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Troubleshooting 101: Replace, or "trash" your InDesign preferences [2009 Outdated & Locked]

Community Expert ,
Nov 18, 2009 Nov 18, 2009

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When InDesign starts to behave strangely, the number one suggestion for troubleshooting is to replace (or trash, reset or restore) the application preferences. This will remove corrupt preferences and replace them with a new set of default preferences, and often end bad behavior.

There is a quick and easy method for doing this using the keyboard: close and relaunch InDesign, and IMMEDIATELY hold down Ctrl + Alt + Shift (Windows) or Cmd + Ctrl + Opt + Shift (Mac), and respond in the affirmative to the dialog asking if you really want to replace the preferences. There are two downsides to this method, however. First, you must be extremely fast on the keyboard (if you don’t see the confirmation prompt, you were too slow), and second, anytime you replace the preferences you will lose most program customizations, and using the keyboard method leaves you with no backup to restore them when the problem turns out to be something else.

My preferred method is to CLOSE INDESIGN and do a “manual” prefs replacement, which consists of finding and renaming the two files which make up the preference set: InDesign Defaults and InDesign SavedData. BOTH of these files should be replaced at the same time. You can delete them, but renaming or moving them will give you the opportunity to copy them back in the event that new prefs doesn’t cure your issue. When you restart ID, the program will look for these two files, and when they are not found, a new default set will be written.

[Defunct link removed by Peter Spier on 11/6/15]

These are normally hidden files, so you will need to set your system to show them. They will be found in various places depending on the OS, and the version of InDesign. (Edit: For Mac users running OSX 10.7 or newer, you can learn how to show hidden files here: Access hidden user library files | Mac OS 10.7 Lion)

PLEASE LOOK AT THESE PATHS CAREFULLY. They look similar, but are two different folders for the two files.

InDesign Defaults:

Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<USER>\Application Data\Adobe\InDesign\<Version #>\<language>\  (Note: Prior to version 6 [CS4] the language folder is not used).

Windows Vista or Windows 7 and newer: C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\InDesign\<Version #>\<Language>\ (Note: Prior to version 6 [CS4] the language folder is not used).

Macintosh: Hard Drive/Users/<USER>/Library/Preferences/Adobe InDesign/<Version #>/<Language>/(Note: Prior to version 6 [CS4] the language folder is not used).

InDesign SavedData:

Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<USER>\Local Settings\Application Data\Adobe\InDesign\<Version #>\<Language>\Caches\ (Note: Prior to version 6 [CS4] the language folder is not used).

Windows Vista or Windows 7 and newer: C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Adobe\InDesign\<Version #>\<Language>\Caches\  (Note: Prior to version 6 [CS4] the language folder is not used).

Macintosh: Hard Drive/Users/<USER>/Library/Caches/Adobe InDesign/<Version #>/<Language>/ (Note: Prior to version 6 [CS4] the language folder is not used).

In some earlier versions of ID, InDesign SavedData may also be found in the first directory.

As mentioned above, when you replace your preferences you will lose customizations beyond those things that are set in the preferences dialogs. These include Document and Print Presets you might have created. If you haven't made backups already, you should go, prior to replacing the preferences, to the "Define" dialogs for printer and document presets and custom stroke styles, and select all of your custom entries, the click the save button and put the file someplace safe. After resetting preferences using the keyboard or by renaming/deleting the old files and restarting InDesign, these customized settings can be re-loaded with a single click once again in the Define dialogs. 
  
PDF presets can be backed up in the same way, but they are stored in a different location and will not be destroyed by a simple preference reset. Other customizations that you should not lose are workspaces, keyboard shortcut sets, and find/change queries.

As a further step I strongly recommend that you make a copy of these two files when you have a working customized set. Store them in a safe place and you can use them to overwrite a corrupt set so no further editing or reloading will be required. Users of InDesign CS4 can use a free script from InTools.com to backup and store multiple sets of preferences: In-Tools Scripts » Preference Manager Script

Edit: Corrected Mac Path per Jongware's post below.

UPDATE: I just ran across a situation in which overwriting the InDesign Defaults and InDesign SavedData files failed to restore functionality to the tools on a single user account on a multiple user system (the other account was fine). This is an absolute first and I've been using the technique for years, including replacing these two files on this system which is used by the student newspaper where I was a professor, in order to customize or restore preferences every semester. What did work was to use the keyboard method first, then close InDesign and manually replace the two files to restore the prefs to the proper settings.  -- Peter

Further update: We have had several reports now in the CC versions of InDesign where using the manual method has failed to solve problems that are normally fixed by replacing preferences. to the best of my knowledge, using the keyboard method has solved the problem for each of those users. -- Peter

Message was edited by: Peter Spier

Message was edited by: Peter Spier

Message was edited by: amxyz

Message was edited by: Peter Spier to add path warnings.

Message was edited by: Peter Spier to add update re: failure of one method and success of other in CC.

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replies 365 Replies 365
Community Beginner ,
Jul 29, 2015 Jul 29, 2015

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I deleted the InDesign preferences - but it doesn't seem to have resolved the problem I've been having.

When I open up an InDesign file, everything opens normally - it's only when I try to double-click on a text box that the program closes unexpectedly. I've already uninstalled/reinstalled the program, as well as installed the newest update.

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 29, 2015 Jul 29, 2015

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Sorry - forgot to include details.

Running MAC OS 10.10.4 (14E46)

InDesign CS6 Version 8.1

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Community Expert ,
Jul 29, 2015 Jul 29, 2015

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Please start a new topic and fully describe the problem (which sounds type related). If you have a crash report, put it on pastebin.com and include a link to it in your new post.

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New Here ,
Aug 11, 2015 Aug 11, 2015

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This was very helpful and resetting the preferences helped fixed the problem. Thanks for saving any more off the hair clumps from hitting the floor.

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New Here ,
Aug 20, 2015 Aug 20, 2015

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I'm going to ask the obvious. For as long as I've used InDesign, there has been a "fix" to trash your preferences when InDesign acts up. Clearly, there is something in the preferences file that is corrupting the InDesign document. Why not simply fix the preferences bug in InDesign, rather than allowing the bug to persist and putting an ad hock "fix" in every iteration of InDesign?

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Community Expert ,
Aug 20, 2015 Aug 20, 2015

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I don't think it's so much a bug in ID (I usually go a year or two without need to trash the prefs), but either damage caused by a software conflict or a crash (which might be the result of a conflict).

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New Here ,
Aug 20, 2015 Aug 20, 2015

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This worked for me!  Thanks.  In my preferences folder I had to versions - Version 10.0 and 11.0.  I deleted the 10.0 altogether and then deleted the en_US file in the 11.0 folder.  Also deleted the cache file.  The problem I was having was that every time I deleted the "File" menu option nothing would happen or it would take a really long time to respond. 

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Community Beginner ,
Aug 23, 2015 Aug 23, 2015

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It really work!!

I just closed the problem and then I press (on Windows 7) Shift, Ctrl & Alt while I click InDesign icon on my pc.

thank yo again

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New Here ,
Aug 24, 2015 Aug 24, 2015

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Thanks Peter-  your trashing the preferences tip may have saved the life of an innocent Kavoodle who was loitering around my feet while I was trying to figure out why I couldn't drag an object from one layer to another any more (the dot had disappeared from the layers panel).

I wasn't quick enough at first to get the re-set preferences dialogue box, but managed it by holding down Ctrl-Alt-Shift before starting InDesign with my elbow! (Surface with a mouse). Really appreciate the tip. Thanks again, Michael.

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Explorer ,
Aug 28, 2015 Aug 28, 2015

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rooster100 wrote:

Thanks Peter-  your trashing the preferences tip may have saved the life of an innocent Kavoodle who was loitering around my feet while I was trying to figure out why I couldn't drag an object from one layer to another any more (the dot had disappeared from the layers panel).

I wasn't quick enough at first to get the re-set preferences dialogue box, but managed it by holding down Ctrl-Alt-Shift before starting InDesign with my elbow! (Surface with a mouse). Really appreciate the tip. Thanks again, Michael.

Thanks for the laugh - trying to conjure up why you had to involve an elbow made me imagine you as an amputee, until I read you're working on a Surface.

Another vote for this fixing a problem - In my case, Indesign wouldn't allow me to just "Save" a file, claiming it was open in another program (not true). I could save "file.indd" as "file_a.indd", and also resave the new "file_a.indd" over top of "file.indd", but not just "Save". Renaming preferences files worked.

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Community Beginner ,
Sep 01, 2015 Sep 01, 2015

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Hi Peter,

I tried all of what you suggested but it's not just In Design, but also Photoshop (and I suspect Illustrator) that is suddenly having these issues as well. It was working fine till yesterday and today I open up In Design and the keyboard shortcuts suddenly stopped working. It had worked once before but now it's not doing anything. Restarted the machine, trashed prefs / restarted the app.... Noting works.

I'm running Yosemite 10.10.5

Photoshop / In Design / Illustrator CC 2014

Any other advice?

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Community Expert ,
Sep 01, 2015 Sep 01, 2015

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So what happened yesterday? My bet is you installed some new software...

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Community Beginner ,
Sep 01, 2015 Sep 01, 2015

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The only thing that I remember doing yesterday that was Adobe applications based was that I removed the Extensis Plug In from the plug in folders (Photoshop and In Design) because I had installed Suitcase Fusion 6 about a month ago and because the trial period ended and I didn't want to bother continue using it (since this is an office issued laptop) - I got an error message regarding an expired Universal Type Client and I went in and removed the offending plug ins, manually. That got rid of the error message but I don't remember short cut commands suddenly stop working....

Surely, that couldn't have upset the order of things in the Adobe Universe...... could it?

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Community Expert ,
Sep 01, 2015 Sep 01, 2015

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I certainly wouldn't be shocked if it did. Since it affects multiple programs it has to be something external to or common to all of them.

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Community Beginner ,
Sep 01, 2015 Sep 01, 2015

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Hmmmm.... so what would you suggest? Should I uninstall / reinstall the suite to start over? Luckily I don't have much custom presets to lose since I just started using this machine.

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Community Expert ,
Sep 01, 2015 Sep 01, 2015

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That sounds like a reasonable approach. You can back up all of your customizations first (see the topic post for how to do that in ID, the others should be similar).

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Community Beginner ,
Sep 01, 2015 Sep 01, 2015

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Yes, already did that (backing up customized settings).

I'll give that a shot and let you know.

thanks!

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Community Beginner ,
Sep 02, 2015 Sep 02, 2015

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Hi Peter,

Just wanted to let you know that I reinstalled the app and the keyboard shortcuts are back now (yay). Just shows how fragile the environment has become nowadways, and to stop tampering with it.

Thanks for your help,

R

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New Here ,
Sep 02, 2015 Sep 02, 2015

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Hi there.

I'm working on Windows 10 and just installed the Creative Suite a week ago. Adobe InDesign is giving me the error message "InDesign has stopped working." I cannot get past the launch window of the application, and have been unable to open the program since installing it. I even uninstalled & reinstalled the program. I also did the Ctrl+Alt+Shift command to delete preferences, even though I haven't been able to set any preferences yet. I tried following the instructions of this post, but your paths don't provide information for a Windows 10 system.

Everything is a fresh install - OS & Creative Cloud. Photoshop, Illustrator, & Bridge are all working fine.

Please advise as I would obviously like to use InDesign.

Thank you.

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Community Expert ,
Sep 02, 2015 Sep 02, 2015

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As far as I know, the file locations haven't moved since Windows 7. Be sure you have full permissions set for both the user and System on the two folders.

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New Here ,
Sep 02, 2015 Sep 02, 2015

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Ok. So i'm following the path below, but cannot get past <USER> because AppData is not available.


Windows Vista or Windows 7: C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\InDesign\<Version #>\<Language>\ (Note: Prior to version 6 [CS4] the language folder is not used).

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Community Expert ,
Sep 02, 2015 Sep 02, 2015

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AppData is a hidden folder. In Win7 you would open Explorer go to tools > Folder Options > View Tab and then scroll down and click the radio button to show hidden files and folders. Should be similar in Win10.

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New Here ,
Sep 02, 2015 Sep 02, 2015

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Peter

I have been able to find the AppData and follow the path to the InDesign folder.

However, neither the InDesign Defaults or InDesign SavedData files were available.

I have not used InDesign since installing it on my computer.

Any further advise?

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Community Expert ,
Sep 02, 2015 Sep 02, 2015

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If the permissions on the folders are not correct and ID is unable to start, the files won't get written (and you won't find them). Can you run ID if you log in using a different user account?

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Explorer ,
Sep 29, 2015 Sep 29, 2015

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** I've found the biggest Beachballers are CC Libraries and the stupid welcome panel, I for one would like a preference to remove both!

But I have to say this, on the Mac the Problem is mainly Apple, 10.10 is unbearably slow, this started with 10.9 from that point Apple seem to have given the middle finger to those of us that haven't got an SSD!

I used to loathe Windows, but the latest Mac OS is making me want to switch, the finder used to be nimble timely serving me what I wanted and when, MAC OS X is like a hulking sweaty oaf eating bad onions breathing down my neck all day, invariably getting in the way when I want to quickly achieve something!

NO APPLE I don't want a notification centre, a front and centre alert dialogue is fine as long as it isn't some twoddle from Facebook!

I pray that 10.11 is better they are promising speed, but I suspect that it's only on the new Macs, older macs can just go buy a new Mac is Apple's attitude!

So Mac OS X has protected memory - so what the OS is so inefficient now, I get a quarter done compared to Mac OS 8-9 days!

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