Starting with the 2021 release, InDesign has enhanced the auto-repair mechanism that detects and automatically recovers corrupted documents. Multiple factors, both internal and external to InDesign, can lead to a document becoming corrupted, making this feature update crucial.

When a damaged file is detected, InDesign will ask if you would like the file to be repaired. If you choose Yes the document is uploaded to an Adobe server where it is processed.

If the document has been successfully repaired, the recovered document will open in InDesign and prompt you to do a Save As before proceeding any further with it.

Note: This functionality will only work with InDesign 2021 and later.

Images: Adobe

Look for more details on new features in our upcoming InDesign tips and in our new handbook, Using Adobe InDesign 2021 coming soon. This handbook will provide detailed explanations of all new features within the context of the overall application, and is a complete guide to all things InDesign.

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Want to learn even more? Check out all our best-selling handbooks, and our new book on Amazon: Mastering InDesign Templates, (available in eBook and paperback).

Note: Information contained in this post is current at the time of posting.

Posted by: Monica Murphy

Monica Murphy has worked in the publishing industry for over 30 years supporting publishing operations of various sizes. In her role as Technical Product Manager for Technology for Publishing, she shares her publishing application expertise supporting a broad range of publishing clients in InDesign best practices, cross-platform content workflows, and InDesign Template strategies. Her weekly tip and blog posts have a committed following in the InDesign community, and as a long-time participant in the InDesign pre-release community, she regularly analyzes and provides feedback for upcoming features. Monica manages the authoring and publication of Technology for Publishing’s handbooks on InDesign, InCopy, and other associated titles.