Inspiring

Question

InDesign 20.3.1: Blank Screen Returns After a Idle Time

Forum|Forum|10 months ago
May 1, 2025
6 replies
965 views

This has become an unbelievable joke. I'm once again getting blank screens upon returning to an open InDesign document after a short period of being away from my Mac.

I'm also STILL, after over a year+ STILL having to reselect my Workspace setting, which then reinitiates the unbelievably annoying popups.

Seriously, what is going on at Adobe?

G

gillians91716749

Participant

I'm having the same issue, when it goes idle. Nothing appears on screen. Very frustrating.

Abhishek Rao

Community Manager

Hi @gillians91716749,

I'm sorry to hear you’re running into the same issue. Could you please confirm the exact OS and version of InDesign you're working on? It would also be very helpful if you could try toggling GPU Performance in InDesign's Preferences to check if that makes a difference. Another step worth testing is running InDesign in Safe Mode(Windows: https://adobe.ly/4mDNNzf

macOS: https://adobe.ly/4fWYNVD) to rule out any interference from third-party software. If you’re using multiple monitors, try disconnecting the secondary one and see if the problem still occurs.

Looking forward to your update.

Abhishek

Abhishek Rao

Community Manager

Hi @jeffhalmos,

Thanks for the info so far! Is this issue happening with just one specific document or with all your files?

It would be helpful if you could try disconnecting your secondary monitor and use only the primary one for a test to see if the problem persists. Could you also let me know the physical connection type for your monitors are they connected via USB-C or HDMI? If possible, try swapping the connection types (for example, switch from USB-C to HDMI or vice versa) to see if that makes a difference.

To isolate the problem as suggested by experts, it's a good idea to test InDesign in Safe Mode to rule out interference from any third-party software on your Mac. Reference: https://adobe.ly/44HfrFs
Also, try toggling GPU performance in InDesign preferences like https://adobe.ly/45eJ4xT suggested.

Lastly, could you please share a short screen recording of the issue when it occurs? That would really help me check it with the product team.

Looking forward to your update!

Abhishek

einmanncombo.de

Participating Frequently

Hi!
I have the sami issue.
For the moment it helps in my case to activate/deactive GPU in the InDesign settings.

Best, Klaas

--www.einmanncombo.dewww.xing.com/profile/klaas_posseltwww.linkedin.com/in/einmanncombowww.twitter.com/einmanncombo

G

Grundoon Groundhog

Inspiring

If I leave my InDesign document untouched for a while, the screen goes blank. The only way to recover is to save, close, and reopen. I haven't timed it so am not sure what the time limit is.

leo.r

Community Expert

What are your InDesign and operating system versions? Does your setup involve multiple monitors?

Is it similar to this issue (the thread also includes some suggestions):

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/indesign-blank-window-when-switching-displays/m-p/14394779

I recall that other users have also reported similar problems, I'll try to find other threads.

G

Grundoon Groundhog

Inspiring

Thanks for the thread. I have the latest versions of MAC software and InDesign. I've tried deleting prefences, and even removed and reinstalled the entire program. Didn't help.

Bill Silbert

Community Expert

Are you using any third party plug-ins for either InDesign or your OS? Are you using the Magnet app on your Mac? If so try disabling Magnet as well as any plug-ins and see if the problem persists.

J

jeffhalmosAuthor

Inspiring

Using MacOS 15.5 release candidate, but the last version of ID fixed the issue. It's back. Using it clean, too. Have two 32" monitors. No other app I use has this issue. It's Adobe's fault.

leo.r

Community Expert

What's your macOS version? Also, does your setup involve a second monitor?

Is it the same issue discussed here:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/indesign-blank-window-when-switching-displays/m-p/14981672/page/3#M597473

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