TOC Generation or Update Crashes InDesign

[Pariah Burke]

macOS 15.2, InDesign 20.0.1

When I generate or update a TOC there is a roughly 7 in 10 chance InDesign 2025 will crash. This happens with multiple documents and has been happening consistently with every document since the release of 20.0 in October.

• I initially thought it was because I was using ID '25 on macOS Ventura, but it's still happening with existing and new documents since updating my Mac to Sequoia.
• Additionally, the same files moved to other computers (Windows 10, for example) also crash there when generating, updating TOCs.
• Happens whether the documents in question are standalone or booked, with or without other TOCs in same document, with and without other documents opened.
• No problems with ID '22, '23, or '24 on the same computer, with the same content in new documents or with the pre-existing documents that had pre-25 file versions.

I had hoped that all those literally more than 100 automatic bug reports would have had Adobe fix the problem or reach out to me for info, but no. My own troubleshooting hasn't turned up the culprit, so I'm asking the community for help.

[Pariah Burke]

I'm just throwing out a long shot here...

BTW, Pariah Burke, I always enjoy all your InDesign stuff you publish!

By @Mike Witherell

Thanks, Mike!

I'll have to try the font troubleshooting, because these TOC-generation/update crashes have happened with three major projects over the last several months.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Pariah Burke

You said initially, that there are no problems in earlier versions of InDesign - can't you just go back to 2024, until there will be less than one complain per month? 

[Mike Witherell]

Christina, that sounds like files that are both gigantic and overloaded. I hope you are throwing 64gb of RAM at them. How big are these multi-language files?

[christinah55744972]

Well, the books themselves are just 105 kB. But I suppose You meen how large the files contained?

Yes a normal "book" have a total size of 60 - 65 MB spread un-even over 10 different files, including the separate TOC-file. 

On the other hand any file is rarely more than 12 pages long, most of them are about 5. One type is often between 20-30 pages, but this is on the other hand only containing three layers.

I've been trying out a lot of different trix to keep InDesign from crashing during these years, and I'm happy to see that the program is getting more and more stable. But it seems there is always a variable more to mess it up along the way. 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@christinah55744972

How long do you work on your files / Book? 

Days /. Months? 

How often are you doing Save As with a new name? 

The problem with InDesign is the fact, that if you do just Save - it preserves Undo History - which becomes unaccessible after you close your INDD file - but stays there until you do Save As - making your file bigger, slower and prone for corruption. 

Then there is IDMLing - which strips file to "bare metal" - purges everything - Undo History, previews, etc. 

[christinah55744972]

Oh, so that's why IDML-ing works. I've been wondering about th "magic" in that trick.

Well, for the separate files it may be everything between 2 weeks to two months. But we hardly ever start from scratch, since we work with technical documents within a company with a set graphic profile the bulk of illustrative material, templates and also section of texts don't change for many years.

At the same time we need to be able to track our revisions so when it is time to publish we rename and/or save as the affected files with new names.

Will there still be preserved "undo history" in the books (indb) after the included files are replaced with new?

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

INDB file is just info about which INDD files are part of the Book - doesn't retain any contents of INDD files.

It has been suggested to create a new Book if you're changing version / upgrading InDesign - not sure if they can get damaged / corrupted during "normal use" - but it won't hurt to create a new Book and add documents from time to time.

Also, each INDD file "isn't aware" that it is part of a Book - you can use the same INDD file in multiple Books if you want. 

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

All of the above can be easily automated with my ID-Tasker tool:

- creation of a new Book,

- re-creation / refreshing of the Book,

- rewriting all INDD files - Save As or IDMLing,

- backup copy, 

- etc. 

IDT isn't free - but if anyone is doing a lot of repetitive Tasks... 

Then, Tasks can be shared within the team - to make sure that everyone is doing the same operations and to avoid mistakes. 

And - ID-Tasker isn't limited to only InDesign...

I probably should've selected a different name for it - before I've realised what a monster I've created 😉 

[christinah55744972 · Accepted solution]

Goooooooood morning Pariah!

I woke up to good news, with the newest revised version the ToC:s now works!

I installed it and went ahead and tried it immediatly. I used a recent book containing 8 files with different "age" and number of layers etc. 

I did use the tip to open all document but two (since I know these only contains from one page each and only one heading). The ToC was generated as quickly that I thought it was a trick of my imagnination!

I hope it will behave like this going forth as well and that You will have the same great experience.

Good luck with your writings and InDesign-activities.

[Pariah Burke]

Confirmed. The crashing no longer happens in any of the books it was previously happening, even those with multiple tables of contents.