Select Window > Output > Preflight (Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F) (Windows) or Cmd + Option + Shift + F (macOS).
- What's new
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Get started
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Settings and preferences
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- Toolbox
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Create and organize pages
- Import and convert file to InDesign
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- Create and manage book files
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Arrange and order pages
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Layout and grid tools
- Apply layout adjustments
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Grids
- Create and customize layout grids
- Use a baseline grid
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- Generative AI features
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Add and manage text
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- Type on a path
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Format and style text
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Text styles
- Create and edit text styles
- Override text styles
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- Map styles to export tags
- Apply sequential text styles to multiple paragraphs
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- Create nested styles
- End or remove a nested style
- Character formatting
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Tabs, indents, and spacing
- About kerning and tracking
- Adjust kerning between characters
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- Adjust text spacing
- Control glyph scaling
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- Specify characters for decimal tabs
- Set indents
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- Lists and numbering
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Text styles
- Fonts
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Language and proofing
- Language settings
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Arabic and Hebrew
- Set up World-Ready composers for Arabic and Hebrew
- Control text direction for Arabic and Hebrew
- Justify Arabic text with automatic Kashida insertion
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- Copy and paste Arabic and Hebrew text from Microsoft Word
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Chinese, Japanese, and Korean
- About Mojikumi and Yakumono in Japanese layout
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Glyphs, characters, and expressions
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- Construct a GREP expression
- Find and replace items using queries
- Hidden character glossary
- View or show hidden characters
- Create and insert math expressions
- Edit math expressions
- Stylize math expressions
- Find and replace with text patterns (GREP)
- Save and manage find and replace queries
- Manage language dictionaries
- Spell check
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Indexes and references
- Add a Table of Contents
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- Create an Index
- References and bookmarks
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Add graphics and media
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Add and edit graphics
- Generate images with text prompts
- Extend images beyond borders
- Apply effects to text and shapes
- Add images to documents
- Add and manage graphics from CC libraries
- Edit images
- Import Firefly assets
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- Create contact sheets
- Manage frames and objects
- Object libraries and snippets
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Transform and arrange objects
- Move, scale, rotate, shear, and flip objects
- Transform multiple objects and repeat transformations
- Object transformation settings and options
- About anchored objects
- Transform anchored objects
- Create and position anchored objects
- Manage and update anchored objects
- Group and lock objects
- Create hidden and nonprinting objects
- Align or distribute objects
- Manage links
- Manage object styles
- Movies and sound
- Animation
- Page transitions
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Add and edit graphics
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Add tables and data
- Create tables
- Format tables
- Table and cell styles
- Strokes and fills
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Interactive elements and forms
- Buttons
- Hyperlinks
- QR Codes
- Forms and PDFs
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Create lines and shapes
- Drawing tools
- Draw lines and shapes
- Edit and style paths
- Combine and convert paths
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Apply color
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Define and manage color assets
- Apply color to text, objects, and backgrounds
- Mix and define custom colors
- Organize and reuse color swatches
- Add and manage colors from CC libraries
- Sample colors from placed graphics
- Apply colors to grayscale images
- Find and replace colors
- Swatch types
- Create and define new swatches
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- Import and share swatch libraries
- Create and edit tints
- Create mixed ink swatches and groups
- Edit and convert mixed ink swatches
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Advanced color techniques
- Apply opacity and transparency effects
- Transparency effects options and settings
- Change transparency display settings
- Apply blending modes
- Blending mode options
- Control blending with isolation and knockouts
- Create and name gradient swatches
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- Transparency flattening overview
- Apply flattener presets for output
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- Transparency Flattener preset options
- Fix transparency flattener preview
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Define and manage color assets
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Collaborate and review
- Track changes and review
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Share and collaborate
- Share for review overview
- Share documents with review links
- Review a shared InDesign document
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- Edit InDesign documents with InCopy on the web (beta)
- View custom fonts
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- Import PDF comments
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- Add files to projects
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Edit with InCopy
- About assignment files between InDesign and InCopy
- Set user identification
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- Create and manage assignments
- Relink or unlink assignment files
- Open and update managed content
- Check in and check out content
- Save managed layout changes
- Workflow icons for managed files
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Save, export, and publish
- Save and export
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Export to EPUB
- Export to EPUB
- EPUB export options in InDesign
- Accessibility features while exporting to EPUB
- Accessibility enhancements for indexes
- Adjust text resizing for accessibility
- Add ARIA role while exporting to EPUB
- Add ARIA labels to objects
- EPUB export support and limitations
- Create accessible glossaries
- Export to HTML and web
- Publish work online
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Print
- Page setup and printer marks
- Ink and color management
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Color output and separations
- About color separations
- Prepare documents for color separation
- Create color separations
- Save and print color separations
- Print gradients as separations
- About ink trapping
- Trap a document or a book
- Trap preset options
- Set the trap width for colors next to black
- Print a composite
- Use color management when printing
- Color output options
- Print objects on all color plates
- About overprinting
- Overprint strokes and fills
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- Simulate spot ink overprinting
- Change the black overprint setting
- Preview color separations and ink coverage
- Preflight
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Automation and scripting
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App integrations
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Troubleshoot
- Known and fixed issues
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Launch and crash issues
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File and output issues
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Settings, interface, and feature issues
- Feature keyboard shortcuts don’t work
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- InDesign Server licensing issues
- Cloud collaboration and web issues
InDesign PDF export hangs in the background
Last updated on
Jun 2, 2026
Resolve hung PDF export tasks using preference resets, preflight controls, and background export settings in Adobe InDesign.
When exporting to PDF (Print), InDesign displays a background task that doesn't complete and cannot be canceled. When you attempt to quit InDesign, you see the message: InDesign cannot quit because one or more tasks are running in the background.
Live Preflight is selected, affecting document performance
In the Preflight panel, deselect the On option.
Quit InDesign.
Launch InDesign.
Open the document and export it to PDF.
Your PDF should export successfully without hanging. If the export completes and you can open the PDF, the issue is resolved.
Outdated InDesign versions
If deselecting Live Preflight doesn't resolve the issue, outdated software may be the cause
An outdated version of InDesign may contain bugs that cause PDF export to hang. Updates include fixes for known export issues.
Select Help > Updates in InDesign.
If updates are available, select Update.
InDesign launches automatically after updating.
Open your document and select File > Export, or press Ctrl + E (Windows) or Cmd + E (macOS). If your PDF exports without hanging, the update resolved the issue.
Documents with complex elements may trigger export conflicts
Select File > New > Book.
Choose a location and name for your book file, then select Save.
In the Book panel, select the Add Documents icon.
Navigate to your document and select Open.
Select the Book panel menu icon, and then select Export Book to PDF.
Configure your PDF settings, and then select File > Export (Ctrl + E).
Background exporting
Background exporting allows you to continue working while PDFs generate, but this feature can sometimes cause export processes to hang or fail to complete.
Close InDesign completely.
Open a plain text editor like Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (macOS).
Create a new blank file (don't type anything in it).
Select File > Save As.
Name the file DisableAsyncExports.txt.
Save your file in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign <version> (Windows) or /Applications/Adobe InDesign <version>/Adobe InDesign <version>.app/Contents/MacOS (macOS).
Launch InDesign, open your document, and export to PDF.
Your PDF export should now run in the foreground and complete successfully. You won't be able to work in InDesign during export, but the export won't hang.
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