InDesign Server licensing issues

Last updated on Jun 2, 2026

Resolve activation failures, unexpected exits, and watermark modes through license reactivation and cache management in Adobe InDesign.

InDesign Server licensing issues can cause unexpected exits, watermark mode, incorrect instance limits, or messages that the server is not properly licensed.

These problems are usually caused by corrupted licensing data, incomplete activation, or changes in virtual machine environments.

InDesign Server licensing and activation issues

In virtualized setups, moving a VM between hosts can deactivate the license and trigger these issues.

Sign in to the Adobe Admin Console.

Create a license-only package for InDesign Server.

Install the package by following the license-only package instructions.

Launch InDesign Server from the command line.

Confirm that the application starts successfully.

Damaged Keychain entries prevent InDesign Server from license validation

Review the NGL logs for the error: SaveToStorageImpl Error: Failed in writing to storage with error code -25300.

Open Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access.

Search for Secure Notes entries named Adobe App Info.

Delete all matching Secure Notes entries.

Launch InDesign Server from the command line.

Confirm that the application no longer exits unexpectedly.

Corrupted licensing cache

Corrupted licensing data in the SLStore and SLCache folders can prevent proper activation.

Quit InDesign Server.

Delete the SLStore and SLCache folders from the following locations:

Windows:

  • C:\ProgramData\Adobe\SLStore
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\SLCache

macOS:

  • /Library/Application Support/Adobe/SLStore
  • /Library/Application Support/Adobe/SLCache

Reactivate InDesign Server using your serial number.

Launch InDesign Server and then verify that it starts correctly.

If you have a multi-instance license, but InDesign Server launches only one instance, verify that your serial number supports multiple instances before reactivating.

Note

If your organization is moving from serial number licensing to Admin Console for deployment, completely uninstall the previous InDesign Server version before installing the Admin Console package.