InDesign 2026 Text Disappears While Editing Text Frames on Windows

[FlyDutch23]

First, the latest InDesign update installed "2026" on my Win 11 box, but did not remove/update the "Start", or the "Taskbar" shortcut links ...

After sorting out the "Can't open this InDesign file - it was created in a newer version" roadblock, I have been working on simple, no linked art, etc. 8.5x11" documents and running into a BIG problem ...

Creating & saving a single-page document, then creating an additional text frame, adding formatted text, thinking about "what's next" \, etc ...

I will have the "text cursor" involved, tap the intended frame to enter SOMETHING/ANYTHING text-related & the existing content disappears ...

The text frame remains, nothing is flashing, no warning/error box appears - nothing ...

Going to the edit drop-down menu shows "undo clear" (not my initial reaction destination) ...

The "undo clear" desire returns the affected text, but in a previous iteration - the last save has resolved to "somewhere" in the run-up to said "save" ...

The backspacing of text, "enter" for a new paragraph > gone ...

Previous "before back-deletion" characters, no new paragraph break - whatever "accomplished since "SAVE" does not exist ...

Windows has been updated a few times recently (not sure of an update happening between an "OK" InDesign build & this latest workflow re-direct) ...

     I'm just a remote Prepress/Graphic Designer who's getting older & more invisible (boo-hoo) ...

          Would be nice if my $59.99/month subscription wasn't also an unscripted walk in the woods ...

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[jorgeg87886653]

I Have exactly the same issue.

[michaelb36354213]

Same here. I'm on the cusp of completing a year-long project and now it's just a massive headache with the text disappearing every edit, along with Undo not being able to go back beyond a couple steps. I wonder if it's related to the GPU section in Preferences being grayed out for Windows users? What a nightmare. I can't work like this. 

[Jera*mu]

I've been experiencing both the text disappearing as well the broken undo. I agree, it's quite a headache. Here is a video showing the text disappearing glitch.

[keithconover]

I just found something that made the text reappear and be editable. A bandaid approach, maybe only for this particular text frame, maybe for only this particular PC, but give it a try and report back.  

View > Overprint Preview.

[shemayah_4918]

Zooming in and out will produce the same results however this is not very productive.

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[Abhishek Rao]

Hi everyone,

I completely understand how disruptive and frustrating this issue has been. Thank you all for sharing detailed examples, files, and recordings.

I want to confirm that this behavior has been logged as a bug and is actively being investigated by the product team. The team is reviewing the workflows and shared files to identify the root cause of the text disappearing intermittently while typing or editing, particularly on Windows. 

For the latest updates directly from the product team, please follow and upvote this UserVoice suggestion:
https://adobe.ly/498xru6 

I will also keep this thread updated with any news or fixes as soon as I have them.

Thanks again for your patience and for reporting this.

Abhishek

[AustrianReading]

Hi, I have the same problem and would like to ask when a solution can be expected. I have a really importent work to do. 

[Gabriele279125237lwb]

I might have found something useful yesterday. Just turn on the overprint preview (Überdruckenvoransicht).
The only thing is you can't see non-printable characters.

[AustrianReading]

Thank you so much. It takes more time but it works. The text doensn´t disappear anymore. It helps but we should not pay for that. 

[shemayah_4918]

Tried that done that Test disappears with overprint preview turned on. Adobe at this point should be giving all users a few free months on the house. Not sure how they get away with stealing our hard earned money.


Shemayah Morgan

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[Eileen15A7]

I am having the same issue since December. The text completely disappears while editing. The only way I have found to mitigate this problem is to zoom in or out but it is definitely frustrating especially when working on a tight deadline to continually lose visibility of your work!

[Gabriele279125237lwb]

We have the same problem with Win11 and InDesign 20.5.1.

We updated from 18.5.4 to 20.5.1 in December 2025, and since then we have had the same problems as described.

It has nothing to do with the document, as I can reproduce the error with any document, including a new one.

Just paste in a lot of text, select a few lines, and enter new text. After a few attempts, the error occurs.

Sometimes you can just ignore the error and entering new text brings everything back, but sometimes it only brings back a small part of the text.

Btw GPU support is not enabled because my screen does not support this feature at all.

We can't even update to a newer version because we are dependent on a plug-in.

The only advice I have given my users who work with a lot of text is to use InCopy with Ctrl-Y.

For users who have to make less text edits also Ctrl-H works.

This is really frustrating.

[Anne Marie38605345sgz0]

I am encountering this same issue with 2026. It renders the application useless. I'm trying to complete a book by a deadline and now can't get through the index as a result of disappearing text at every turn. 

@Abhishek Rao - I hope Adobe prioritizes this issue! A fix is needed imminently. 

[keithconover]

One trick I have found that works at least for me a couple of times: I use the scroll wheel to scroll the disappearing text off the screen and then back onto the screen and it reappears and is editable. 

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

One trick I have found that works at least for me a couple of times: I use the scroll wheel to scroll the disappearing text off the screen and then back onto the screen and it reappears and is editable. 

By @keithconover

I haven't had this issue but it sounds as if a screen redraw is working for you. You can try a couple of other methods to see if they work:

Zoom in/out with Cntl-= (plus) and Cntl-- (hyphen); for Mac, use the Cmd key

Switch to preview mode and back again (press W twice)

Recompose text with Cntl-Alt-/ or Cmd-Opt-/

[FlyDutch23]

Oddly, if I tap the "minimize app window size" (not "collapse window" - upper right InDesign app bar), the text frame re-appears with its "text" ...

          Just disorienting ...

[Andreas32241491aj4r]

Beim Schreiben in Indesign verschwinden häufig Teile des Textes. Mit ein- oder ausscrollen kommen die verschwundenen Textteile wieder zum Vorschein. Aber nach ein paar Minuten oder Zeichen beginnt das Ganze erneut. Das behindert natürlich den Arbeitsfluss und ist sehr nervig.
Habe schon alles probiert inklusive Neuinstallation - ohne eine echte Verbesserung. Weiß jemand einen Rat?

[Andreas32241491aj4r]

Nachtrag: Die GPU ist übrigens ausgeschaltet.

[Fabien France]

I’m experiencing the same problem since the last update.
The undo function (Ctrl+Z) seems to be limited to 4 or 5 steps.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Andreas32241491aj4r,

Our team is aware of the problem and is currently investigating it. We will update this thread as we have more info. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions or require assistance. We'd be happy to help.

Anubhav

[Gabriele279125237lwb]

Hi,

ich hab' jetzt ein paar Dinge durchprobiert:

1. GPU deaktivieren - scheint manchmal zu funktionieren, bei mir nicht.

2. Überdruckenvorschau aktivieren - hat bei meinen Tests funktioniert, scheint aber auch nicht immer zu klappen.

3. Workaround: Strg-Y - im Textmodus arbeiten (ist bäh, aber besser als die aktuelle Situation).

4. Strg-H - damit werden die Kanten der Boxen ein-/ausgeblendet. Das scheint mir die schonendste Methode, um den Bildschirmaufbau neu zu erzwingen. Alles andere ist nur nervig (rein-rauszommen, rauf-runterscrollen...).

Scheint irgendwie was mit Indesign ab 2025 und Win11 zu tun zu haben...

[Parcifalneyt]

I never had any problems with Indesign, but now suddenly text glitches in Indesign. Text disappears but when I scroll, text comes back. This glitch happens every 2 or 3 minutes and only in Indesign. Very annoying, not possible to work any more.
When I go to GPU settings in Indesign it says: Compatible GPU and monitor not detected, so I cannot dissable GPU performance.
I even reset my laptop to factory settings, so all aditional (malware)typefaces would be deleted.
I tried installing previous versions of Indesign, but same problem.
I lowered the resolution of my screen, no effect.
I updated my AMD radion graphic software to the latest version (AMD Adrenalin Edition)
I have a 2.5 year old HP laptop with AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor and Radeon Graphics (2.80 GHz) updated to adrenalin Adition.
8 GB RAM and enough free space on HD
What can I do?

[Mike Witherell]

Hi Parcifal,

Here is some detail on GPU issues. Sometimes InDesign gets installed, but doesn't understand the full potential of the GPU in your computer. Have you worked through this?

https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/kb/gpu-performance.html

[Parcifalneyt]

Thank you for your answer.

Yes I did follow the steps, no result.

I even added Indesign to system - display - graphics and selected the GPU to high performance.

Also this did not make any difference.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @Parcifalneyt,

Thanks for sharing all the details. Could you please try the GPU troubleshooting steps that the expert shared and check if that improves the behavior on your system?

Also, please take a look at this thread and let me know if what you are seeing matches that pattern, where text becomes invisible while editing and reappears after scrolling or changing view: https://adobe.ly/4qjuQUk

If it does look similar, I want to let you know that a bug is already logged for that issue and the product team is actively working on a fix.

Looking forward to your update.
Abhishek