inDesign freezes when pages are created, deleted or moved in big document

[kitk70675145]

I am trying to finish up a book that is 190 pages long with photographs and captions on each page. My inDesign 2015 CC hangs itself up whenever pages are created, deleted or moved by the page menu, or by dragging them. I have to force quit the application and start again. 

I am on a Mac with 2.8GHz Quad-Core intel Xeon processor running 10.9.5.

This happens when it is the only program running.

I have spent so much time trying to find a solution. What should I do?

[Steve Werner]

There could be corruption in the document. Try saving as IDML and reopen as described below:

Clean corrupt files by exporting to .IDML or .INX

[kitk70675145]

It will not let me open the idml file.

[Steve Werner]

Then you may have to go back to a previous backup of the project. The document may be permanently corrupted in its current form.

[kitk70675145]

Because everything else seemed to work, including saving the updated file, I have been working on it for many days since I first noticed that moving pages made the program freeze. 

Do I have to do all that work again?

Also, if there are problems in the workings of the program, how do you know when to stop working on a project to fix the glitch versus figuring that you'll find the answer later?

[Steve Werner]

I'm afraid I don't have any simple answer for your question. Maybe others have some suggestons.

[kitk70675145]

I appreciate your answers more than I can tell you. Thank you!

Are there any other ideas out there?

[Laubender]

kitk70675145  wrote

It will not let me open the idml file.

Hi,

did InDesign crash on this?

Or did it run and did not finish?
Opening complex IDML files can take a very long time.

Sometimes more than hour. So be patient.

Regards,
Uwe

[kitk70675145]

Uwe -

I had no idea that making a complex IDML could take that long and I did not wait anywhere close to enough time.

Next time, I will be more patient.

Michael -

I am quickly learning to do just that.

I went back to an old version long before many of the fixes and have found that some of my earlier ideas were better than my current ones.  In any event, I can finally move the pages which is the main thing I need to do.

Thank you both.

[Laubender]

kitk70675145  wrote

Uwe -

I had no idea that making a complex IDML could take that long and I did not wait anywhere close to enough time.

…

It's not exporting or saving as IDML that should take that long.

Usually it's opening an IDML file that can take it's time. InDesign has to interpret all the XML in that file to construct a new document.

And this situation is getting worse, writing IDML and reading IDML, if you copy/paste pixel data to the document pages. Or if you do not link placed images. That would also mean that IDML files get very big and very complex.

BTW: Long tables that are threaded through a lot of pages are adding immense complexness.

Regards,
Uwe

[Mike Witherell]

Always save and iteratively backup by the hour.

Here are a series of things you can explore:

InDesign CC 2018 Troubleshooting How-to Guide