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Plugins

Learn how to create, install, and manage plugins.

The InDesign plugin modules are software programs developed by Adobe and other software developers working with Adobe to add additional features. Many importing, exporting, automation, and special-effects plugins come with your program and are automatically installed in the Plugins folder. Most of the features you view in InDesign are provided by plugins.

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Try it in the app

Follow along with any project to create, install, and manage plugins.

Install plugins

Once installed, plugin modules appear as options on menus, dialogs, or panels.

  1. If an installer is provided, use it to install the plugin module. Otherwise, drag a copy of the module into the Plugins folder inside the InDesign application folder.

  2. Follow any installation instructions that come with the plugin.

Note:

You can use any commercial plugin designed for use with InDesign. Adobe Technical Support can help you isolate problems related to plugins. However, if it has been determined that the problem is directly related to a plug‑in created by another company, you'll need to contact that company for further support.

Create InDesign plugins with UXP

Plugins in InDesign are now powered with the Unified Extensibility Platform (UXP) so that you can use modern JavaScript (ES5 and most of the ES6 features). Find out more information about UXP Plugins.

UXP Enhancements

  • The Flyout menu   in InDesign lets you access additional operations without cluttering the panel. Here are some things you can do with flyout menus in InDesign:
    • Run scripts: You can run scripts from a flyout menu.
    • Add sub-menus: Items in a flyout menu can have sub-menus, which can be nested into multiple levels.
    • Add emojis: You can use emojis in the items of a flyout menu.
    • Set enabled properties: You can set an item to be grayed out and unreachable.
    • Programmatically change properties: You can programmatically change the properties of items in a flyout menu, such as the toggle, checked, and enabled properties.
  • Persistent storage allows plugins to save data that remains available across sessions or version upgrades. This ensures that user preferences and states are retained even after the application is closed.

Globally Unique Identifier Support (GUID Support)

InDesign is providing GUID support for UXP 3P plugin developers to identify users of their plugins and to facilitate a smooth personalized user experience.

  • GUID support is provided for 3P plugins.
  • Developers can access it from the UXP Developer Tool (UDT) and CCD Marketplace. 

For more information, see UXP for InDesign.

Integration with Creative Cloud Add-ons via the Browse Add-ons menu 

You can search and install plugins, extensions, and more for Adobe InDesign and other products from the Adobe Exchange website.

  • To add-on InDesign with the additional plugins, select Window > Browse Add-ons. These add-ons can be free or paid. All the installed or acquired plugins from the Creative Cloud app for InDesign get synced to InDesign from this workflow. It takes you to the browse add-ons webpage.
  • These add-ons are later visible in Window > Extensions, downloads, or location mentioned in the where to find the add-on description. To view the add-ons you've downloaded, go to the browse add-ons webpage, and in the left side pane of the webpage, there is an option to View my add-ons. It also lists for which products and respective versions these add-ons are supported.

When file-syncing is ON, the browse add-ons sync to the Creative Cloud account.

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