panels and preferences reset constantly

[npanki]

every time i open a new file, even several files at once, my panels, toolbars, and preferences are constantly reset to default upon going to a different file. this is incredibly frustrating and a complete waste of my time.

[Bill Silbert · Accepted solution]

Have you tried trashing your preferences. The instructions below will tell you how to do it but also what to do to make sure that your preferences "take".

To reset preferences:

For Macintosh Users: With InDesign closed Launch a Finder Window in column view and click on your home folder. With the Option Key pressed choose Library from the Finder Go Menu. Within the Library folder find the folder called Preferences and within it find the following two files and delete them: “Adobe InDesign” and “com.adobe.InDesign.plist”. When InDesign is next launched it will create new preference files and the program will be restored to its defaults.

For Windows Users: On Windows 7 and above the preference files are hidden. To find them go to the Control Panel and open Folder Options and then click the View tab. Then select “Show hidden files and folders” or “Show hidden files, folders or drive options” in Advanced Settings (you may be able to skip the previous steps with Windows 10). Then delete (or rename) the folder at the end of this path: C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\InDesign\<Version #>\<Language> for any versions that you have. Make sure that InDesign is closed when you do this. When you relaunch the program it will create new preference files and the program will be at its default settings. It also may be a good idea to reboot your computer after this is done.

Once you relaunch the program you can begin customizing it to your liking.

After you’ve reset up the program (make sure that no document window is open), it is a really good idea to 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.

[TonyAro127]

In InDesign, if you want your preferences to stick, you must change your preferences while no document is open. If you make a change while a document is open, the changes will only stick to that document.