Lag/Delay in new indesign update (2025)

[Ashley25725767rspr]

After installing Indesign 2025 (20.0 & 20.1), there is now a 3-5 sec lag/delay every time I click my mouse in and out of the program. This is becoming incredibly frustrating. I've uninstalled/re-installed the app multiple times and reset preferences on quit, and nothing is changing. I also went and "rebuilt my cache" of the Adobe indesign folders on my computer, and that did seem to solve the issue for a day, but I got back to having the delay again.  I have had Adobe Indesign for 10 years and have never run into this issue until the 20.0 update. This is making the app unworkable. Please help ASAP. I cannot spend any more time trying to figure this out. 

[kglad]

in the future, to find the best place to post your message, use the list here, https://community.adobe.com/

p.s. i don't think the adobe website, and forums in particular, are easy to navigate, so don't spend a lot of time searching that forum list. do your best and we'll move the post (like this one has already been moved) if it helps you get responses.

<"moved from cc desktop bugs">

[Ashley25725767rspr]

This is my first time posting on the forum, so thank you for your help!

[BobLevine]

If you're on a Mac are you using Magnet?

[Ashley25725767rspr]

Im on Windows 10.0

[Frans v.d. Geest]

Turn off the terrible new Context bar (Window/Context bar, uncheck it) it will speed things up.

[Ashley25725767rspr]

That was one of the first things I did. Unfortunately, the problem still exists. 

[BobLevine]

How about the rest of your system specs? RAM for starters and processor.

[Ashley25725767rspr]

Yep. Cross-checked all the system specs with my machine, and they all checked out. 

[BobLevine]

How about you tell us what they are. Frankly, the minimum specs are enough to install it but no so much to get it to run properly.

[Ashley25725767rspr]

Thats a good point. See below for my machine's system specs:

RAM: 16.0 GB (15.7 GB usable)

System Type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

Any other specs I should focus on?

[BobLevine]

16GB is the bare minimum. What processor? How old is this machine?

[NotAPipe]

Is this the cause of the problems I've been having? Thank you so much, I just switched the Magnet settings to ignore InDesign and fixed it a little, does it need to be turned off entirely?

[RedRaccoonUK]

Just confirmed it on my end - you need to fully quit Magnet and the issue went away for me,

[RedRaccoonUK]

Confirmed! This was Magnet causing the issue. No idea how, but this solved the issue for me. You need to quit Magnet, setting it to ignore InDesign does not work.

Thank you fo your help!

[Eugene Tyson]

If a document is not behaving well then try 

File>Export 

Choose IDML

Open the IDML in InDesign
Save the file as a new InDesign file with a new name
See if the issue persists.

-------

Try resetting your preferences:

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.
Further info and instructions here if needed:
https://helpx.adobe.com/in/indesign/kb/indesign-preferences-support-file-locations.html

-------------

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

[Mayhem SWE]

So you say you've tried 20.0 and 20.1, but I assume you meant to type 20.0.1 for the latter. The solution, at least for me, was to install 20.1 which is currently in beta. If you are not in Adobe's beta program you need to sign up for it first, otherwise downgrade back to 2024 until 20.1 comes out of beta.

It boggles the mind why Adobe would release a version of the software with such major performance issues. I can only assume this was the work of some braindead VP/C-suite executive who refused to delay the launch, InDesign 2025 just had to release together with the other apps even if it was in an unusable state…

[Eugene Tyson]

Thanks for your feedback and for sharing your observations. It’s clear that you’ve invested a lot of time troubleshooting this, and I appreciate the effort you’ve put into finding a solution.

To clarify, you’re absolutely right that the current version may address some of the issues you’ve encountered. For most users, InDesign performs well under standard setups, but as with any software, performance can vary depending on system configurations, updates, VPNs, firewalls, or other environmental factors that may unintentionally interfere.

There's no guarantee anything works out of the box, and sometimes we need to get an update to an issue that they're working on.

I understand how frustrating it can be when a new release doesn’t meet expectations, but let’s try to keep the discussion focused on constructive solutions. The InDesign team does take user feedback seriously, and I believe sharing detailed experiences, without the personal digs, helps them address concerns more effectively.

If you’d like, I can help point you toward specific resources or steps to try and ensure your system is optimised for the current version.

Can you share further details of the issues you're facing and your current system setup (OS/RAM/Processor etc.)

As this is a user to user forum I will point you the bugs forums where you can lodge a bug/techincal issues you're facing.

https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601180-adobe-indesign-bugs

This is the best place to log bugs and get feedback directly to the Adobe team.

Have a nice day.

[Martin Dean C!]

I'm having terrible issues with lagging in Indesign 2025, I'm using a MacBook Pro with 2 ghz Quad-Core Intel Core 15, think it's 2021 ish.

When i click into a text box, click out of a text box, click on an image or just do anything it's a 3-5 second lag!

[Abhishek Rao]

Hey @Martin Dean C!

That lag must be really frustrating! Are you using any third-party plug-ins or desktop management tools like Magnet? If so, try isolating the issue by booting into Safe Mode: Safe Mode on Mac.

I also recommend going through the helpful suggestions shared by the experts in this thread.

Additionally, check out this thread: InDesign 2025 Performance Issues on Mac for similar reports and troubleshooting tips from the product team.

Let me know how it goes!

Best,
Abhishek

[Bertd]

Same issues here version 20.0.1 was fine but 20.1 has a 3-5 seconds delay when clicking a textbloc or image before it is activated.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hey @bertd!

That lag sounds frustrating. Would you mind sharing your OS details and system specs? Also, do you notice any CPU or memory spikes when InDesign is running? Is the delay specific to one file or all files, including new ones?

If you haven’t already, try running InDesign in Safe Mode and check if the lag persists:

 - Windows Safe Mode

 - macOS Safe Mode

Additionally, could you test if the issue still happens when the internet is turned off on your machine? Is the file you’re working on saved locally on the machine, stored on the cloud, or a remote location?

Let me know how it goes!

Best,
Abhishek

[Bertd]

Hey Abhishek,

The details are MacStudio M1 Max, 64 GB, Sanoma 14.7.2.
I am over the MacOS 15 (Sequoia) since InDesign is not yet in the system requirements. Since I am in the middle of production time I have not used safe mode but directly gone back to InDesign 20.0.1 and the problem was solved immediately.
Files are stored directly on my NAS and also locally works fine.

Regards, Bert

[Bertd]

Forgot the word 'not' in Mac Sequaia, so stil on  Sanoma.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hey @bertd,

Thanks for the update! Glad to hear rolling back to 20.0.1 did the trick. Given your setup and the fact that files work fine locally, it sounds like the lag might be linked to network interactions with the NAS or something in the latest update.
Just a heads-up, working on locally saved files is usually the way to go. Network connections or other factors can sometimes cause delays when working with remote files, especially on a NAS.
If you ever want to give 20.1.0 another shot, maybe try these:

 - Update your NAS firmware if you haven’t already and check file access speeds.

 - Test a file locally to see if the lag disappears.

No pressure, though-stick with what’s working during crunch time! Hit me up if you need anything else.

Best,
Abhishek