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Unable to open any PDF in InDesign [17Jan2018]

New Here ,
Jan 17, 2018 Jan 17, 2018

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I just started having issues opening a multi-page PDF in InDesign, and initially thought it was just the file having some sort of protection or possibly corruption.  However I was able to open the same file in Photoshop, so I created a new INDD file, exported the PDF to desktop, and then tried to open, but still received the same error, which is:

"Cannot open the file "Test-1.pdf".  Adobe InDesign may not support the file format, a plug-in that supports the file format may be missing, or the file may be open in another application."

This same "Test.pdf" file opens without issue in Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat.  Yes, I've checked for and downloaded the latest InDesign updates as well as completely uninstalled InDesign and re-installed, with no change to the original issue.

Operating System is Windows 10 Home 64bit

InDesign version is 13.0.1 x64

Thanks in advance for any pointers.

Matt Sanchez

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

Community Expert , Jan 17, 2018 Jan 17, 2018

InDesign has never supported opening PDF files.

You can place PDF files (File > Place) as graphics into InDesign. You cannot edit them. Interactivity is not supported when a PDF is placed.

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Community Expert ,
Jan 17, 2018 Jan 17, 2018

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InDesign has never supported opening PDF files.

You can place PDF files (File > Place) as graphics into InDesign. You cannot edit them. Interactivity is not supported when a PDF is placed.

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New Here ,
Nov 13, 2020 Nov 13, 2020

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The seems like a missed opportunity. I'm surprised Adobe hasn't fixed this. 

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Community Expert ,
Nov 13, 2020 Nov 13, 2020

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It's in the backlog of feature requests at InDesign User Voice. You can vote for it here:

 

https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601021-adobe-indesign-feature-requests/suggestions/30985276-co...

 

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Community Expert ,
Jun 15, 2021 Jun 15, 2021

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Three years. I think I will stop holding my breath.

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Community Expert ,
Jun 15, 2021 Jun 15, 2021

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Sounds like a prudent course of action. 🙂

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Adobe Employee ,
Jan 17, 2018 Jan 17, 2018

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New Here ,
Jun 15, 2021 Jun 15, 2021

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Affinity Publisher (Designer, and heck even Photo) will open PDFs. If you have the fonts it can be a project saver.

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Community Expert ,
Jun 15, 2021 Jun 15, 2021

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I've heard this. And fair enough. I tried it before and it worked.  But never tried going to print with one. 

 

I'd be a bit nervous especially with complex files. 

 

Truly, the best way is to recreate the layout. 

 

You can use acrobat Pro to extract images, raster and vector images. 

 

Recreating has always been my preferred.

 

Acrobat has excellent editing tools these days. No need to open in any other software. 

 

Technically I would try even placing the pdf in indesign, then edit the acrobat doc and update the link.

 

Make pdf.

 

 

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New Here ,
Jul 26, 2022 Jul 26, 2022

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you can import PDFs to Indesign, i had similar message when trying to import some charts from PowerPoint in a PDF format i managed to import most of the pages except couple pages, by comparing  the pagesi noticed the once that had a dotted stroke style in their shapes couldn't be imported, i remove the dotted strokes and it worked.

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Adobe Employee ,
Jul 27, 2022 Jul 27, 2022

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Thanks for reaching out and sharing the suggestions. I am sure it will help other community members. We appreciate your participation here.

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