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Evan---
Participant
February 13, 2014
Answered

What causes damaged InDesign Files (Error code: 5)?

  • February 13, 2014
  • 23 replies
  • 68348 views

In the past month our designers have had two indesign files go corrupt. Indesign doesn't give any errors while saving the document, but the next time the file is opened the error message 'Cannot open "FileName.indd". The file "FileName.indd" is damaged and cannot be recovered (Error code: 5).'

We don't need to recover these particular files but I would like to know how to prevent it!

Here's our enviornment:

  • 27" iMac late 2013
  • OS X Mavericks 10.9.1
  • InDesign CC - 9.1
  • File server is Windows 2008 R2 - files are opened and edited directly on the server through OS X's "connect to server" SMB share.
  • Damaged documents have not been massive - both under 10MB.

Are damaged files a frequent problem that you have experienced? Or do we just have really bad luck?

    Correct answer SanyamTalwar

    Hi,

    Please email your InDesign file to corrupt_indesign_docs@adobe.com and I will take a look at the document.

    If the file is larger than 10 Mb, you can zip (and password protect) the file and upload to Creative Cloud account (or Dropbox) and send us the document link.

    Regards,

    Sanyam Talwar

    23 replies

    G
    Group Origin DMCC Team2
    Participant
    April 20, 2022

    I think problem not our Indesign file, problem from linked photoshop file, if you check the photoshop link... 99% one of photoshop link is damaged, that links are making problem,

    "Could not open “2017-11-26-2144-ACWA_A7R__DSC0273.psd” because it is not a valid Photoshop document."

    what is the way to fixing photoshop link? 

     

     

    L
    Community Expert
    LaubenderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    April 20, 2022

    Open the PhotoShop image in PhotoShop and resave it to a new name.

    Then place it again.

     

    Regards,
    Uwe Laubender

    ( ACP )

    Mirumir42
    Mirumir42
    Participant
    December 23, 2019

    Hi!

    I have a corrupted file with the same error code. It happened while a computer crash and I have no copy of it. If it's possible can I also send you my file? Maybe there is still a chance to repair it...

    Thanks in advance

    Olga

    Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
    Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com
    Legend
    August 28, 2018

    An easy way to minimize file corruption/damage is to either:

    1. Save it as a new copy:  File / Save As and give it a new name. This rewrites the file's code and can often prevent those tiny little "glitches" that can creep into a file.
    2. Overwrite the existing file: File / Save As and overwrite the existing file. Again, rewrites the file's code.

    We do this at the end of every day when we're packing up for the evening, or whenever we're ending work on a file during the day. Works like a charm; we rarely have a damaged file to deal with.

    FYI, the plain File / Save doesn't give you a clean file. It just tacks stuff on to the end of the code.

    |    Bevi Chagnon   |  Designer, Trainer, & Technologist for Accessible Documents ||    PubCom |    Classes & Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs & MS Office |
    Srishti Bali
    Community Manager
    Srishti BaliCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    August 28, 2018

    Hi Bevi,

    Thanks for sharing this workflow.

    Regards,

    Srishti

    M
    malloryg73680390
    Participant
    June 27, 2018

    I'm working on a 2-day old computer with a brand-new CC subscription. I've got an InDesign document that I saved normally, with no error messages last night. After experiencing some glitches with InDesign this morning, I saved my file, restarted and am getting "Error: code 5" with no idea how to salvage the files. Adobe. What is going on?

    Srishti Bali
    Community Manager
    Srishti BaliCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    June 28, 2018

    Hi All,

    We are very sorry that you ran into this issue. As mentioned above, please share the files at corrupt_indesign_docs@adobe.com

    We will try our best to recover them.

    Regards,

    Srishti

    ginas53714870
    ginas53714870
    Participant
    August 10, 2018

    Experienced same problem yesterday. Brand new 2018 MacBook Pro and the most updated indesign CC.

    May have been a server disconnect as when I went to save, wheel of death. Restart computer, error 5 corrupt.

    kiran66042421
    kiran66042421
    Participant
    June 4, 2018

    I have the same problem - this only started happening after installing the InDesign updates. It happens often (at least a couple times per week). Only my files aren't actually corrupt. "Error: Code 4 - File corrupt" messages pop up when I either try to save an open file or open an existing file -  but if I restart InDesign and reopen the file, it's fine. So it seems to be a problem with the software, not the way the files were created. Hope this problem gets fixed soon!

    L
    lancem25316445
    Participating Frequently
    March 9, 2018

    If InDesign allowed Version saves this wouldn't be as much a huge problem as it seems to be. Competing software allows the last 10 (or more) saved versions to be stored as fully saved version of the document. This has saved countless hours of frustration by simply loading the last saved version, resulting in a loss of only 10-15 minutes of work.

    BobLevine
    Community Expert
    BobLevineCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 9, 2018

    Work in a Dropbox or OneDrive folder and you’ll have versioning.

    A
    alexandram46232552
    Participant
    February 28, 2018

    In my situation I had the same thing happen to me I don't think this is the fix for everybody however when I got that error code I then tried to copy the files to my desktop. Then realized that my E-drive hadn't been unlocked and once I unlocked it and tried re-opening the files the corruption went away...

    SanyamTalwar
    Community Manager
    SanyamTalwarCommunity ManagerCorrect answer
    Community Manager
    April 4, 2016

    Hi,

    Please email your InDesign file to corrupt_indesign_docs@adobe.com and I will take a look at the document.

    If the file is larger than 10 Mb, you can zip (and password protect) the file and upload to Creative Cloud account (or Dropbox) and send us the document link.

    Regards,

    Sanyam Talwar

    rawfoliophotography
    rawfoliophotography
    Participant
    September 26, 2016

    Has there been any progress on this issue?  I cannot recover my file at all.... I did regular saves throughout its creation and didn't get an error code 5 until, of course, the last save which apparently lost all of my hard work.  Help would be appreciated!

    BobLevine
    Community Expert
    BobLevineCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    September 26, 2016

    If it’s corrupt, it’s corrupt.

    I can’t help with this but I can give you some advice to avoid ever having it happen again: http://boblevine.us/why-i-always-save-files-in-dropbox-and-why-you-should-too/

    Soolo
    Soolo
    Participant
    December 7, 2015

    I am having similar issue. Indesign crashes while working on a document and will not open the document again. The message ""filename.indd" may be damaged. Do you want to open it anyway?" By clicking "Yes" the program crashes and the whole thing begins again. I am losing significant work hours due to issues with Adobe-s recent upgrades / updates. Will definitely switch to another software as soon as it is developed.

    Peter Spier
    Community Expert
    Peter SpierCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    December 7, 2015

    You can try the blind export script at Adobe Community: InDesign 6 is crashing when attempting to open a particular document. All others are opening OK.

    S
    smk17
    Participant
    November 3, 2015

    I recently updated to InDesign Creative Cloud and also have a new Mac Pro, the round black one. On my old computer and InDesign CS5, I NEVER had this happen for years and years and years and years.

    As soon as I update to the latest and "greatest" I have problems as if I were back in 1998.

    The error I get is:

    Cannot save "Untitled-2" under a new name. The file "DBTmp391-752636544" is damaged (Error code: 0)

    The file is gone. I have to restart InDesign and recreate the whole file.

    Peter Spier
    Community Expert
    Peter SpierCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 3, 2015

    Probably a conflict with something else you are running, perhaps a font that's bad or a Chrome plugin.

    W
    Community Expert
    Wolf KammCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 4, 2015

    Thanks. Maybe you could dwell just a little bit on how a Chrome plugin might affect InDesign (I have to admit this idea definitely scares me!). As for bad fonts, I only use Typekit sync and my user fonts folder to activate fonts and keep both as clean as possible all the time, i.e. activate fonts for a couple of current projects only, but I will give it a try and empty the fonts folder to test that.

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