Indesign Save & Save as windows do not work

Forum|Forum|3 months ago
November 18, 2025
2 replies
721 views

Hi, I'm on the latest Indesign version (21.0) and my Save and Save as dialog windows are blank. It started last week, before that I did not have this problem. I am using a work-around as Save a copy window works.

I already tried setting preferences to the old dialog window, deleting caches and force restarting Indesign. So far to no avail. Adding a screenshot of the Save dialog window.

Bug

Correct answer cenek_4046

Why would this be necessary. Aren't they supposed to make something that works out of the box? I did a clean install on a new computer. Same issue.

Even went from W10 to W11. Exactly the same problem. Exactly!

Thanks everyone for advices.

I got onsite IT support here. They reinstalled the C++ redistributables, which did not help.

But then they started the Windows in a Safe mode, as Eugene suggested earlier (hold shift while clicking on a restart button in a Start menu, then Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings) started Indesign, then restarted the computer normally and it started working. Hope it helps.

Peter Spier

Community Expert

At what point do you see this? When opening the File Menu, or after Clicking on the Save As command?

C

cenek_4046Author

Inspiring

After clicking on the Save (as) option from the menu.

E

Eugene Tyson

Community Expert

I tried reinstalling Indesign, yet the problem persists.

It's still not clear exactly what steps you've taken so far. You mentioned you tried the steps I suggested earlier, but later you said you reinstalled InDesign it’s not clear whether that was a full clean reinstall using the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool, or just a standard uninstall/reinstall through Windows or Creative Cloud.

The reason it matters is that a normal reinstall does not remove all the underlying files, preferences, caches, and system components that might be causing this issue.

The Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool performs a complete removal, which is often required when dialog windows or OS-level components are not responding correctly.

Before going further, can we take a step back and clarify exactly what you’ve done?

Did you use the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool as linked earlier?
Did you rename/delete the UXP folder?
Did you reset InDesign preferences at launch (using the keyboard shortcut), or only through the menu?
Have you been able to confirm with IT whether you have permissions to rebuild or update Visual C++ libraries?

Clear answers to those will help us narrow down what’s actually happening and what we can try next.

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About the Microsoft Visual C++ libraries

InDesign 21 relies on a set of Windows system components called Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables.

If these libraries are missing, corrupted, or not updated properly, Windows system dialogs (including the Save/Save As file explorer dialog) can fail to render or appear blank which is exactly the symptom you're seeing.

This is not an InDesign-specific window; it’s Windows File Explorer being triggered through InDesign.

Because your account does not have administrator rights, you cannot repair or reinstall these libraries yourself.

Here’s what needs to be done (your IT must perform these steps):

Uninstall all existing Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable packages
(both x64 and x86 versions, from 2008 → 2022)
via Control Panel → Programs & Features.
Restart the computer.
Reinstall the latest supported Visual C++ redistributables from Microsoft:
Search for:
“Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Latest Supported Downloads”
(It’s an official Microsoft page.)
Install both:
- vc_redist.x64.exe
- vc_redist.x86.exe
Restart again and then launch InDesign.

This rebuilds the Windows runtime libraries that InDesign depends on for UI dialogs.
Adobe staff and several users have confirmed that this fixes blank file dialogs after updating to 21.0.

Because this requires system-level changes, you'll need an admin or IT technician to do it.

E

Eugene Tyson

Community Expert

Try resetting your preferences:

InDesign 19.3 and newer go to Preferences > General > and click on "Reset Preferences on Quit" and then quit and restart.

Or
Windows: Start InDesign, and then press Shift+Ctrl+Alt. Click Yes when asked if you want to delete preference files.
macOS: While pressing Shift+Option+Command+Control, start InDesign. Click Yes when asked if you want to delete preference files.
A dialog will appear asking to delete the InDesign Preferences, select 'Yes' on this dialog.

More in-depth cleanse of preferences

https://helpx.adobe.com/in/indesign/kb/indesign-preferences-support-file-locations.html

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Reinstalling rarely fixes everything - you can do a complete reinstall using the
Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/cc-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html