INDD (InDesign Document) file extensions are created by and used in Adobe InDesign. This guide explains how you can easily access and edit them in Windows 10 or Mac.
This Article Covers:
What is INDD File?
INDD files are commonly used for publishing flyers, brochures, newspapers and other layouts. INDD files store the entire visual layout information of an entire project when changes are being made to the project.
Multiple users can work on the same INDD files without changing the source INDD file. A hidden temporary IDLK file is created in the user’s computer when editing the INDD file to prevent any changes made by other users at the same time and is deleted when the user finishes editing the file.
Applications of INDD Files
INDD files are perfect for extensive projects to maintain the visual layout of all the pages. INDD files are also a good choice to editing and managing multiple pages at once.
Once some changes are made to a page, INDD makes sure that the changes are consistent with the layouts of all the pages.
Software to open INDD Files
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe InCopy
- QuarkXPress
How to Open INDD Files in Windows 10
There are basically two effective methods to open .INDD files in Windows 10.
Method # 01: Opening INDD Files with Adobe InDesign and Adobe InCopy
- Open Adobe InDesign (or Adobe InCopy) and navigate to File > Open.
- Locate the INDD file you want to open in the window and double-click on it.
Method # 02: Opening INDD Files with Adobe Photoshop
Opening .indd files with Adobe Photoshop requires users to first convert the INDD file to a PDF since Adobe Photoshop cannot directly import an INDD file.
- Open the .indd file Adobe InDesign. Click on the File button and select Import.
- Select a location to store the exported file and select Adobe PDF (Print) in the option next to Save as type. Then, click Save.
- Set the Adobe PDF Preset to High Quality Print and then click the Export button to save the PDF file.
- Now, open Adobe Photoshop, click on the File button and select Open.
- Locate the PDF file and double-click on it to see the Import PDF dialog.
- Hold the CTRL key, select all the pages of the PDF file to import them to Photoshop and click OK.
How to Open INDD Files in macOS
Just lixke Windows 10, INDD files can be easily opened in macOS by using a software named QuarkXPress.
Opening INDD Files with QuarkXPress
- This process requires QuarkXPress 2019 or QuarkXPress 2018 to be installed on your computer with the external IDML Import extension.
- Open IDMarkz and drag & drop the INDD file in the window.
- Click on the Open in Quark button in the IDMarkz window which will open QuarkXPress.
- An IDML Import dialog will be prompted. Click OK to let QuarkXPress start the conversion process.
- Once the conversion is completed, the INDD file will open in QuarkXPress where it can be edited.
You can make changes to the converted INDD file and save it on your computer as a QuarkXPress file based on the converted INDD file.
How to Edit .INDD Files
Editing .indd files is as easy as accessing them. You can open and edit INDD files with Adobe InDesign as shown in the aforementioned method. As for Macs, you can utilize the QuarkXPress software to edit INDD files.
