Indesign CC 2019 - PDF export automatically opening in Illustrator

[emiliew53736895]

Ever since updating to the new CC 2019, I am having trouble with exporting a PDF from Indesign.

It used to open automatically in preview or Acrobat to view, and now it is automatically opening and importing into Illustrator.

Super annoying and time consuming!

Do you know how to set it back so it pops up just as a preview?

Thank you!

[Eugene Tyson · Accepted solution]

Seems like at some point you set your default application for PDFs to be Illustrator.

Change default programs in Windows 10

1. On the Start menu, select Settings .
2. Select Apps > Default apps.
3. Select which default you want to set, and then choose the app. You can also get new apps in Microsoft Store. ...
4. To choose default apps by file type (for example, .pdf files), scroll down and select Choose default apps by file type.

https://www.imore.com/how-set-mac-app-default-when-opening-file

[DavidMWE]

For me it happened only after updating Illustrator... Clearly something in the Creative Cloud installation process:

#InDesign PDFs with Illustrator icons #CC2019 Problem - YouTube

[Furious Nachos]

Your tip is great but the file is still an ai file, so it's not annoying on my computer, but when i'll open this file on an another computer which have not ai, i can't...

[elinajidekrans]

Did you figure it out? I have the same problem

[hannev40036844]

Me too!

[mvoo]

The answer marked correct doesn't really solve the issue. This is something that happened in the latest Adobe update and using that solution still means those PDFs have the illustrator icon.

Adobe... any update???

[samuel_rs8974638]

I had to uninstall the actual Illustrator app ( cc 2019) after that I didn't have any problem saving my InDesign document as pdf. Might not be the ideal solution if you need to use illustrator cc but temporary it works for sure, hope this helps.

[chuckeroo]

Having this same issue in Mac OSX 10.12.6, so the Windows fix doesn't work. It was fine one day, just started making Ai PDFs the next day. In the Finder icon view window, they appear as normal PDFs. In the list view, they appear as Illustrator icon documents even after making sure that Acrobat is the preferred application for opening the file. Something weird is going on Adobe.

[BobLevine]

Right click, choose get info, change the file association there.

[chuckeroo]

Have done that. But it still doesn't stop Indesign from exporting a PDF with the Ai app icon.

[BobLevine]

This is an operating system issue.

[chuckeroo]

As common an issue it is with Adobe across different operating systems, I would have to do some double checking on that. If I can get to resolved in house and prove that upgrading to a different OS helps, I will post that.

[BobLevine]

When I said it was an O/S issue I didn’t mean upgrading would fix, just that it needed to be addressed at that level. Nothing you do with InDesign will fix it.

[chuckeroo]

But if multiple platforms and OS have the same issue, how can it just be an OS issue? Not being argumentative, just trying to understand the problem.

[BobLevine]

Obviously the file association changing was done by an Adobe installer. I have no idea which one. But the only way to fix it is still at the O/S level.

[MichKu]

I'm on a Mac as well and was hoping this post would have a long term solution. Has anyone come found a way to fix the Ai opening error since this conversation in April? 

[juliae68860090]

https://www.imore.com/how-set-mac-app-default-when-opening-file

This definitely worked for me!

[kc2322]

(On a Mac) Changing the default program worked for me. 

1. In your Finder, right click on the file and select "Get Info"
2. Scroll down to "Open With" and select Adobe Acrobat in the dropdown. 
3. Click the "Change All" button

Should fix the issue. 

I now see that this is the same info as in the link that juliae68860090 posted, merp. Well here's the steps written out. Hopefully they're useful for someone. 🙂

[hebas95762306]

This worked for me, thank you