Indesign File Got Wiped Off.

[Dennis Espinoza]

To frame your situation for a forum question, it's helpful to provide a clear and concise background, present your issue in detail, and ask for specific advice or solutions. Here's a revised version that could be suitable for posting on a forum:

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**Subject: Urgent Help Needed: Previous Year's InDesign File Corrupted with Content from a Different Project**

Hello everyone,

I work at a marketing agency, and last year (2023), we created an 80-page directory that turned out incredibly well. We're now gearing up to start work on this year's edition of the directory (2024).

After last year's directory was approved, I saved and exported the final copy to send to our printer, following our usual process. However, as I was preparing to work on the new version of the directory, I encountered a significant problem. When I opened my InDesign file from last year to make a copy and start the 2024 update, I discovered that all of the work from the previous year had been erased. Shockingly, the content in the file was replaced with elements from a completely different project and year.

I'm at a loss for how this could have happened, as I was certain I had saved and backed up the correct final version of the directory. This is a critical issue, as we need to use last year's file as a template for this year's edition.

Has anyone here experienced a similar issue with InDesign files being overwritten or corrupted with content from different projects? If so, how did you resolve it? Additionally, any tips on file recovery or preventing this type of problem in the future would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your help and advice!

[Dennis Espinoza]

Please ignore the sentences about the subject... I had chatGPT help me formulate my post so it made sense... lol

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Please ignore the sentences about the subject... I had chatGPT help me formulate my post so it made sense.

Well, um, that's a new one.

There are two possibilities here:

• Your project uses outside resources, material linked in to the directory document, that was changed or moved over the intervening year. Thus you opened an old project to find interim data loaded.
• PEBCAK. That is, some user error at some point during final save, storage, archiving or update of the project crossed up, corrupted or changed the data or INDD file(s).

And I don't have to ask Chaggy whether you have a backup or archive of the project to turn to... which you really, really should. There's no magic way to un-lose or un-corrupt a single copy of a project.

[Pariah Burke]

I agree with James: it sounds like your content was linked to external files, and those links were, at some point, connected to the wrong documents, or that the original documents were overwritten. InDesign can link to Word, Excel, and other files just like to images (see this video for the process: https://youtu.be/eB4CpOrbUf8)

What you should do is use the Links panel to show you where the linked files are, then examine them for changes. You might just need to relink to the correct documents, or, if they're Microsoft Office documents, use the built-in revision history to revert the document(s) to a previous version.

Here's how to find your linked documents: https://youtu.be/VVje-qsWtkA 

[Barb Binder]

Hi @Dennis Espinoza:

No, and I feel your pain. 😕

This is why it is so important to archive a completed project with File > Package, zip the new folder with all of the assets, and then copy it to one or two safe locations that you can count being able to access later. Personally, I rely on Dropbox but any cloud service or a back-up drive would be appropriate.

If, as others have mentioned, there was a mixup with the linked graphics on your completed project, opening the archived file opens a copy of the entire project, including the original linked graphics and the fonts.

~Barb

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Dennis Espinoza

As others said - looks like your backup has failed.

Can you contact your printer and maybe somehow they still have your files?