PLEASE HELP - restore inDesign support files

[--rick_D]

I installed the new inDesign 2024 late yesterday and specifically selected "retain preferences" but when I first lauched the app this morning it said "preferences were created with a previous version and will be deleted". There was no option for me to say no, it just did it. I'm missing my colors, stylesheets, EVERYTHING IS GONE. I've been unable to work all morning and desprately need to restore the previous version (inDesign 2023).

I've been able to restore the app using Time Machine backups but when launched it says the app is damaged. I'm sure there must be library files I also need to restore. I'm hoping someone can point me to a list of items needed to get this up and running, I'm under extreme deadline pressure. PLEASE HELP.

[BobLevine]

Known bug with retaining preferences. You'll have do it all manually. 

It sounds like you had auto install upgrades and uninstall the old version selected. You can reinstall 2023 from the CC Desktop app if you want it back but it won't restore your preferences.

[Bill Silbert]

Since you are on a Mac (deduced by your mention of Time Machine) check the InDesign user preferences file to see if within the Adobe InDesign folder there are two subfolders. One that says Version 18.0 and one that says Version 19.0. If that is the case then make a copy of the one that says Version 18.0. Then reinstall InDesign CC 2023 from the Creative Cloud Desktop app. Once the install is complete then copy the Version 18.0 folder into the Adobe InDesign preference folder. Then launch CC 2023 and see if all of your preferences and settings are there.

To find the User preference files:

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”. If the Version 18.0 preferences are still within that folder then follow the instructions above.

[--rick_D]

Thank you for the info, I will try this. I couldn't be more disappointed in Adobe for this problem. This bug is as bad as it gets, it is a nuclear bomb to my productivity. I feel they should have pulled the update the instant the problem was discovered or posted an alert regarding the problem. 

[BobLevine]

Getting a little carried away, don't you think?

Yes, it's a bug. No, it shouldn't be there, but it's certainly not anywhere near as serious as you're making it out to be. 

[--rick_D]

Not at all - an entire day of work lost and failure to meet a clients deadliine which could mean a permanent loss of an income source. A day later and I'm still stressed out about this. I continue to worry about errors that may pop up down the line because of an incorrect setting. This was very serious and I wish I could bill adobe for the lost income.

[BobLevine]

I lost about 10 minutes resetting the obvious stuff. I can't even being to imagine needing an entire day to set up preferences in InDesign.

I'm sorry you're facing these issues, but I'll bow out now. 

[--rick_D]

Half the time was wasted unsuccesfully trying to restore the previous version. The rest was spent trying to restore my stylesheets and colors which although they exist in other documents, they are often modified to meet the needs of that project. The only place unmodified versions existed was inside inDesigns preferences. And since I haven't needed to change preference settings in many years, I had a difficult time finding where some settings exist. I'm still missing functionality I relied upon simply because I'm unable to find how to restore that setting.

[Bateson Publishing]

I have a similar problem with all my grep scripts from version 19 gone into thin air.

I still have the greps scripts from version 18, but a significant amount of development since then has been destroyed by Adobe when CC stopped recognising many of the apps I had installed and wiped out my existing installations when I tried to update them.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

I have a similar problem with all my grep scripts from version 19 gone into thin air.

[...]

By @Bateson Publishing

Have you reinstalled something?

On Windows, check this folder:

C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\InDesign\Version 19.0\en_GB\Find-Change Queries

You can also change 19.0 to 18.0 or whatever earlier version you are looking for.

Or simply browse folder:

C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\InDesign\

[Bateson Publishing]

I already had Indesign 19.3 installed but Creative Cloud somehow didn't recognise this and when I went to install 19.5 it obliterated all my preferences. I managed to recover older versions of my preferences from the version 18 folder, but there are 5 months worth my my client's Grep scripts which have gone up in smoke.

Whether Adobe thinks an update is a fresh install or not, it should NOT delete Grep scripts. If anything, it should rename the scripts folder with a suffix like OLD or PREVIOUS, instead of wiping out dozens of XML files that are collectively important as any indd publication. It would also be good if the scripts could be more easily saved or exported to the same folders as indd files, instead of being buried deep within the software rabbit warren: /Users/user/Library/Preferences/Adobe InDesign/Version 19.0/en_US/Find-Change Queries/GREP (Mac OS).

[Mike Witherell]

Did you try:

Edit > Migrate Previous Local Settings ...?

On my machines, even if I allow it to upgrade, it will leave behind the local settings in an otherwise empty folder, allowing me to get at the many tweaks and customized settings.

[Bateson Publishing]

It's a good idea, but Creative Cloud literally deleted everything treating the 'upgrade' as a fresh install.