Where Does InDesign Store Preferences and Support Files?
InDesign keeps preferences in a versioned folder on Windows and Mac, split between roaming settings and a regenerable cache.
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InDesign stores its preferences in one folder per version number, so InDesign 2024 and 2025 each keep their own copies of your workspaces, defaults, and cached data. Adobe splits that folder in two. Roaming data holds the things you would want to keep, like InDesign Defaults, SavedData, workspaces, and scripts. The local cache holds bulky files that can be rebuilt, like recovery data and font masks.
Knowing which is which matters when something goes wrong. Deleting the cache is harmless and fixes a surprising number of glitches. Touching the roaming folder without a backup means rebuilding every custom workspace by hand.
Where Adobe InDesign stores this, by platform
%APPDATA%\Adobe\InDesign\Version <version>
Roaming settings: InDesign Defaults, SavedData, Workspaces, scripts, and menu sets. Replace <version> with your release number, for example Version 19.0 for InDesign 2024. The bulky cache lives separately under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Adobe\InDesign\Version <version> and can be deleted safely while the app is closed.
~/Library/Preferences/Adobe InDesign/Version <version>
Same split as Windows. Settings live here, while the regenerable cache sits in ~/Library/Caches/Adobe InDesign/Version <version>. Hold Shift+Control+Option+Command while launching to reset preferences instead of digging through these folders by hand.
Frequently asked questions
How do I reset InDesign preferences without deleting files by hand?
Hold Shift+Ctrl+Alt on Windows, or Shift+Control+Option+Command on Mac, while InDesign launches, then confirm. It deletes SavedData and Defaults and starts fresh. Back up the version folder first if you have custom workspaces you care about.
Which InDesign files should I back up before reinstalling?
Copy InDesign Defaults and InDesign SavedData plus the Workspaces folder from the roaming location. Those three cover your preferences, defaults, and panel layouts. Skip the local cache folder. It only holds recovery data and rebuilds itself.
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