How to set 2023 version of InDesign as default on Mac?

[Jennifer29102508g6k1]

Hello everyone. I HATE the 2024 version of InDesign. Does anyone else find it to be horribly glitchy? It's like by adding AI, they ruined things that always functioned perfectly well. 

I want to make the 2023 version the default, so that when I open a file it does not automatically open in 2024, but I don't want to uninstall 2024 because now I have files in both versions. Can anyone tell me how to do that?

I try to remember to start new documents with the 2023 version, but sometimes when I open the file later, I forget to specify the 2023 version and then I end up saving it as 2024, and all my efforts are wasted. 

Adobe developers if you happen to see this, these are the things that I find incredibly annoying about the 2024 version:

1. Paragraph styles are glitchy: Sometimes when I update a font in the paragraph styles it does not update in the text and more annoyingly I can't even manually override it by highlighting the text and selecting the correct font in the character palette. 

2. When I delete an element, sometimes it shows up when I'm selecting text. LIke the old element flashes on the screen like some sort of poltergiest that won't die. 

3. Selecting multiple elements using the click and drag method makes the screen flash, so that I can't see what I'm selecting. The screen also flashes when clicking and dragging to select text. 

I have been using InDesign for 20 years now, so I consider myself a highly skilled user, and these things are super annoying. So much so that I have started looking for alternative products.  

[Mike Witherell]

Hmmm. My 2024s are working well on both macOS and Windows. New AI stuff can be disabled in preferences.

1. sounds like you accidentally have a Character Style applied to text which interferes with manually applying a typeface font. It would interfere with the Paragraph Style font.

2. sounds like a partially corrupt document. Try exporting to IDML then reopening the resulting IDML and saving to a new INDD file. Thereafter, see if the problem persists. On the other hand it might have to do with unmanaged layers and manually masked objects that are still in a messy layout. And it might be discovered in messy unmanaged parent page objects.

3. sounds like you might need to try to reset preferences or you ought to tell us InDesign version numbers as well as especially what version of OS you are using. 

Here is some comprehensive troubleshooting:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/reset-indesign-preferences-and-other-troubleshoo...

[Jennifer29102508g6k1]

Thanks for the info. It's InDesign 19.4 and IOS 14.2.1. It's not just one document in which I have encountered wierd stuff, and before recently, I never had problems. 

[leo.r]

I want to make the 2023 version the default, so that when I open a file it does not automatically open in 2024, but I don't want to uninstall 2024 because now I have files in both versions. Can anyone tell me how to do that?

By @Jennifer29102508g6k1

Select an InDesign file in the Finder > Cmd-I > Open With > select InDesign 2023 > click "Change All"

[Jennifer29102508g6k1]

Thanks. I know how to do that. It's just sometimes I forget and then it opens in the 2024 default, and I don't realize it until it's saved, and then I'm stuck in the 2024 version. 

[leo.r · Accepted solution]

Why, does the default InDesign version change for all files after you save a file from InDesign 2024?

In any case, I won't be surprised if this choice is unstable and does revert to the latest version at some point. It can be a hassle if you have to work with an earlier version of a program when a later one is installed (not only with InDesign).

I recommend to put your InDesign 2023 icon in the Finder toolbar so at least you can quickly open your files by dragging them onto the icon (which you might have already done anyway):

[Jennifer29102508g6k1]

I like that idea. Thanks!

I don't know why the default changes to 2024. 

[Mike Witherell]

Update macOS to 14.5

If your screen still flashes, try turning off GPU Acceleration in Preferences.

[Jennifer29102508g6k1]

Good idea! Thanks!

[creative explorer]

@Jennifer29102508g6k1 you could replace your InDesign 2024 icons in the dock with InDesign 2023 icons, so when you click to open those apps, the 2023 will open. 

I have an older MacBook Pro 2013 (I just can't cut that umblical cord and get a new M3 or M4!), but because of AI in Photoshop 2024, I normally will use Photoshop 2023 (older icon is in my dock), and if I need the 2024,  will quickly look in my finder.  

[Manan Joshi]

If the change all association way that @leo.r mentioned is being reset somehow. Then the other way I can think of is to uninstall both the versions and then install first 2024 and then 2023, this way the file association would hopefully be set to the version installed last i.e. 2023. Worth a try if all else is failing

-Manan