InDesign or InCopy freezes or quits when you start on Mac OS

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Issue

When you start Adobe InDesign or Adobe InCopy on Mac OS, the application crashes, freezes, or quits with one of the following error messages:

  • "The application Adobe InDesign has unexpectedly quit."
  • "The application Adobe InCopy has unexpectedly quit."

Solution

Do one or more of the following solutions:

Solution 1: Delete all Adobefnt10.lst files.

Search for and delete all copies of the AdobeFnt10.lst file that you find on the hard disk:

  1. In the Finder, choose File > Find (Command + F).
  2. Type Adobefnt10.lst, select the system drive, and then click the Search icon.
  3. Click within the search results. Choose Edit > Select All, and then drag the selected files to the Trash.
  4. Choose Finder > Empty Trash.
  5. Restart InDesign.

Solution 2: Troubleshoot fonts by disabling a few at a time.

  1. Deactivate all font management utilities, such as Adobe Type Manager or Extensis Suitcase.
  2. Start Font Book from the Applications folder.
  3. In the Collection column, select Computer.
  4. Choose Edit > Disable Computer. Click Disable, when asked to confirm.
  5. Run the application installer. Then do one of the following:
  • If the problem recurs, repeat steps 4-5 to disable the User and Classic collections.
  • If the problem doesn't recur, the problem font is in the collection you disabled. In Font Book, enable one font at a time in the collection and try to reproduce problem until you find the problem font.



    Note: If you identify problem fonts, Adobe requests that you complete a bug report at www.adobe.com/misc/bugreport.html. Be sure to include the font name, the font creation date, and the font type (for example, OpenType fonts from Adobe, TrueType, dfont, or Type 1).

Solution 3: Remove third-party plug-ins from the Plug-ins folder.

Identify third-party plug-ins and then remove the plug-in files for each of those plug-ins.

To identify third-party plug-ins in CS4 and earlier, choose choose Help > Configure Plug-ins (Windows) or InDesign > Configure Plug-ins (Mac OS).

To identify third-party plug-ins/extensions in CS5 and later, choose Help > Manage Extensions (Windows) or InDesign > Manage Extensions (Mac OS).

To remove third-party plug-ins: Move the plug-in file for each plug-in from the Adobe InDesign [version]/Plug-ins folder to a backup folder and restart InDesign/InCopy.

If you identify problems with third-party plug-ins, then please complete a bug report, available on the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/misc/bugreport.html. Be sure to include the plug-in name, version and manufacturer.

Solution 4: Disable the Font Agent plug-in.

If you've installed Extensis Suitcase on the system, disable the FontAgent plug-in that comes with the application. You may also want to check the Extensis website (www.extensis.com) for updates to Suitcase.

Solution 5: Start the application in Safe mode and disable Font Preview.

  1. Restart the computer, and then hold down the Shift key immediately after you hear the startup tone.
  2. Release the Shift key when the Apple logo appears. "Safe Boot" appears on the Mac OS X startup screen.
  3. Start the application.
  4. Choose InDesign > Preferences > Type (for InDesign), or InCopy > Preferences > Type (for InCopy).
  5. In Type Options, deselect Font Preview Size.

Additional Information

If an Adobefnt10.lst file becomes damaged, it can cause InDesign or InCopy to crash, freeze, or quit when you try to start it. Adobefnt.lst files (for example, Adobefnt10.list) are font cache files that Adobe applications use to quickly gather and store information about available fonts. If you delete or rename an Adobefnt.lst file, the application will re-create it the next time you start the application.

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