How to Fix Adobe InDesign Missing Plugins Error

Missing Plugins Error is encountered by users when they open a file that has a dependency on some custom-installed plugin. Plugins are a software program that adds a new feature to Adobe InDesign and they are developed by Adobe Systems and also other software developers as a third-party Add-on.

The user gets the missing Plugin error when they are either missing the plugins or there are some incompatibility issues. This happens usually when users create a file in one version on Adobe InDesign and then port it to another more recent version. This can also because when InDesign is updated to a more recent version and older plugins become incompatible with the newer version of Adobe InDesign. This can be very frustrating when a user has hundreds of files in a package that are missing plugins.

Method 1: Export the File in IDML Format

InDesign has the option to Export the File in IDML format which allows you to ignore the plugin dependency. IDML stands for InDesign Mark-Up Language from Adobe. It is XML based format file that allows backward compatibility with newer versions of InDesign. This means that the files created and saved in previous versions of Adobe InDesign can also be used in newer versions without any errors.

1. While you have your project file opened go to the File Menu and click on the Export option

   

2. In the Save As type select the .idml format and name the file and click Save
   In the Save As type select the .idml format and name the file and click Save
   
3. Once you have the .idml file you can open that file in a previous version of InDesign and export it to .indd format which will remove all the plugins information stored in that file and you will permanently be able to get rid of Plugin Dependency.

Method 2: Use InExUtils Utility

InExUtils is a third-party utility that allows you to save your InDesign files even if your files have dependability upon certain plugins that are missing. It also does not make changes to the content. It is able to save all the open documents at once without you having to do this manually to each document which can be cumbersome and may waste a lot of time.

1. Download the plugin from here.

   

2. The zip file has .exe file for both Mac and Windows. Run the executable file depending upon your Operating System to install the plugin
3. Once installed, relaunch your AdobeIn design application (if it is already running) and go to Menu > InExUtils > Ignore missing plugins (All Docs). This will ignore all the missing plugin information for all the documents that are open (You will only be able to see this option when you have any documents opened).