InDesign CC won't save my files

Report · Jun 25, 2013

Hi

I've been working in InDesign for a week now and since yesterday I started noticing that at times InDesign won't undo and I am not able to save my file. I keep hitting command + s while working but it just doesn't save or give an error message. If I go on the File menu all the save and save as commands are grayed out. If you close the file and click on the save button InDesign just gives a message that the file cannot be saved. I have to close the file without saving and redo all the work. Because InDesign doesn't give an error when pressing command + s I would do a lot of work under the impression everything gets saved but it doesn't and I keep losing a lot of work.

Also CC runs very slow. There are times when the program just "freezes" for awhile while InDesign does somethings in the background and only after it is done you can start working again. The pages panel takes ages to load the previews onto the pages and while it is doing so I cannot do anything at all.

Starting to think I should have stayed with CS6.

Report · Jun 25, 2013

Please supply us with some important information:

Version of InDesign? CC? Language Version?
Version of OS
How do you save? Local or on a network place?

Report · Jun 25, 2013

I'm working with InDesign CC, Language version is English (International). I work on Mas OS 10.8.4 and we work from a server. What is weird is that InDesign doesn't even let me save as to my local disk. This sort of reminds me of Quark back in the day. It would do the same and that was the main reason we moved to InDesign.

Report · May 18, 2016

I have the same problem (running latest MAC & software) and have to Export as an IDML file, then quit.... re-start Indesign then open the IDML... you know the story. I have had Adobe support take over my computer and they couldn't fix it - had no idea, was a total waste of time. They can't fix it, won't fix it!

Working on this software for the last 20 years I can't believe how many issues I have on a daily basis with this new platform I usually restart Indesign a couple times a day, not to mention the constant annoying updates.

I am now leaning towards Affinity, their Photoshop alternative is very good and I'm looking forward to their publishing software in the not to distant future.

Report · Jun 25, 2013

Are you using any other device with InDesign like Wacom Tablet? Or is there any wacom driver installed on your machine?

Can you provide a little more information on this like:

1) What you generally do when you see that Save/SaveAs gets disabled? Working with Master pages or applyig any styles?

2) When save/save as gets grayed out, Are you able to save it to IDML/Export to PDF?

3) Does all the menu items gets grayed out or is it just with Save/Save As?

Report · Jun 25, 2013

I have no wacom drivers installed.

1) I was placing a lot of client matter in InDesign. Yesterday it was placing various logo in different file formats (psd, jpg, ai, pdf) and today it was placing ads mostly supplied pdfs. Some I placed from the File > Place (Command + d) and some were dragged from the finder or Bridge.

2) Haven't tried saving to IDML or export to pdf, but I tried force quitting InDesign in the hope that it would recover my work, but unfortunately autosave doesn't work either and I still lose all the work.

3) The only the menu items that I noticed gets grayed out are under file menu from save to revert as well as undo and redo.

I was wondering if it has anything to do with the fact that the files were created in a previous version of InDesign. In CS 5 we had problems with creating pdfs from previous versions of InDesign but not from new files created in CS 5.

Report · Jun 25, 2013

This sounds very much like a permissions issue of some sort (particularly the part about the recovery data not being saved). Where is the recovery data supposed to be (you can set it in the prefs, and you may want to try moving it from the default location in your user library)?

In theory there should not be a problem working with legacy files, but I recommend that all legacy files be exported to either .idml or .inx (depending on the version) and opeing that in the new version for converting. There seems to be less liklihood of trouble down the road with that proceedure.

Report · Jun 28, 2013

Today I've worked on a new job for a client. The InDesign file was create in CC so it was not a legacy file. The job has a page where there are logo's of all their sponsors. The moment I place a jpg I am unable to save the job. I am able to create an IDML file and a pdf. When I open the IDML file and save it as an InDesign file again and work in it then again I am unable to save any further changes. Here are some screenshots of the error message and my file and edit menu. I've even tried saving the file on my computer instead of on the network drive and it still does not save.

On some computers in our office CC is to slow to even work with. I'm afraid we will have to move back to CS6 untill Adobe can fix these problems.

Report · Jun 28, 2013

Have you tried trashing the prefs on one of these machines? see Replace Your Preferences

Report · Jun 28, 2013

I have been trying to reproduce this for quite some time now but could not reproduce it. If the file(.jpg) is not confidential, could you please share that, or remove the confidetial content if any and then share it so that I along with engineering team would try reproducing this problem. Thanks.

Report · Jun 28, 2013

It is not a problem. I can send you the neccessary files. How do I do that?

I have just re-installed the international version of InDesign CC (I previously had the US version) and so far it seems as if the problem might be over, but it is still to early to say.

Report · Jun 30, 2013

Please send the files @ sharewithID@adobe.com, though it seems that problem is not specific to any file but still I can try it out and see. Meanwhile, If you experince the problem with international version, please update. If you get any clue, when generally it start happening, please update. Thanks.

Report · Jul 03, 2013

Hello Jacodbruin,

Have you encountered the issue again with international version. Could you please provide the files( mail to : sharewithID@adobe.com) with which you encountered it earlier? Thanks.

Report · Jul 03, 2013

Hi BDinkar

I have not experienced anymore problems with the international version of InDesign but I haven't worked on the same kind of job again. I tried to recreate the problem in the international version with the previous files that gave me the problems but I was unable to.

I have sent you the files but I think they might have been to big. I'll send you the collected files via YouSendIt.

Report · Sep 07, 2016

I've got this exact same issue. Macbook Pro Retina 2.5 GHz i7 / CC / English / No Wacom. Working with InDesign on a daily base for a decade. Recently (2 months) moved to Adobe Creative Cloud.

Report · Aug 11, 2013

Im using CS6 and I get this issue too and using am using a wacom touch tablet.

In response to your questions:

1. In general after opening ID I am just saving with shortcuts, then after a few it stops working and want let me save

2. No

3. Yes

Report · Sep 12, 2013

I believe it might have something to do with sync settings. it is happening to me and I turned them off and so far so good.

Report · Jun 29, 2013

I am experiencing this exact same issue. Working off of files on my local hard drive.

OS X Version 10.8.4
InDesign CC Version 9.0 (Up to date)

InDesign randomly starts behaving oddly. Won't undo/redo, won't save. I definitely have file permission.

Tried logging out of creative cloud and logging back in. Didn't fix. I installed InDesign CC about 3-4 days ago and it has worked perfectly until now.

The problem seems to start when I resize a text box after copy/pasting from another InDesign file.

Hopefully someone comes up with a fix for this.

Report · Jul 03, 2013

I had the same problems... this link helped http://indesignsecrets.com/why-is-some-feature-grayed-out-in-indesign.php

Basically - if the file has come from an older version of indesign and said converted in title these features were greyed out. Once I saved it the features were re-enabled. Hope this helps.

Report · Jul 03, 2013

Thanks Alli for providing the link.

But actually. the problem is that Save/SaveAs gets disabled and then it is not posible to save the files. Did you encounter the file save issue or was there other things that greyed out?

Report · Jul 03, 2013

Sorry... I thought I'd solved it for you... I should really read things better.

It was the undo and redo that were greyed out for me.

I noticed this week as we had a new mac in the office that there were upgrades with bug fixes available for all the CC programmes ... as I don't remember to check in with the Cloud I hadn't realised. Just wondered if you'd seen them.

Report · Jul 03, 2013

I've been having this probelm too. It started about a week after I got my Bamboo Capture tablet, and I was thinking that might've been the cause, but If you don't have any Wacom software and you're having this problem then maybe not.

I haven't found a solution, but I do know how you can stop losing work over it. When the problem occurs and you need to save, export the job to an .idml file. Then you can quit InDesign and when you restart and open the .idml file, all your work will be intact. Then you can save it natively in InDesign.

Still annoying, but it works.

Report · Jul 03, 2013

Yeah, I ended up duplicating my file and renaming it and the problem hasn't persisted in any other files yet.

Report · Jul 03, 2013

You have mentioned that the save problem started happening with the Bamboo capture tablet. Couple of questions :

1) Did it happen when you installed the driver or when you started using the tablet on Indesign?

2) Could you please provide the driver version?

3) is the problem happening consistently?

4) And lastly, if you can check whether the problem gets reolved with the uninstallation of the driver?

Thanks.

Report · Jul 11, 2013

This has been happening to me on a regular basis:

All the menu items greyed out as shown in Jacodbruin's screen grabs above. Plus the Direct Selection tool (the white cursor) not displaying.

I have now narrowed it down to a reproduceable bug between Bridge CC and InDesign CC when dragging an image across from Bridge CC to an InD CC picture box. Upon doing so (often on the second dragged image into InD), the save problem kicks in.

My interim fix has been to export the file as an IDML, something still possible when all other save options are greyed out. Now of course my current fix is to not use Bridge CC.

I'm calling Adobe support today to inform them of my findings. So far Adobe chat support was unable to provide any help.