Lines with arrowheads

[Shannon2749317131lf]

I have an odd occurance happening with lines featuring arrowheads - the length seems to be self adjusting when the arrowhead is placed past the length of the line. If I adjust to have the arrowhead flush with the line length there is no problem. Making a new document this is not an issue - but we have thousands of archived documents where this is causing an issue when opening in a newer version. Is thia preference issue or a bug in the software between versions? I have tested in 2024 and 2021 (where files originally where created) but I have not tested version in between.

Further explanation: If I draw a line in 2024 add an arrowhead that extends past the line length, whenever it is moved, duplicated or adjusted it snaps to alonger size. The change is size seems to be consitent with the space from the line end to the arrowhead, which is what makes it feel like something that broke in the software. Again if the arrowhead tip is set to align with the end of the line segment there is no issue - but for our archived files there is an issue.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @Shannon2749317131lf,

Thank you for sharing the details of the issue.

It sounds like this behavior may be related to how arrowheads are being handled between versions of InDesign. To address this, would suggest to try below:

1. Try clearing the preferences and cache in InDesign 2024, as sometimes outdated preferences or corrupt cache files can cause unexpected behavior. To reset preferences, you can hold Shift + Ctrl (Windows) or Shift + Cmd (Mac) while launching InDesign. Reference: https://adobe.ly/3Dmfzi4

2. If the issue persists with older files, try removing and reapplying the arrowhead to see if the alignment adjusts correctly in the new version.

3. If the arrowheads are part of a paragraph or object style, there may be style overrides causing the snapping issue. Clear overrides by selecting the object and clicking the "Clear Overrides" button in the Control Panel or the Paragraph Styles panel.

4. Sometimes, files that were created in older versions of InDesign may exhibit quirks when opened in newer versions. Try saving the file as an InDesign CC (IDML) file and reopening it to see if that resolves any unexpected behavior with the lines and arrowheads.

5. Create a new document with similar settings, draw a line with an arrowhead, and test it across different versions to see if the issue only occurs in the specific archived documents or across the board.

Let us know how it goes. 

Best,
Abhishek Rao

[Shannon2749317131lf]

After trying the suggestions, it seems limited to 2024. I did uninstall/reinstall InDesign 2024 with no change. 2025 is causing no issues. We need to use 2024 to match up with some external vendors on this project - Is there a more thorough uninstall/reinstall that I need to complete or a preference to change?

[Eugene Tyson]

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

[Shannon2749317131lf · Accepted solution]

Update - started analyzing version to version looking for differences and found a plugin that was causing the glitch. After I disabled the plug-in, the issue went away.