Paragraph and Character Styles very slow when making changes to an existing style, help!!

[victoriawolf]

It started back in March and has persisted ever since.

I have the latest, updated version of InDesign and Windows 11. I did not make any changes prior to the issue, and I have a newer desktop computer. I have been working with InDesign since it was the Pagemaker program, so knowledge is not an issue here. And, I have never had this problem in my 33 years of using Adobe programs.

That being said, here is the issue:

Randomly, when I edit an existing paragraph or character style, it can take 30 seconds to over a minute to be able to make that change. It happens when I choose a different setting, and also when I hit okay. 

• If I close ID and restart, it helps a bit, but not completely, and the issue continues to worsen as I make style changes.
• I have deactivated all fonts, and that did not help.
• I have installed and reinstalled ID, and that did not help.
• I have rebooted  SO MANY times
• I have tried to delete my font cache, but I get a message that it is in use even after I reboot.

I am a book designer and work on book interiors every day, and this is KILLING my workflow.

Any help with this issue would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

[victoriawolf]

Thank you! Here is a book interior that is in process. I experience the issue with each and every file. 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/qmhjp0b1dn2pxinsj10ft/AFXJcGoi4uBEX7q7j9KGzKQ?rlkey=v2y7ry0l1auv2hqkd...

[williamk98826693]

I just turned off the GPU preview, and the lag went from 25 secs down to 1/2 a sec for the style drop down. I changed it in the preferences menu, then restarted InDesign.

[RussNemec]

Thank you for this! I have been having the same lag issue. Turning off the GPU preview as you suggested has at least temporarily reduced the lag for me.

[victoriawolf]

Yes, turning off the GPU preview helped some, but the issue still persists, although not as bad. When it gets really slow, I close InDesign and restart. And when it gets unbearably slow, I reboot. Both seem to help.

[RussNemec]

Yes, unfortunately I found that out, too. It seems plenty of us are having this issue. Why won't Adobe acknowledge it's not an "us" problem?

[victoriawolf]

Exactly! I'm not sure how many users are affected, but I believe it is enough to warrant concern. Depending on the type of layout/design you do, Styles may never be utilized in the design, so the issue could exist for many others, but they have not discovered it yet. 

[OsakaWebbie]

@victoriawolf I don't know if you solved this yet for your situation, but I am also using InDesign on Windows 11. (Side note: I'm a very long-time user like you - I started with Aldus Pagemaker 3, before Adobe bought it!) After upgrading to InDesign 2025 in May, I suddenly had a lot of lag doing various things - style changes as well as other actions. I also had similar problems in Photoshop 2025. I ended up re-installing v. 2024 of both apps and retreating. Of course I had to use IDML to convert InDesign documents that had been saved with 2025, but it was worth it - the difference is response time is like night and day. I assume Adobe is aware of it and working on solutions. But if you have discovered a solution in your case, please share.

[victoriawolf]

Thanks for sharing! Same here with Aldus PageMaker! I am glad you solved the issue. Adobe is now aware of the issue but cannot replicate it on their end. With my workload, doing what you did would be problematic but I may need to in order to get some relief.

[OsakaWebbie]

Hiding in an old version is not truly "solving the issue", but it's what I need to do for the time being, for the sake of my sanity. Fortunately I've never seen IDML mess up anything - my documents always look the same. Of course if you are using features introduced in 2025 for the first time, that would be a different story.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi everyone,

Thank you all for continuing to share your experiences and for providing the sample file. 

I've connected with the product team and shared the details you've reported, including the recurring lag on Windows 11 systems that many of you have traced back to the 20.2 update. After testing the shared file across both 20.2 and 20.4.1 builds on Windows 11, the team has not been able to reproduce the slowdown when editing paragraph or character styles. Performance appears to be normal on our end.

That said, we fully understand how disruptive this issue has been to your workflow, and we're committed to helping get to the bottom of it. If you haven't already, please try the following steps:

Reset InDesign preferences

Disable the Contextual Task Bar

You can find detailed instructions here: https://adobe.ly/40wxXgR

Also, please ensure you are testing this on the latest version, 20.4.1, and let us know if the issue persists after these steps.

We're actively monitoring this thread and will keep you updated with any findings from the engineering team.

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Abhishek

[RussNemec]

So many of us are experiencing this issue. I've done all the suggested solutions yet still have the lag. There's something wrong with the 2025 InDesign version. It's frustrating when all we want is for the software to work.

[victoriawolf]

For months, I was told it was my system when, logically, I knew that was not the case. Now that more of us post here, the issue may be addressed. I really hope so because it is killing my workflow!

[Amie5EAF]

I have been experiencing this issue since late June 2025, after my company upgraded my system to Windows 11. I have also tried all of these solutions and continue to experience these issues.

[OsakaWebbie]

It's not the Windows version, but the InDesign version that is the issue. After much frustration, I re-installed the 2024 version for the sake of my sanity and workflow. I only fire up 2025 when I need to use something provided by others that was saved in 2025 - I open the file, save as IDML, close InDesign 2025, and do the rest in 2024.

[Treon]

I agree. I am a mac user and I also have these InDesign problems. I also re-installed InDesign 2024 as it turns out to be the only option to proceed …