Indesign seems to Crash every 5 minutes

[Frans van der Vleuten]

Hello,

I need to finish somework and I can not because InDesign seems to crash every 5 to 10 minutes.

I'm on a Mac Studio, I have the 2025 version.

What can I do now??

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @Frans van der Vleuten,

Just to clarify, which version of InDesign 2025 are you using: 20.1, 20.0.1, or 20.0? Also, could you please provide details of your operating system? Have you already submitted the crash report? If not, please submit it and share your Adobe email address (the one you used to submit the crash report) with me via DM on the community. For reference: https://adobe.ly/40tM5qc

Is the crash specific to a particular file, or does it occur with all files, including newly created documents? Does the crash happen right after launch, during a specific task, or when using a particular tool or effect? Are you using any third-party plug-ins? If so, please disable them and test the issue again. You can also try isolating the problem by running your system in Safe Mode. For reference:

Windows : https://adobe.ly/3CiG1c9
macOS: https://adobe.ly/40yvHVo

Let me know how it goes. 

^

Abhishek 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Frans van der Vleuten

Maybe your document is corrupted?

Try IDMLing - export as IDML, open, save with a new name - do not overwrite your original file. 

[Frans van der Vleuten]

No, it is happening in different document, at random moments. It is really annoying as I can not finnish my project. 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

No, it is happening in different document, at random moments. It is really annoying as I can not finnish my project. 

By @Frans van der Vleuten

Check for corrupted / duplicated fonts. 

[leo.r]

as @Abhishek Rao has already asked, what's your macOS version? and have you updated to the recently released InDesign 20.1?

[Bill Silbert]

If this is happening with all documents then try resetting your InDesign preferences. This will restore the program to its defaults and, hopefully, stop the crashes.

To reset preferences 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.

[Mike Witherell]

Have you worked your way thru this compendium of troubleshooting?

[Daniel Steiger]

If you work on a Mac, you can delete the cache files and see if it works better.

The cache files are here:

Hold down the Option key and go in the menu to "Go to", then Library > Caches. Select and delete everything there. Don't worry, the cache data will be restored. It may be that one or the other takes a little longer.

[Frans van der Vleuten]

Now my InDesign is crashing on my Macbook AND on my Mac Studio. Different files. 

Here you can find the crash log: (a .doc file on my Dropbox)

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/3dm2fv1syr5nwud0vhelv/AE7P_jLuCHjEXr5iABZ2o2U?rlkey=byyj6m4uc6tr6pcxb...

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Frans van der Vleuten

Could you please edit your post - and remove the log?

And next time - could you please attach it as a TXT file? 

[leo.r]

update to the latest version of Sonoma - will it make a difference?

[Frans van der Vleuten]

I do not have the time to update to Sonoma now. I need to deliver in an hour.

Is there anybody who can see what is happening in the log file?

[leo.r]

I do not have the time to update to Sonoma now. I need to deliver in an hour.
Is there anybody who can see what is happening in the log file?

By @Frans van der Vleuten

Look. We asked you repeatedly about your macOS version starting January 24. You never replied. The crash log doesn't provide any definite answer regarding the reason for the crash. And until you update your operating system there's, unfortunately, no sense to investigate these crashes any further.

[Dirk Becker]

The crash log provides some hints:

You're dragging some file from outside the application.

If this is a document to open, try the open menu. If this is an image to place, try the place action instead.

Anyway, as part of your drag, something is drawn. Likely target highlight, a surrounding frame or alike.

This draw trickles down thru umpteen levels, until it reaches the "Control Panel". Could this be the recently introduced most helpful UI invention since sliced bread, I mean the contextual bar? Try to disable, I think there is a preference for that from its "…" menu. Otherwise, try to avoid the old control strip on your drag, or reduce the sections showing therein.

[Dirk Becker]

Just read other crashes mentioned "alt-drag". Is that also the case for you - an alt-drag within InDesign?

If so,  it should not have gone thru the operating system / external drag, could be a recent change.