InDesign 2026 App Removed Extensions Panel

[Chase33635940qwag]

I noticed that after downloading the InDesign 2026 app, it removed the extensions section out of the Window panel. Has this been moved? It is critical for my company to have access to this panel. This extension isn't available on Exchange. 

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @Chase33635940qwag,

Thanks for sharing this. I checked InDesign version 20.5 on my end, and the Extensions panel isn't available under the Window menu there either. It seems this might be a mix-up with Illustrator, as InDesign hasn't included that panel in recent versions. Could you please check one of your older versions where you remember seeing it and confirm which version that was? That will help me better understand the issue. 

Looking forward to your update.

Abhishek

[Chase33635940qwag]

On the 2025 app, the version is 20.5. 

[leo.r]

On the 2025 app, the version is 20.5. 

By @Chase33635940qwag

Interesting. All I know is that I don't have the Extensions menu in InDesign 2025 either.

And what are the submenus in your version?

[Barb Binder]

I noticed that after downloading the InDesign 2026 app, it removed the extensions section out of the Window panel. Has this been moved?

There's no Window panel so you must mean the Window menu?

Here are screenshots of the Window menu in InDesign 2025, InDesign 2024, InDesign 2023 and InDesign 2022:

         

Following up with @Abhishek Rao logic, here is Illustrator's Window menu in 2026. 

~Barb

[Manan Joshi]

I have Extensions menu in my 20.5 version on a MAC and I have my CEP extension loading in it as well. It does happen that this menu is not displayed, I have noticed this in past versions as well. What I would suggest to do is install some extension that should load in 2026 version and it should pop up. Try it and let us know, I will try installing as well as soon as I get time

-Manan

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @Chase33635940qwag,

I tested this behavior on my end and noticed that the Extensions option under the Window menu becomes visible only after installing a plugin or extension. I tried this on versions 19.5.5, 20.5, and 21.0, and they all behaved the same way.

Could you please try downloading and installing any plugin or extension and check if the Extensions option appears afterward?

Let me know how it goes.

Abhishek

[cindia63843767]

It still does not work. I do not have Windows Extension and Adobe Createive Cloud does not recognize that I installed a Plugin

[cindia63843767]

I and my IT department have uninstalled and reinstalled the Plugin. have exited InDesign 2026 and Restarted. I have shut down and rebooted my laptop. The Window>Extensions does not exit whether I have a document open or not. 

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @cindia63843767,

Thanks for sharing the update. Could you please share your operating system details? Please try completely removing both Creative Cloud and InDesign using the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool and then reinstall them to check if that helps. You can follow the steps here: https://adobe.ly/4nzuwyF.

Once reinstalled, check if the Extensions option reappears under the Window menu after installing a compatible plugin.

Please let me know how it goes.

Abhishek

[cindia63843767 · Accepted solution]

It was an older OpenAsset plugin and OpenAsset has now released a new
version that plays with InDesign 2026.


<Personal info removed MOD>

[Dirk Becker]

Could be that the extension is not compatible, maybe it's just a version number in a manifest.

I don't know whether CEP uses such numbers, and whether CEP itself had a version bump.

@Manan Joshi ?

[Manan Joshi]

I tested on a MAC and the extension menu option is visible and my CEP extensions are loading fine. No version update was needed. In my hostlist defined in the manifest.xml i have kept the version like following

<HostList>

<Host Name="IDSN" Version="[0.0,99.9]" />

</HostList>

-Manan

[JonahHawk]

As some have mentioned, it is a compatibility issue with older Extensions that are not written using the UXP standard. Adobe dropped support for older extensions.

For us, the OpenAsset extension was a problem in InDesign 21/2026. Then OA released an updated extension (2.5.6) and it shows up in the Extensions panel now. 

[Manan Joshi]

CEP and UXP are two different things. CEP extension is loading for me just fine with no changes done from what was working in 2025. So yeah it could be an UXP thing if the extension you are looking at is using UXP. For now, I don't see CEP support revoked for InDesign.

-Manan

[creative_Rhapsody8139]

https://success.openasset.com/en/articles/3084032-openasset-indesign-plugin-installation

This should help you! It explains the best way to get the open asset plugin to work for Adobe Indesign 2026. 

Cheers!

[Abhishek Rao · Accepted solution]

Hello everyone,

I greatly appreciate all the information provided thus far. I have thoroughly reviewed this with our product team and can confirm that CEP support will remain the same in InDesign 2026. The Extensions panel should function as expected once a compatible extension is installed and loaded in the application, just as it did in previous versions. There have been no deprecations or new limitations introduced that would hinder older CEP extensions from functioning. If an extension is not visible, it is typically because it requires an update from the developer for compatibility with 2026. Once an updated version is installed, the Extensions option should automatically appear under the Window menu.

If you still do not see it after installing a compatible extension, please inform me of your current OS and InDesign version so I can further investigate with the team.

I look forward to your response, and thank you once more for your patience during our investigation.

Abhishek

[alexandras2300102 · Accepted solution]

If it helps, before you upgrade to 2026 version, just make sure to upgrade your Open Asset plugin in the 2025 version so it's up to date. That seemed to do the trick for me.