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.

[Cecilia5E25]

Did that make it work better?

[raquelvieira]

In preferences, go to GPU Performance and untick the box that says "Animated Zoom", that will stop the screen from going black when changing screens.

[jeffhalmos]

I don't like the zoom feature so it's never need on. Still blank windows. 

[Katelyn5D95]

I'm also experiencing the same issue when switching displays. Has there been any update?

[jeffhalmos]

Many. But none address the issue.

[jeffhalmos]

Amazingly—or not at all amazingly—InDesign 20.0 didn't fix the issue. It's the ONLY app that does this on my MacBook Pro, so it ain't Apple and its contant goalpost moving with each OS update.

[rjrh]

Just another post to say "yup, me too." It's such a daft, trivial, yet utterly infuriating bug.

[calumm48546042]

It's been happening for months for us at our company, I'm yet to switch to Indesign 2025 / Sequoia but looking at the comments and previous updates it'll probably say the same. 

2nd monitor is a BenQ PD2700U (unsure if the bug could be tied to a monitor), and the Computer is Macbook Pro (Nov 2023).

It would be nice for Adobe to respond/acknowledge the issue. 

[christopher_5198]

yup me too!

[defaulte9kq3rabmi1d]

Still happening with 2025 and the latest version of Sequoia...

[VVky]

Yep. Still happening on 2025. Happening on different macbooks with different OS versions and different InDesign versions. Easy enough to save/close/reopen every time you change a monitor, but I'm changing monitors for meetings and soforth all day.

I can't imagine it is uncommon if different studios with different OS and Indd versions are having it widely. More likely it is an issue that many people just don't notice because of their workflows.

[studio38541005zbny]

hi all - I believe I may have found a temporarily solution to this issue. I've tested it a few times with a 2021 M1 Macbook Pro on Sonoma with Indesign 2024 and it seems to have worked.

Before I leave my studio, with Indesign working, I shut my laptop completely and wait a few seconds, then unplug the secondary display.

when I move to the next location, i.e home, I plug the laptop into the new external display but keep the laptop shut. I think keeping it shut is important. I again wait a few seconds after plugging in the external, and then open the laptop.

I haven't had a 100% success rate but have had a few instances where I did this and did not need to re-start InDesign. If this works for anyone, let me know

[karenh74245468]

My issue is that I always have my laptop closed when working from the office and plugged into the external monitor. I unplug it while closed and when I go to work remotely is when I open the MacBook and have the blank window. Maybe what I need to try is opening the MacBook prior to unplugging from the monitor.

Karen Hofmeister
Owner + Chief Creative Officer

m 303.887.2659
reddoodlecreative.com

[jeffhalmos]

No. What you need is the multi-billion dollar company that programmed the only app on MacOS that does this to fix it.

[James233416792ln4]

Agreed, it is absurd that professional, paying users are having to figure out strange combinations of laptop lids and connection timings to get this product to work as it should.

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[joehahi]

Happening to me as well running Sequoia 15.1.

[baidyly]

Same here. And those glitches when zooming, still not fixed... 

[baidyly]

*everything updated to the latest version fyi.

[Malix Mann]

Same here PAYED PRODUCT NOT WORKING. Seems it would be best to pirate this Program, even if it would be the first time in my live, since I pay for Indesign and Adobe since I am a student. 

QUICK FIX for me: Cmd+Alt+Shift+Y for print-over-preview (or however it is called) .. I am using this shortcut so often, so it's easy to use. Still, not nice to move in this preview, so I only use it to see if I want to save this file or not, then close it, then re-open and it can be seen again. SO ANNOYING! and NOT ACCEPTABLE for ONE YEAR or more now! @adobe - When are you going to fix this? WHEN ? 

[sologirl]

I had the same problem all last year (2024) but thank you @Malix Mann for that QUICK FIX: Cmd+Alt+Shift+Y! That worked like a charm!!! Now, I don't have to close out my files without having to preview them. @adobe, please fix this issue ASAP. Thank you!

[barrya]

Still having this problem. I have an new Apple display, an M2 Macbook Pro. When I move from the display to work on the laptop-only, the screen is grey. Turning on CPU preview fixes it, going back to GPU makes the screen grey again. This has been happening for a long time, and is pretty frustrating. The only thing that fixes it is quitting out of InDesign, and restarting.

[Phil5C41]

A workaround:

Toggle the GPU prefs, hit Ok, (this should resolve it), then toggle back.

[barrya]

Thank you, but that doesn't work. I've tried this right now, and turning off the GPU does bring the visuals in InDesign back. But toggling it to turn the GPU back on immediately goes back to a blank screen. Same as if you toggle the menu View > Preview on CPU to Preview GPU. Regardless if you switch from GPU and back, the only thing that works is to quit and restart InDesign.

[Malix Mann]

I would say, clearly you only need to restart the file. Not the whole Programm !!

[barrya]

Good to know, and thanks for pointing this out. Regardless, Adobe should fix it. At that point, restarting the program or closing and reloading the file is just about the same thing.