Error message "This file does not exist..."

[moar26433155]

Hi!

When trying to open my InDesign files I get the following error message: "This file does not exist, you dont have the readingrights to it or it is open in another program"

Problem is I could open it yesterday......I have the latest version of Indesign, nobodyelse is using it and there are no previos versions to restore. I have also tried saving a copy, renaming the file and uninstalling and reinstalling indesign.

Can anyone help me?

Thankful for awnsers!

Moa

[Jeff Witchel, ACI]

Hi Moa,

From what you're describing, this is just a guess:

If you're opening the file from the Start Screen (which shows recently opened files), chances are you moved the file, so Indesign can't find it.

[moar26433155]

I haven't moved it and I have also tried opening it by clicking on the file in my document folder (outside of the program).

[Bill Silbert]

Your question sounds like this is happening to multiple files. Are you backing up to your hard drive or are you using some kind of external drive or cloud server. If you are using an external drive then try opening and saving from your hard drive.

You mentioned that you'd uninstalled and reinstalled. Did you do that through the desktop app? Before you reinstalled did you use the Creative Cloud Cleaner tool Use the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool to solve installation problems ? Have you tried trashing your preferences?

To do so:

For Macintosh Users: With InDesign closed Launch a Finder Window in column view and click on your home folder. With the Option Key pressed choose Library from the Finder Go Menu. Within the Library folder find the folder called Preferences and within it find the following two files and delete them: “Adobe InDesign” and “com.adobe.InDesign.plist”. When InDesign is next launched it will create new preference files and the program will be restored to its defaults.

For Windows Users: You can try the quick way of resetting on a PC which is to hold down Ctrl + Alt + Shift when launching InDesign and respond affirmatively when asked if you want to reset. There have been some recent reports that the window asking if you want to reset is not popping up but that the prefs are being reset anyway. If this works great but if it doesn’t you may have to manually delete them.

To do so:

On Windows 7 and above the preference files are hidden. To find them go to the Control Panel and open Folder Options and then click the View tab. Then select “Show hidden files and folders” or “Show hidden files, folders or drive options” in Advanced Settings. Then delete (or rename) the folder at the end of this path: C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\InDesign\<Version #>\<Language>. Make sure that InDesign is closed when you do this. When you relaunch the program it will create  new preference files and the program will be at its default settings.

The advantage of manually deleting preference files is that after you’ve reset up the program (make sure that no document window is open) to your liking, you can create copies of your personalized “mint” preference files (make sure that you quit the program before copying them—that finalizes your customization) and use them in the future to replace any corrupt versions you may need to delete.

[moar26433155]

Yes it has happend to multiple files, but not all of my indesign files. I have downloaded the files in question from google drive and then saved them onto my own computer, but I am not using an external harddrive.

I uninstalled/reinstalled the program through creative cloud. I haven't tried using the cleaner tool or trashing my preferences - I'll try that!

[Bill Silbert]

Use of a google drive has been found as a cause for this problem in previous posts. See if it happens with any files that you have created natively on your computer.

[moar26433155]

I dont have this problem with "my own" files. Is there a way to fix the google drive files?

[neemach]

Hi I'm having the same issue and cannot locate the file even though i can see it in the Open Recent folder. It's no where to be found and I did not delete it... tried your process of going to preferences but there's no com.adobe.InDesign.plist in the Preferences folder in library 😞 i can start remaking the entire document (although took 2 days to do the last one!) BUT my concern is that this will happen again. Would greatly appreciate your help! I'm 10.15.5 MacOs with adobe indesigncc. Thank you! 

[Derek Cross]

Which version of InDesign and OS?

[moar26433155]

I am using the latest update of indesign and windows 10

[Derek Cross]

That's 13.1 – it's always best to state the exact version as sometimes posters state"the latest version" and it turns out it isn't!

[Paulbryde]

I had the same problem, even though I had never experienced it before. I was trying to save a file I had opened from a web-domain, using Internet Explorer, but it was open in the standalone Adobe Acrobat Reader. No matter what I did fixed it, and I wasn't using any form of dropbox, google drive or Sync etc. 

I then tried opening the web-location in the web browser google chrome, where it worked to save the document if I was viewing it directly in google chrome, but not if I opened it in Internet Explorer.

Yeah, it's weird.