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defaulttdqpgd7j97yv
Participating Frequently
May 3, 2025
Question

GPU not utilized on M4 Macs?

  • May 3, 2025
  • 4 replies
  • 3333 views

Usind latest ID version on Sequoia on two different silicon Macs (Mac Mini M4, Macbook Pro M4 Pro) – neither recognizes the GPU in Indesign (greyed out in ID Setting menu). Performance is kind of choppy as a result (I guess). Other Adobe apps, Photoshop, Illustrator, work flawlessly and recognize the GPU. Is this a known issue?

 

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4 replies

Abhishek Rao
Community Manager
Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
Community Manager
September 1, 2025

Hi @defaulttdqpgd7j97yv,

 

I'm checking this behavior with the team and will update you as soon as I hear back. In the meantime, could you confirm if the issue is persistent and reproducible on demand, or if it happens intermittently? If possible, please also share a short screen recording showing the full workflow, both when the GPU option is greyed out and when it comes back, so we can get a clearer picture.

 

Best,
Abhishek

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defaulttdqpgd7j97yvAuthor
Participating Frequently
September 4, 2025

Thanks for unmerging. The issue is now persistant as in on both my M4 Macs (MBP and Mac Mini) Indesign now does not recognize the GPU anymore (greyed out in setting), since updating to 20.5. Not sure what to screen record here, performance felt better when GPU was used on the MBP.

Abhishek Rao
Community Manager
Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
Community Manager
September 10, 2025

Hi @defaulttdqpgd7j97yv,

Thanks for confirming the details. I checked with the team, and they mentioned that for GPU to stay enabled in InDesign on Mac, both the GPU and the monitor need to meet the compatibility requirements. Since you're on an M4 Mac, the GPU itself should not be an issue, but the display resolution or type of monitor being used could affect this. Could you confirm whether you're using the built-in display on your MacBook or an external monitor, and what resolution is set? This will help us narrow down why the option is still greyed out after the update.

 

Looking forward to your update. 

Abhishek 

Abhishek Rao
Community Manager
Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
Community Manager
May 5, 2025

Hi @defaulttdqpgd7j97yv,

 

Thanks for sharing all the details. Could you confirm if you're seeing the same issue as discussed in this thread here: https://adobe.ly/4jJ0JT1? If so, you're definitely not alone. This behavior has been reported by other Mac users and a bug has already been logged for the team to investigate further.

If you notice anything else or have additional observations, feel free to share them here. It will help us keep the team updated with more insights.

 

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Abhishek 

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defaulttdqpgd7j97yvAuthor
Participating Frequently
May 5, 2025

Yes, I see the exact same issue from the video in this thread, click a box and no selection until I move the cursor. Similarily zooming in with the thumbwheel of a mouse sometimes does nothing, until the wheel is moved again after a short break.

As I wrote GPU support is off, so I guess this is the core of the problem.

Dave Creamer of IDEAS
Community Expert
Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
Community Expert
May 3, 2025

Unless I'm mistaken, the GPU is built into the M(x) chip and not a separate element. I believe the Adobe InDesign is looking for a separate element such as an NVIDA or AMD card. Perhaps this will be addressed in an update?

Edit--I checked my M3 and InDesign is recognizing the GPU. 

 

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
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    defaulttdqpgd7j97yvAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    May 4, 2025

    Is this an M4 issue possibly, since it's fairly new?

    Dave Creamer of IDEAS
    Community Expert
    Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    May 4, 2025

    It's been out for a year now. I would think that problem would have been noticed by now. However, it's laptop use appears to only been used since March of this year.

     

    David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
      Robert at ID-Tasker
      Robert at ID-Tasker
      Legend
      May 3, 2025

      I'm not a Mac user, but from a recent post - don't you need to have a special cable or a "recognizable" monitor in order for this option to be activated?

       

      Robert at ID-Tasker
      Robert at ID-Tasker
      Legend
      May 3, 2025

      https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/indesign-20-3-selection-lag-issue-on-mac-studio-m2-max/m-p/15297135#M622755

       

      https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/indesign-20-3-selection-lag-issue-on-mac-studio-m2-max/m-p/15297255#M622766

       

      D
      defaulttdqpgd7j97yvAuthor
      Participating Frequently
      May 4, 2025

      Thanks für the link it looks like his issue is similar to mine. The "choppiness" I see is probably related. I select a Box and the selection is not displayed until I change zoom. Other times zooming withe the thumb wheel does nothing untill another "command" happens. I attributed that to CPU doing the display work being not optimized. GPU being used is desirable anyways I guess?

      Since the issue is present with two systems here, different displays including the MBPs own, i figure this is a wider issue?

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