InDesign 2025 SLOW

[Bigwig]

Just started using ID 2025 this morning and I'm noticing a LOT of lag time with pretty much any activity. I'm running a Mac Studio with an M2 Ultra, so it's not my computer. I've tried some simple troubleshooting but it is simply not responding like ID 2024. Help!

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @bigwig,

I completely understand your frustration with the slow performance of InDesign. It can be really challenging when the software doesn't run as smoothly as we expect. To assist you better, could you please share the version of InDesign you're currently using and details about your operating system?

Additionally, if possible, could you drop a screen recording demonstrating the issue? This can help us identify the problem more effectively.

In the meantime, I recommend checking out these helpful resources for tips on improving performance: Improving InDesign Performance and InDesign Slow Performance Solutions.

Thank you, and I'm here to help!

Best, 

Abhishek Rao

[artspower@aol.com]

Just completed a 216 page book in InDesign 2025 - runs terribly slow on my M1 Mini with 32 ggs of ram - simply terrible - I deleted the updated version but found I couldn't open my project in the previous versioin so now I am stuck with this ridiculous InDesign version that runs terribly, Adobe - will you fix this SOON!!!!! There are other issues with this siftware ad I have adapted to them with work arounds but this I CANNOT TOLERATE - but where can I go????

[davidr55142013]

InDesign 2025 is incredibly slow. I did a clean install on my new M4 imac, and it's still super frustrating to use. Every task takes twice as long as the 2014 version. Not sure how this got past the QA department!  

[Barb Binder · Accepted solution]

Hi @Bigwig:

I'd start by rebuilding preferences:
https://www.rockymountaintraining.com/adobe-indesign-rebuilding-preferences-cache/

If that doesn't work, I would just go back to the version you were working on before the update. It's usually a good idea not to update to a .0 release. Let someone else go through this pain and report the issues and update again after it the .1 release is out.

Also, you may not know this, but you can have more than one version installed on your computer. I keep old versions installed so I can answer questions on them here, but also because I delay moving my layout work to a new version until I'm convinced it will be stable. 

~Barb

[Bigwig]

Thanks, Barb! That totally did the trick. Forgot about that little tidbit in preferences! 

[Barb Binder]

Glad to hear that took care of it!

~Barb

[Ana377104379dwp]

OMG thank you Barb, that worked for me. this was driving me insane since I updated to the latest INDD. I could not work like this. THANK YOU! 

[James26357883mp7h]

Yep, I can confirm that I was experiencing the spinning beach ball with every click and mouse movement. Rebuilding prefs was an immediate fix. Thanks so much!

[aniri5j9ox8tw2ln]

I took the time to reinstall ID, uninstalled everything before that - after the reinstallation manually added my saved settings to the library folder/program folder again and now it fits! ID is no longer slow...

[roman__]

You mean 19.5? What do you mean by 'manually'?

PS: I'm quite p%$&ed at Adobe for not testing this out beforehand! 😞

[aniri5j9ox8tw2ln]

No, the last 20. version of ID.

Manually: I only added my personally saved folders again. So my saved workspaces, the shortcuts, the scripts, etc.

[Saint_Huck_70]

This worked for me as well, thank gawd coz I was about to throw the mac outta the window

[Victoria5EF1]

Thanks Barb! I was getting so fed up with the spinning wheel of doom! Fixed it for me too. Superstar!

[Andrew25341913pevw]

What. A. Lifesaver! Was doing my head in. Thank you.

[Joey35582676won3]

I've tried this four times in the last three weeks. I have also uninstalled and reinstalled InDesign 2025 four times and still have the same issue. A task as simple as clicking out of a text box or highlighting a single character slows the app down and the spinning beach ball appears for several seconds. 

I can't work like this, can someone please suggest an alternate fix?

Thank you!

[ezoli]

Hello @Abhishek Rao

I have followed the various instructions to increase the performance of InDesign and have also turned off the contextual taskbar and auto-preflights but I still have — even after the first updates of the 2025 version — this lag effect, where it takes a while until a text block or a text part is selected or the scroll in the paragraph format window reacts. It's as if every time I click something, it wants to check it before I can execute it. After the “Reset Preference on Quit” according to the instructions, I was able to see an improvement in performance, but after half a day of working in Indesign I had the same problems again. It doesn't make sense to perform this reset every time because the settings would have to be adjusted again. I'm currently working with small files and on a Mac with m4 max and 128 GB RAM. Something is wrong with the performance. Can you help me?

[Bigwig]

As the OP, I can attest that a reset of the preferences initially helped. But at the time, it was EXTREME. Now it is simply irritating and nowhere near as fast as ID2024. Something is desperately wrong with this release and Adobe needs to figure this out pronto.

[Janne2596680603pr]

Where is someone from Adobe? 
This needs to be addressed.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Check to see if you have the Magnet app installed. If so, disable it.

[Janne2596680603pr]

No magnet installed. 

[ezoli]

I have not installed any plugins. Are there any files in the library that would be susceptible to the described behavior or are there any other cache hurdles? Thanks for your Help!

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

It's not a plugin--it's a Mac utility.

[ezoli]

Thanks Dave, this or something similar is not installed either. The hardware is also freshly set up. Could it have something to do with the new function for importing user settings?

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

I think the ultimate solution is back down to the previous version until the new version has a few updates.

Some people have turned off the contexual (floating) panels and font preview to some success. 

You can try a complete uninstall with the Adobe CC Cleaner and reinstall without importing settings.