Why does my layout window become a blank gray screen?

[Adwiz]

InDesign 2024 on my Mac Studio loses the layout window after a few hours of inaction. If I leave a document open while I go to a meeting or something, when I return the main layout window is just a blank gray screen and no amount of effort brings it back, unless I close the document and re-open it. What gives with this and how can I resolve it? Doesn't happen with any other Adobe apps, just InDesign.

[leo.r]

What are your exact versions of InDesign and macOS?

Also, are you using dual monitors by any chance?

[Adwiz]

Mac Studio is running Sonoma 14.3.1 (23D60). Indesign is 19.4

[leo.r]

First, update to the latest Sonoma - macOS 14.5.x - will it make a difference?

Also, try to toggle the GPU Performance option in InDesign preferences.

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @Adwiz,

I'm sorry to hear about the trouble you're experiencing with InDesign. I faced a similar situation yesterday, and as Leo suggested toggling the GPU Preview to CPU Preview brought the layout window back.

Could you please provide some additional details to help us understand the issue better?

• What are your Mac Studio details (model, RAM, CPU)?
• What is the make and model of your external monitor, and what resolution is set in the display settings of your Mac?
• Is the monitor connected via HDMI, DisplayPort, or Type-C?
• Does your Mac Studio go to sleep, and do you see the blank InDesign layout window when you wake it up?
• Have you tried using a different workspace, and does this issue happen with all files?

Thank you for your patience.

Best regards,
Anshul Saini

[Adwiz]

2022 M1 Max Studio with 64Gb RAM

Monitor is an Apple Thunderbolt Display 2560x1440 connected, of course, via Thunderbolt Type-C

The issue happens with all files

Doesn't happen just by going to sleep, but only after leaving the file open and inactive for an extended time, such as a couple of hours or more. 

I've toggled GPU Preview but it didn't help. I've now turned off GPU Preview entirely to see if it makes a difference. I've also updated Sonoma to 14.5, which maybe wasn't smart because now I might not know which of those two changes solves the issue if it does get resolved.

[Adwiz · Accepted solution]

Update: After 2 days, the problem has not reappeared. I don't know if it is because I turned off GPU Preview or if it was the update to Sonoma 14.5 from 14.3. I will turn GPU Preview back on to see if that makes a difference.

[Coby_Bush5451]

Ya, Indesign's been doing this for years with me. It's just a crappy program and they just can't get it right. Everyone I know deals with this. Love how the response is always, "tell me about your hardware and settings..." It's not the hardware, it's the unstable and crappy application.

Call it a feature and up the monthly a few bucks Adobe.

[stephantran]

MBP M1 Max 64GB sequoia 15.1 connected to external Dell U4025QW or connected to 4K Dell as well. Same problem, when GPU preview is activated, the InDesign document windows renders a grey background (all other UI elements are fine, just the document window). You can select all elements as if they were still present and a colored outline appears around all the elements but nothing else renders on the screen 

[stephantran]

InDesign document is 43MB FYI. Machine specs attached. Happens with different files, not only the one I'm currently using. Does not happen with a "fresh" new file though. Unclear if this happens after the mac has gone to sleep or not. Happened with previous iteration of OS as well.

[00rhodiad]

I have this problem consistently when I switch between workstations with my M1 Macbook Pro. My guess is it has something to do with hardware GPU likely using diferent routines for differernt video stream protocols and Indesign locking into whatever is current when a doc opens but not switching with the hardware when necessary. That sort of thing is almost always seamless and invisible to the user, but when an app gets very hardware-specific accelleration like some Adobe apps, apparently, it's understandable that the permutations are hard to work out between every variable. 

I've worked around it simply by turning on CMYK seperation preview which slows performance a bit but gets me by until I can close and reopen files (reopening a doc always clears the issue for that specific file but not any others).

Annoying, but not absolutely critical. Just makes me wonder why I'm paying monthly for updates I don't want when very old bugs like this persist for years.

In case Adobe is interested, here's my setup where I get 100% consistent grayscreen-on-wake after switching between external displays:

• 2021 16" MacBook Pro with 32GB/2TB
• Apple M1 Pro processor
• Current OS — 15.5 (24F74) but this has been a consistent bug for several years across various OS udpates
• Current CC & Indesign 20.3.1 but again, the bug has been around through multiple versions

[00rhodiad]

FWIW, toggling off "GPU Performance" in settings fixes the problem, but why the hell would I voluntarily do that when it specifically reports "Compatible GPU and Monitor dectected" right there next to the setting? Perhaps Adobe should fix the bug instead of suggesting that I intentionally kneecap my verified supported hardware. 

[Anubhav M]

Hello @00rhodiad,

Could you check if InDesign behaves this way when working with specific files? If yes, please share a link to a sample file after uploading it to a file-sharing service, so we can check it on our end.

Also, check and install any pending macOS updates, and try running InDesign under a different administrator account (macOS) and share your observations.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[00rhodiad]

Excellent! Happy to troubleshoot. 

• Every file seems to behave exactly the same. I can't say for 100% sure that the bug happens every single time, but definitely more often than not, and definitely all open files whenever it happens. I usually have multiple files open when I switch workstations, and when I wake at a new monitor, if one open file is grayed out, all of them are.
• Any newly opened file is fine while all other grayed out files stay that way.
• Closing/reopening a file always fixes it, but only that one—any other grayed out open docs stay grayed until each is closed/reopened. 
• Turning on separations preview temporarily fixes each individual file until I turn off sep preview or close/reopen the file.
• Toggling off "GPU Performance" temporarily fixels ALL open grayed out files — but they go back to gray if it's turned back on (until each is closed/reopened)
• Relaunching Indesign of course "fixes" things, but only because the files all get closed and reopened. 
• As noted before, this behavior is consistent across multiple recent OS and CC version updates. For several years now.... maybe even always since purchasing this M1 MBP (2021).

Again, more than happy to help troubleshoot this further if that's helpful! Haven't tried a clean install on a new account at the moment, but that's a good thought — perhaps this weekend. 

[JPL08]

Yes, I get exactly this problem, too. It's been going on since at least 2019 for me. When I replaced my Intel iMac with a new M4 Mac Mini last year I thought it might go away. I also get strange graphical glitches, odd shapes vaguely representative of the content in my layouts. But now, I aslo get a grey screen if I leave a file open and unattended for just a couple of minutes.

It's really not good enough when the cost of a subscription is so high. Considering that this is still happening a year after the original post … well, you can draw your own conclusions from that.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @JPL08,

Sorry to hear you're still running into this frustrating issue. I appreciate you sharing your experience. Could you let us know your exact macOS version, InDesign version, and whether you're using an external monitor and a secondary monitor in addition to that(including its model and connection type like type-C or HDMI)?

Also, have you tried the workaround of turning off GPU Performance under Preferences > GPU Performance to see if that helps resolve the issue? Please confirm the requested details so that we assist you further. 

Best,
Abhishek

[JPL08]

Thanks for your help.

MacOS 15.5, InDesign 20.3.1, ASUS ProArt Display PA279CV external monitor (though had exactly the same issues on 27" iMac), USB-C.

If I switch off GPU performance the screen returns to normal. As I mentioned, this problem has persisted for 5 or 6 years in my experience. This can't be the only instances where people have reported it. If Adobe are going to offer GPU performance as a feature, then I should be able to benefit from it without my screen going grey … or pink … if I leave it unattended for a few minutes.

Like others here have mentioned, this isn't a hardware issue, it's an ongoing problem with InDesign that's been ongoing for a very long time.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @JPL08,

Thanks for confirming. Could you also check if this problem occurs when working with specific files or files from a specific folder location? Also, try running InDesign under a different administrator account (macOS) and share your observations.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[JPL08]

As I've already said, this has been a problem for years. It's not specific to any file or folder. And it's not specific to one account or or computer. There are other posts in this thread from other people already confirming this.
I've tried turning off GPU performance, but that's far from being a solution or fix because it makes InDesign run very slowly.

[JPL08]

Another common graphical glitch. The entire background should be dark blue, not grey. This happens in live situations while editing work.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @JPL08,

Thanks for all the follow-ups and for confirming that disabling GPU Performance brings the screen back, even though I understand that's not a sustainable solution for your workflow. Just to double-check, are you, by any chance, using an Intel-based Mac? If yes, could you please try the steps mentioned in this Apple support article: https://adobe.ly/4mECh6Z and let me know if you notice any difference?

I'll keep an eye out for your update so we can continue troubleshooting this with the team.

Abhishek

[JPL08]

You're kidding? You already asked me what Mac I was using. I'm not on Intel. It's an M4 Mac Mini.

[00rhodiad]

I occasionally get random jaggs of color and shifted chunks of design. This always clears on redraw (though sometime zoom levels will cache), so I assume it’s a related (GPU?) but different issue from the persistant total gray screen until closing/reopening a file. 

(2021 MacBook Pro, M1Pro, on external display via USB-C to HDMI, multiple OS and CC versions for several years)

[JPL08]

I get the same thing. I thought I posted an example of it earlier.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @JPL08,

Could you try switching the Display Performance preferences for Default View and Adjust View Settings to Fast and then relaunch InDesign to see if it helps?


Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav