Indesign keeps crashing when exporting or packaging a file

[mtmouradHF]

I was in the middle of exporting some files on tuesday and after about five files, indesign crashed trying to export. It has since continued to crash (no error messages, no spinning color wheel), every time I try to export. Yesterday I discovered the same happens when I try to package files. 

I'm on a MacOS running Monterey 12.5 (updated early this week)

I've tried rebooting, uninstalling & reinstalling indesign, I ran a deep scan on cleanmymac...all to no avail. I have to get on my second computer to be able to export or package anything and it's getting really time consuming as that machine is slower. I have lots of deadlines and need to be able to use indesign without this happening.

Are there any fixes for this?

[Bill Silbert]

Have you tried resetting your InDesign preferences? This will bring the program back to its defaults which, hopefully will get the program to behave as it should.

To do so on a Mac:

The User Library folder in which InDesign’s preferences are stored is hidden by default on most Macintoshes. To access it make sure that InDesign is closed and click on the desktop to launch a Finder Window (Command-N). With this window in column view follow the path User>Home folder (it’s the folder with an icon that looks like a house—it may have the user’s name rather than “Home”) and click on the Home folder. With the Option Key pressed choose Library from the Finder Go Menu. “Library” will now appear within the Home folder. Within the Library folder find the folder called Preferences and within it find the folder called “Adobe InDesign” and the file called “com.adobe.InDesign.plist” and delete both that folder and that file. When InDesign is next launched it will create new preference files and the program will be restored to its defaults.

The advantage of manually deleting preference files in this manner is that after you’ve reset up the program (make sure that no document window is open) to your liking, you can create copies of your personalized “mint” preference files (make sure that you quit the program before copying them—that finalizes your customization) and use them in the future to replace any corrupt versions you may need to delete.

[mtmouradHF]

@Bill Silbert I've tried to follow your steps to do this, however, I cant find all the folders you're referring to so I cannot find the files to delete. 

[Laubender · Accepted solution]

Hi @mtmouradHF ,

the crash could be specific to your InDesign document and its placed graphics or images and also its used fonts.

So I would suggest the following procedure:

[1] Quit InDesign and get rid of a possible *.idlk file that is stored in the same folder with your document you want to package. Also trash your InDesign cache folder in your user folder. The path is:

~/Library/Caches/Adobe InDesign/Version 17

[2] Open the document and make sure all linked images and graphics are ok in the Links panel.

[3] Now package just the document without packaging fonts, placed images and do no PDF export or IDML export.

If that is successful, include IDML in the packaging process. If that will work without flaw include the used fonts. Still no crash? Then you see a problem with the placed graphics and images.

From that point on do not package the document, but do a PDF export with single PDF pages.

Maybe then you'll see a crash at one point, at a particular page where an image or a graphic is placed that is causing the crash. Come back and let us know at what particular point in the workflow above the crash occurs.

Thanks,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Professional )

[mtmouradHF]

thanks @Laubender the crash seems to be happening with every file at this point. I've tried searching for the "Adobe InDesign" folder in my caches folder but there isnt one that seems to exist. All the linked images and graphics in my files are all correctly linked with no issues.

[Laubender · Accepted solution]

Hi @mtmouradHF ,

could be that you are looking into the wrong Library folder.

Hm, when I recall this right, the Library folder of your personal user folder is invisible by default. I'm on Windows 10 and not on MacOS. To make this folder available use the menu command Go to in the Finder. When you press the Option key you should see a new menu entry that is named Library. That's the one!

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Professional )

[mtmouradHF]

Deleting that folder seems to have worked! Thank you!!

[Laubender]

Um, just to recap:

You moved to the Library folder of your user folder, there you navigated to subfolder

Caches/Adobe InDesign/Version 17 and you removed the Version 17 folder?

That resolved all your issues with exporting to PDF and IDML and therefore also the issue with packaging your documents?

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Professional )

[Wendy Hill]

I cannot export my document to an interactive pdf. The document is a 48 page magazine that in previous versions of Adobe Indesign I was able to create an interactive pdf for our website. However, in the last few months, Indesign 2024 and 2025 crashes while exporting.

I have deleted the cache from the "hidden" Library. I have tried to export just a single page into an interactive pdf but that crashes also. I have no trouble creating a non-interactive pdf. I have checked all my links and fonts and I can see no issues. Help!

[leo.r]

However, in the last few months, Indesign 2024 and 2025 crashes while exporting.

I have no trouble creating a non-interactive pdf. I have checked all my links and fonts and I can see no issues. Help!

By Wendy Hill

Are your InDesign 2024 and 2025 updated to their latest versions?

Also, what's your operating system version?

Plus, is there anything that makes interactive PDF more useful to you than non-interactive PDF? (Doesn't mean it's normal to crash when exporting to interactive PDF, but still.)

[Wendy Hill]

As I include an index with our magazine, the interactive PDF allows the reader to look something up in the index and click on the page number and be taken to the reference in the article. It also makes the Table of Contents "clickable." This is an improvement over our "not smart" PDFs that we had previously online. Unfortunately, only the issue that was posted in June 2024 (this is a quarterly magazine) has an interactive PDF. 

My system updated last night to Sequoia 15.3 (and was current up to yesterday). I have a MacBook Pro 13 inch, 2020, 2.3 GHz Quad-core Intel i7. 

[leo.r]

As I include an index with our magazine, the interactive PDF allows the reader to look something up in the index and click on the page number and be taken to the reference in the article. It also makes the Table of Contents "clickable." This is an improvement over our "not smart" PDFs that we had previously online.

By Wendy Hill

Frankly, I'm not a big expert on TOC and index, but I don't think you need Interactive PDF for them to be clickable. They should work in the regular (print) PDF as well. (I'm sure others will correct me if I'm wrong).

Here are some sources that may help:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/clickable-table-of-contents/m-p/11301097

https://creativepro.com/topic/book-index-links-not-working-in-pdf/

https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/15923/how-to-make-indesign-tables-of-contents-inte...

P.S. Also, the same question remains: Are your InDesign 2024 and 2025 updated to their latest versions?

[Laubender]

@leo.r said: "… Frankly, I'm not a big expert on TOC and index, but I don't think you need Interactive PDF for them to be clickable. They should work in the regular (print) PDF as well. "

Hi together,

PDF Print will work with hyperlinks when the option for hyperlinks is enabled.

So bookmarking the TOC is therefore possible.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

[Wendy Hill]

Yes. I can hyperlink the TOC, but why won't the Interactive PDF work so that the Index can be clickable?

[Lucie29698791iuyj]

Hi,

I had the same problem trying to package through a VPN. When I moved the whole folder (including pictures and links) to a local drive, it took only a few minutes to package 🙂

Hope this helps...

Lucie