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Answered

InDesign 2020 (15.1.1) stuck while "activating font" on macOS Catalina

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
July 9, 2020
23 replies
110952 views

CC reports a font could not be activated due to a conflict, yet the "Activating Font" task is stuck until I quit InDesign. When I try to export a PDF, it is stuck behind these never-ending tasks in the queue, thus preventing me from exporting it. Bug?

(MacOS Catalina 10.15.4, Indesign 15.1.1)

{Renamed by MOD}

Performance

Correct answer paulb6672322

I was also stuck in an endless loop of "activating font" - in this case default Minion Pro.

My workaround:

Ctrl + Alt + Delete > End Task

Update Creative Cloud

Update InDesign to 16.0.1

Solved!

Show previous replies

J

JaNean238608886jka

Participant

I'm now having this issue on InDesign v 17.2. None of the previous suggestions work.

J

joviansoul

Participant

For your information: There is a third reason, or "correct answer" to this problem. Adobe was having downtime. I tried to re-install and did lots of testing without luck. Then I visited https://status.adobe.com/ and could see the whole font-repository was offline

K

katrinal66967087

Participant

Wish I saw this 3 hours ago before I uninstalled everything 7 times over.

S

Sharne22950467jtoe

Participant

What an incredible embarrasment for Adobe. Let's leave alone the fact that this font was a basic common font available on the install of my home office but somehow not already set up at my work office - one two brand new vanilla machines with no fonts installed! Let's leave alone that shouldn't even be a problem.

Lets just look at the fact that I can't export while this bug is in play - lets just look at the fact that this ran in the background for days without a resolution or time out. Let's look at the ever increasing fees we pay for this software and the GOT YOU NOW terms and conditions that bind us!

Lazy, Poor, Hopelessly imcompetant programing. There is simply no excuse.

Steve Traynor

Participating Frequently

I've been frantically trying to solve this same problem this morning. I've tried all the previous suggestions and now I'm stuck in a Reactivating/Deactivating loop.

I honestly don't know what to do at this point, aside from using fonts that are not Adobe.

Creative Cloud 5.6.5.58
Indesign v. 17.0

BobLevine

Community Expert

Try posting here: Adobe Fonts - Adobe Support Community

martinb

Participant

For me, this worked:
– Deactivate Adobe Fonts
– Reboot InDesign and delete preferences (Restart InDesign while pressing Shift+Option+Command+Control. Click 'Yes' when asked if you want to delete preference files.)

T

Thamsanqa32853089iwk0

Participant

Thanks, bruv. This helped.

J

jarednews

Participant

I've tried all this multiple times in different combinations and still get the fonts stuck in an activation loop in the background task window. Also, I can't access the fonts in CC desktop. The page is blank and I get a perpetual wait wheel. This is the issue on my new Macbook Pro 13" M1. Not sure if this helps. On my desktop I've got no issues. Not great if I want to work while away from my home.

In terms of workflow, I'm accessing ID files over a remote server. Not sure if that matters. I thought maybe the CC desktop app issue is linked to the fonts not activating in ID.

J

jarednews

Participant

Thinking maybe it was a file migration issue -- I transferred all files over from another mac -- I also repaired CC desktop app. That didn't work. I tired signing out of CC on my desktop. Nothing.

J

jarednews

Participant

I did a fresh reinstall using the M1 installer and that did the trick.

H

Heather5D61

Participant

Had the same issue; couldn't export to PDF because font activations were running as background tasks. I just got off the Adobe support line, they gave me a fast solution that WORKED:

In InDesign, click on the Preferences > File handling > in the bottom of this window there is a option of Fonts , under that you will see "auto-activate adobe fonts", please check if that is enabled. If it is enabled, DISABLE IT. Then quit/close out of InDesign, and then reopen. Then the issue should be resolved...

christianf72638907

Participant

This worked great, thank you!

P

pamt2

Participant

Thank goodness I had saved my work and the problem started when I tried to export a PDF. I could not resve the file because of ongoing background tasks having to do with syncing fonts. I was able to quit InDesign and when I restarted, the fonts were synced and the PDF was exported without any problems. So try the usual quit, maybe forece quit, maybe restart your computer and reload the fonts you need, then restart InDesign and reopen the file. I didn't have to go through all those steps, but that's the sort of cleaning process I would have gone through. Thank you for pointing me to the background tasks panel.