InDesign 2025 Performance Issues on Mac M1: Spinning Beach Ball and Crashes in 2024 Version

[cg91002266]

I installed the new Indesign 2025 and it has been unsuable (I get the spinning beach ball everytime I try to scroll). So I have gone back to 2024 but now have issues with it crashing and I lost work. Anyone else having big issues with 2024 since the update of 2025? Or anyone know how to solve the 2025 issues so it is actually usable? (I am on a Mac, Apple M1 Max chip, 64 GB memory running Sequoia 15.0.1). Thank you! 

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[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@DynaGraphics Reno

How much RAM on each?

[DynaGraphics Reno]

Mac Mini (M1 2020) : 16 GB

iMac (Intel Late 2015) : 32 GB

(Reminder that Adobe's System Req's list 16 GB as recommended & 8GB is listed as minimum)

[Sadie5CF8]

Macbook Pro Nov 2023

OS 15.3

Indesign 2025

If I just move the mouse or click on something or try to scroll, I get a spinning wheel for 3-5 seconds. This is nuts.

[leo.r]

Indesign 2025

By @Sadie5CF8

what's your exact InDesign version - is it updated to 20.1?

[Sadie5CF8]

Yes, 20.1

[leo.r]

By @Sadie5CF8

Many Mac users indeed experience debilitating slowness in InDesign 2025. For some users (but not all), the 20.1 update fixed the issue. It looks like it didn't help in your case.

You can try these general troubleshooting steps, which also helped some users:

https://www.rockymountaintraining.com/adobe-indesign-rebuilding-preferences-cache/

If it doesn't help, try to revert to an earlier version of InDesign 2025 (although I have to mention that it's not known to address the slowness issue you describe). You can do so in Creative Cloud app > InDesign > Other Versions menu.

If it doesn't help, then the only known solution at this point is to revert to InDesign 2024 until Adobe fixes the problem. You can install InDesign 2024 from the Creative Cloud app. (Yes, I do realize this all can be maddening.)

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Update the OS to 15.3.1 if you haven't already. 

[Richard-Without-last-name]

We removed the plugin APIDToolAssistant_ from Rorohiko and now Indesign is not crashing so much anymore.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

What version if the plugin did you have? I see it was updated last November.

You should let them know if you are using the current version (1.0.7.4).

[Richard-Without-last-name]

Yes, we had that version

APIDToolAssistant_Mac_2025.1.0.74

I wil let them know that there plugin is not working that good.

But the quistion is, is it an problem with the plugin or is it a problem of Indesign, in older versions it was working with no problem.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

It's could be either the plugin, InDesign, or both. Older versions of InDesign might not have been as fussy with whatever the plugin is doing. Hard to say--perhaps Rorohiko can provide some feedback.

[RorohikoKris · Accepted solution]

Hi all,

The latest version for APID ToolAssistant is 1.0.75 - we identified some inaccuracies in the information provided to out plug-in by the InDesign SDK APIs, possibly due to recent changes in InDesign, and 1.0.75 has a workarond for this issue. 

https://rorohiko.com/wordpress/2025/02/20/apid-toolassistant-updated-to-1-0-75/

[Richard-Without-last-name]

For me this new plugin is working, no more crashes or slow response from Indesign.

[wlym]

InDesign 20.2 on new M4 MBP with 48GB RAM -- with no pluggins and no fonts in the Document fonts folder -- still laggs for several seconds upon opening a 2 page document with nothing but text. InDesign 19.5.3 does not lag (same document opened at the same time on the same machine). How is this still an issue Adobe? Maybe ask your AI to do something useful instead of mediochre photo background replacements?

[Spiny Norma]

I am having this issue on a Macbook Pro running Sonoma (14.7.5). InDesign 2025 is unusable because of constant pinwheeling. I thought it may be fonts, but it does it even on files with only placed PDFs in them. I can get maybe 4-6 mouse movements at best before it pinwheels for 10-15 seconds. It does this even when just trying to close a file. Going back to 2024.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @Alice373165806dlw,

Thanks for reaching out! I am sure it must be troublesome. Could you please confirm if you're using InDesign 2025 version 20.3.1 (the latest release) or a different one? You can check this by going to InDesign > Help > About InDesign. Also, let me know where the affected files are saved. Are they stored locally on your system drive, on an external drive, in a remote location, or in the cloud?

Moreover, please try reproducing the issue in Safe Mode and also after logging into a new local admin user account on your Mac. This helps us rule out any third-party services or user-specific settings that might be interfering. In case it helps, here are a couple of links with steps:
Start up your Mac in safe mode
Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac

Let me know how it goes or if anything's unclear. 

Looking forward to your update,
Abhishek

[Abhishek Rao · Accepted solution]

Hi everyone,

Thanks again for your patience and for staying engaged on this thread.

I wanted to let you know that our product team has made some performance improvements in the latest InDesign 2025 release (Version 20.1), now available via the Creative Cloud Desktop app. The issue with the spinning beach ball and general lag has been addressed as part of these updates.

If you haven't already, please install the latest version and let us know how it goes. We’re hopeful this resolves the disruptions you were facing, and we’d love to hear your feedback once you’ve had a chance to test it out.

Looking forward to your update!

Abhishek 

[caleb.wilson]

I have noticed signifigant slowdown of InDesign using version 20.4.1, on MacOS 15.5 (24F74). Everything I leave and go back to the program it freezes and has the spinning beach ball for 20-30 seconds. I turned of the contextual tool bar and that helped. It still stalls for 10 seconds everytime I leave and return to the program. I also tried lowering display quality to Typical but that seems to have no effect. Is there a new issue becasue nothing seems to be working?

[DynaGraphics Reno]

I have noticed similar results. Far better than it had been, but still lagging compared to the same software running on a 10 year old iMac.

More concerning… after updating Indesign CC2025 to ver 20.4(.0.52), now InDesign CC2021 ver 16.4(.3.166) is experiencing the same pause/recover when leaving and returning. (We use a 3rd party plugin in our production workflow that isn't compatible with newer versions of InDesign)

Mac Mini (M1 2020)
macOS Monterey 12.7.6

16 GB RAM

[BureauMarnef]

After working in High Quality Display mode for several years without an issue, I finally had to go back to Typical. I'm on 25.4 and macOS 15.5 on an Apple M1 max with 32GB of RAM. Of the Indesign versions of the last few years I can't remember a single useful feature, the release cycle seems to exists exclusively to introduce new bugs and then patches for the new bugs.

[Janne2596680603pr]

That's rough, but a hard truth.

I switched to Typical too.