InDesign blank window when switching displays

[karenh74245468]

When having a file open in InDesign 2024 on my Macbook Pro (Sonoma 14.2.1 OS), close the lid, plug into my LG UltraFine external monitor and wake the computer up, the InDesign window is still open and all the tool bars are visible and working, but the area where the artwork is becomes black/blank and I can't see the work. I can see the bounding boxes if I select all, but no image or text. The window is entirely blank. The same thing happens if I'm working on my LG monitor, unplug the display and then open the Macbook to work. I always have my Macbook closed when plugged into the LG display and use both an external keyboard and trackpad. The solution is to always save, quit InDesign and reopen. If I go through that it works again. Is it a bug with Apple? Is it a bug with Adobe?

My LG firmware, OS and Adobe InDesign are all updated to the latest versions.

[stephantran]

MBP M1 Max 64GB sequoia 15.1 connected to external Dell U4025QW or connected to 4K Dell as well. Same problem, when GPU preview is activated, the InDesign document windows renders a grey background (all other UI elements are fine, just the document window). You can select all elements as if they were still present and a colored outline appears around all the elements but nothing else renders on the screen 

[stephantran]

InDesign document is 43MB FYI. Machine specs attached. Happens with different files, not only the one I'm currently using. Does not happen with a "fresh" new file though. Unclear if this happens after the mac has gone to sleep or not. Happened with previous iteration of OS as well.

[00rhodiad]

I have this problem consistently when I switch between workstations with my M1 Macbook Pro. My guess is it has something to do with hardware GPU likely using diferent routines for differernt video stream protocols and Indesign locking into whatever is current when a doc opens but not switching with the hardware when necessary. That sort of thing is almost always seamless and invisible to the user, but when an app gets very hardware-specific accelleration like some Adobe apps, apparently, it's understandable that the permutations are hard to work out between every variable. 

I've worked around it simply by turning on CMYK seperation preview which slows performance a bit but gets me by until I can close and reopen files (reopening a doc always clears the issue for that specific file but not any others).

Annoying, but not absolutely critical. Just makes me wonder why I'm paying monthly for updates I don't want when very old bugs like this persist for years.

In case Adobe is interested, here's my setup where I get 100% consistent grayscreen-on-wake after switching between external displays:

• 2021 16" MacBook Pro with 32GB/2TB
• Apple M1 Pro processor
• Current OS — 15.5 (24F74) but this has been a consistent bug for several years across various OS udpates
• Current CC & Indesign 20.3.1 but again, the bug has been around through multiple versions

[00rhodiad]

FWIW, toggling off "GPU Performance" in settings fixes the problem, but why the hell would I voluntarily do that when it specifically reports "Compatible GPU and Monitor dectected" right there next to the setting? Perhaps Adobe should fix the bug instead of suggesting that I intentionally kneecap my verified supported hardware. 

[Anubhav M]

Hello @00rhodiad,

Could you check if InDesign behaves this way when working with specific files? If yes, please share a link to a sample file after uploading it to a file-sharing service, so we can check it on our end.

Also, check and install any pending macOS updates, and try running InDesign under a different administrator account (macOS) and share your observations.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[00rhodiad]

Excellent! Happy to troubleshoot. 

• Every file seems to behave exactly the same. I can't say for 100% sure that the bug happens every single time, but definitely more often than not, and definitely all open files whenever it happens. I usually have multiple files open when I switch workstations, and when I wake at a new monitor, if one open file is grayed out, all of them are.
• Any newly opened file is fine while all other grayed out files stay that way.
• Closing/reopening a file always fixes it, but only that one—any other grayed out open docs stay grayed until each is closed/reopened. 
• Turning on separations preview temporarily fixes each individual file until I turn off sep preview or close/reopen the file.
• Toggling off "GPU Performance" temporarily fixels ALL open grayed out files — but they go back to gray if it's turned back on (until each is closed/reopened)
• Relaunching Indesign of course "fixes" things, but only because the files all get closed and reopened. 
• As noted before, this behavior is consistent across multiple recent OS and CC version updates. For several years now.... maybe even always since purchasing this M1 MBP (2021).

Again, more than happy to help troubleshoot this further if that's helpful! Haven't tried a clean install on a new account at the moment, but that's a good thought — perhaps this weekend. 

[JPL08]

Yes, I get exactly this problem, too. It's been going on since at least 2019 for me. When I replaced my Intel iMac with a new M4 Mac Mini last year I thought it might go away. I also get strange graphical glitches, odd shapes vaguely representative of the content in my layouts. But now, I aslo get a grey screen if I leave a file open and unattended for just a couple of minutes.

It's really not good enough when the cost of a subscription is so high. Considering that this is still happening a year after the original post … well, you can draw your own conclusions from that.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @JPL08,

Sorry to hear you're still running into this frustrating issue. I appreciate you sharing your experience. Could you let us know your exact macOS version, InDesign version, and whether you're using an external monitor and a secondary monitor in addition to that(including its model and connection type like type-C or HDMI)?

Also, have you tried the workaround of turning off GPU Performance under Preferences > GPU Performance to see if that helps resolve the issue? Please confirm the requested details so that we assist you further. 

Best,
Abhishek

[JPL08]

Thanks for your help.

MacOS 15.5, InDesign 20.3.1, ASUS ProArt Display PA279CV external monitor (though had exactly the same issues on 27" iMac), USB-C.

If I switch off GPU performance the screen returns to normal. As I mentioned, this problem has persisted for 5 or 6 years in my experience. This can't be the only instances where people have reported it. If Adobe are going to offer GPU performance as a feature, then I should be able to benefit from it without my screen going grey … or pink … if I leave it unattended for a few minutes.

Like others here have mentioned, this isn't a hardware issue, it's an ongoing problem with InDesign that's been ongoing for a very long time.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @JPL08,

Thanks for confirming. Could you also check if this problem occurs when working with specific files or files from a specific folder location? Also, try running InDesign under a different administrator account (macOS) and share your observations.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[JPL08]

As I've already said, this has been a problem for years. It's not specific to any file or folder. And it's not specific to one account or or computer. There are other posts in this thread from other people already confirming this.
I've tried turning off GPU performance, but that's far from being a solution or fix because it makes InDesign run very slowly.

[JPL08]

Another common graphical glitch. The entire background should be dark blue, not grey. This happens in live situations while editing work.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @JPL08,

Thanks for all the follow-ups and for confirming that disabling GPU Performance brings the screen back, even though I understand that's not a sustainable solution for your workflow. Just to double-check, are you, by any chance, using an Intel-based Mac? If yes, could you please try the steps mentioned in this Apple support article: https://adobe.ly/4mECh6Z and let me know if you notice any difference?

I'll keep an eye out for your update so we can continue troubleshooting this with the team.

Abhishek

[JPL08]

You're kidding? You already asked me what Mac I was using. I'm not on Intel. It's an M4 Mac Mini.

[00rhodiad]

I occasionally get random jaggs of color and shifted chunks of design. This always clears on redraw (though sometime zoom levels will cache), so I assume it’s a related (GPU?) but different issue from the persistant total gray screen until closing/reopening a file. 

(2021 MacBook Pro, M1Pro, on external display via USB-C to HDMI, multiple OS and CC versions for several years)

[JPL08]

I get the same thing. I thought I posted an example of it earlier.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @JPL08,

Could you try switching the Display Performance preferences for Default View and Adjust View Settings to Fast and then relaunch InDesign to see if it helps?


Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[JPL08]

Okay, but I'm not sure how that helps. It just greys out all the graphics. I've been using InDesign for over 20 years and never had to set the display performance to fast … There's no way I can work like that. See attached.

[JPL08]

I replied to your message, but I haven't heard anything for a while. Do you have any updates on this?

Thanks,

[IVAN21935951olbk]

I´ve had this  for at least 1 year, maybe more. And it is increasing in frequence now. I have now turned off the GPU to see if that helps. It is absolutely not an option to adjust the view settings to the state you suggest.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @JPL08 and everyone, 

Thanks so much for following up, and I'm really sorry you're still running into this issue. 

Just to let you know, we've logged this as a bug and our engineering team is currently investigating the root cause. I understand how disruptive it is, especially given how long you've been seeing this behavior, and I truly appreciate your patience and all the troubleshooting you've done so far.

I'll make sure to keep you posted here as soon as we have any updates or a fix available.

Abhishek

[JPL08]

Okay, that's great. Thank you for your help.

[JPL08]

Hi. Just wondering if you have any updates for us on this issue. 

Thanks.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi everyone,

Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences here. I wanted to let you know that our product team is actively working on this issue. In the meantime, could you please confirm if you're on the latest InDesign version (20.5)? This will help us make sure you’re getting all the recent fixes and improvements while the team continues to investigate.

Looking forward to your update.

Abhishek

[JPL08]

Hi. Thanks for getting back to us. I'm using InDesign 20.5 and the problem is still ongoing.