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exporting indesign to epub defaults to opening in acrobat

Participant ,
May 07, 2021 May 07, 2021

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How do I change the file association so that exporting to epub results in an epub file showing up on  my desktop, instead of as an acrobat file. I'm using Win10, indesigncc 2021.

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Community Expert ,
May 07, 2021 May 07, 2021

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Are you selecting epub from the drop-down format menu when you export?

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Participant ,
May 08, 2021 May 08, 2021

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Of course.--
*Karen McChrystal, MA*
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Hidden Springs Press
Santa Monica, CA

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Karen McChrystal | Facebook

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Community Expert ,
May 08, 2021 May 08, 2021

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You state "of course" -  you need to understand when we try and answer questions we don't know whether you're an absolute beginner or the Hidden Springs Supremo!

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Participant ,
May 08, 2021 May 08, 2021

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Sorry. I've been through this aggravating exercise so many times I've lost patience. I tried with indd support community a few months ago and got nowhere. I'd been creating ebooks for years, with indesign. INDD CS5.5 running on Win 7 gave me no problems. "export to epub" right away puts an epub file on my desktop. Now, with inddcc2021, and windows 10, I'm in this frustrating snafu. I'm considering after I get my old computer fixed, with win 7 and indd cs5.5, I'll just work from that. But I shouldn't have to do this!!!

 

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Community Expert ,
May 08, 2021 May 08, 2021

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LEGEND ,
May 08, 2021 May 08, 2021

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What is the exact textual filetype in the exported file names? Not "Acrobat file", the actual file type (in the way that INDD or JPG are file types; Acrobat is the name of an app).

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Participant ,
May 08, 2021 May 08, 2021

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Properties say: Type of File: EPUB file (epub)
Opens with: Adobe Acrobat DC. "Change" button opens drop-down with other
apps, but they're all apps, from microsoft, and microsoft list does not
include anything for opening an epub. I don't want the epub file opened; I
just want it to appear on my desktop, so I can upload it to kindle ebooks.
The file created as acrobat doesn't even open; error message says Acrobat
could not open it because it is the wrong file type.

I can see the file in the supposedly latest kindle previewer, on my
desktop, but that's a .mobi file, and kindle isn't supporting .mobi
anymore.
--
*Karen McChrystal, MA*
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Hidden Springs Press
Santa Monica, CA

[links removed by moderator]
Karen McChrystal | Facebook

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LEGEND ,
May 08, 2021 May 08, 2021

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Ok, it's correctly an EPUB. The associations are the problem.

Windows 10 does not come with an EPUB reader: I just checked. It shows as EPUB file.

 

Now, if you double click an EPUB file you are asked to choose an App to open it. Windows remembers this.

 

So my guess is that someone at your computer (perhaps you, perhaps someone there for a moment) double clicked an EPUB file, and guessed Acrobat was the right answer.  You are pretty much stuck with this. You can choose any other app, but you can't go back to the time before an app was chosen.

 

Not completely sure why this is a problem, unless your Windows system isn't set up to show file types (so the icon is all you have to go on). If that's the case, and you don't know how to change that, please let us know.  You could also change it to any other app (none will be any better but the icon will change).

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Participant ,
May 08, 2021 May 08, 2021

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Interesting hypothesis. When I was doing proofreading on the book that had
been planned for ebook (as well as print), I had exported the indd book to
acrobat. This was before trying to export as epub, which epub to upload to
kindle (kdp). Maybe that IS what stuck in the memory of Win10.

When I was ready to upload an epub to kdp, I did the "export as epub"
(reflowable), and then kept getting the acrobat icon, which supposedly was
an epub. But it was not a real epub and cannot be uploaded to kdp.

When I was using inddcs5.5, win7 and selected to export to epub, the epub
file showed up right away on my desktop. And that was easily uploadable to
kdp (kindle direct publishing).

It may well be that this is one of the problems with Win10, insoluble.
Back to the lame "kindle create" program. Ugh! Or back to my old computer
with win7 and indd5.5.

~Karen

*Karen McChrystal, MA*
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Hidden Springs Press
Santa Monica, CA
 [links removed by moderator]
Karen McChrystal | Facebook

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LEGEND ,
May 08, 2021 May 08, 2021

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"When I was ready to upload an epub to kdp, I did the "export as epub"
(reflowable), and then kept getting the acrobat icon, which supposedly was
an epub. But it was not a real epub and cannot be uploaded to kdp."

 

Associations getting messed up is common and harmless. 

But what you're now describing is a new and different problem. So, two questions:

1. Why do you say, exactly "it was not a real epub"? What tells you that if you don't have an epub reader on your Windows machine?

2. I don't know how kdp works, but what exactly happens when you try to upload the file? What error messages, if any, in full?

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Participant ,
May 08, 2021 May 08, 2021

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Well, if first you don't succeed, or not even the second time, or third, or
fourth, try, try again. First, just as a test, I had tried exporting as
epub and then uploading to kdp just one chapter. The screen just hung
there, nothing happening. Usually there's a message saying "wait" and then
"your book successfully uploaded," after not very long.

Next, it occurred to me to try exporting a full indd ebook to epub. The
acrobat-iconed file showed up again, but I tried uploading it to kindle
(kdp). The damndest thing: sure enough it uploaded as a kindle
book, successfully.

If I try to open the acrobat-iconed file with acrobat, Here's what
happens:
[image: what happens with indd epub.jpg]
Crazy stuff, but I'll take it. Thank you for your persistence.
~Karen

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*Karen McChrystal, MA*
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Hidden Springs Press
Santa Monica, CA
 [links removed by moderator]
Karen McChrystal | Facebook

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Community Expert ,
May 08, 2021 May 08, 2021

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InDesign version 5.5 produces a crude version of Reflowable ePub, recent versions, which can export to v3.1 should be used. What does it state when you validate your ePub?

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Participant ,
May 08, 2021 May 08, 2021

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I haven’t bothered to validate. The only time that seems necessary is if
one tries to have another publisher, like lightning source or Ingram spark,
doing the distribution.

My author clients were perfectly happy with the e-books I produced using
indesign CS5.5.

Any particular reason you ask?
--
*Karen McChrystal, MA*
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Hidden Springs Press
Santa Monica, CA

 [links removed by moderator - please refrain from doing this again or you will be banned]
Karen McChrystal | Facebook

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