case I overlooked something. Not a very bright move on Adobe's part from my viewpoint.

                  rob day
                  rob day
                  Braniac
                  May 6, 2020

                  You can turn off the Application Frame and then tear off the Application Bar from the upper left corner and then bury it in the lower left corner. A saved workspace will remember:

                   

                  R
                  Rick MeikleAuthor
                  Known Participant
                  November 21, 2019

                  I should add that the best I could come up with was detaching it from the top, making it as narrow as possible, then tucking it away in the lower right corner of the screen so that only the left tip is visible.

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