Why can't this show every page of my .indd file?

Because no program but InDesign can read an .indd file's pages reliably. Adobe has never published the format, it changes with each version, and the free tools that try guess at it. Rather than show wrong pages, this page shows what InDesign stores openly inside the file: the page previews, the page count and size, the fonts and the linked files. For the real pages, ask the sender for a PDF or an IDML file.

How do I save an InDesign file as IDML?

In InDesign, choose File, Save As, and set the format to InDesign Markup (IDML). The .idml file opens here with all its pages, opens in every InDesign version since CS4, and is how designers send work to people on older versions.

Why are only some pages previewed?

InDesign saves small previews of only the first page or the first few unless "Always Save Preview Images with Documents" is set to all pages in its File Handling preferences, and none at all when that option is off, so many files carry just one or two.

Is the PDF made from an IDML file the same as InDesign's?

No, it is a close approximation. The fonts are not inside an IDML file, so similar fonts on your device are used and lines can break differently. Text wrap, effects such as shadows and feathering, table borders, pictures and frames anchored in the text and linked pictures are not drawn (a table's text is shown, row by row). For printing, use a PDF exported from InDesign.

Why are the pictures grey boxes?

InDesign keeps placed pictures as separate files beside the document; neither an .idml nor an .indd normally holds them. Each box is labelled with the picture's file name, listed under Linked files. InDesign's File, Package collects the document, its pictures and fonts into one folder to send.

Is my file uploaded anywhere?

No. It is read in your browser and never leaves your device.

Stays on your computer Saving INDD previews as a PDF fetches the pdf-lib library the first timeHow this works

Free InDesign file viewer for INDD and IDML files

Open an InDesign file without InDesign: see the pages of an IDML package and save them as PDF, Word or text, or see the page previews, fonts and linked files inside an INDD document - entirely in your browser

Drag & drop an InDesign file here, or browse

Tap to choose an InDesign file

.indd, .indt, .idml or .idms · nothing is uploaded

About this InDesign viewer

Opens: IDML packages (.idml) and snippets (.idms) with their pages; InDesign documents and templates (.indd, .indt) for their page previews and details.
Saves: From IDML: the pages as PDF, PNG or SVG, and the text as Word or plain text. From INDD: the previews as JPG, PNG or PDF, and the details as text.
Works on: Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on Windows, Mac, Linux and ChromeOS, and on iPhone, iPad and Android.
Price: Free, with no sign-up and no watermark.
Privacy: The file is read in your browser and never uploaded.
Cannot: Draw the pages of an .indd file or get its text out (only InDesign can); edit a file or save it back to InDesign; show linked pictures that were not sent with the file.

InDesign is Adobe's page layout program for brochures, magazines, books, menus and posters, sold only as a subscription. When a designer sends you the working file instead of a PDF, you get an .indd you cannot open, or an .idml that nothing on your computer recognises. This page opens both, as far as each format allows.

An IDML file (InDesign Markup Language) is the open copy InDesign saves for other versions and other programs: a documented package of the pages, text, styles and colours. This page reads it and draws every page itself - text frames threaded in order with their paragraph and character styles, shapes, lines, colours and the pictures embedded in it - then saves a PDF, the text in reading order as a Word document, or each page as PNG or SVG. An INDD file is InDesign's own closed format. Nothing outside InDesign reads its pages and text reliably, so this page does not pretend to: it shows the page previews InDesign stores inside the document, with the page count and size, the fonts, the linked pictures and the swatches, and explains how to ask for an IDML or PDF. It is free to use, with no account and no upload limit, and it runs entirely in your browser: nothing is uploaded, and while the page stays open, a feature you have already used keeps working offline.

What you can do

See every page of an IDML file: text frames with threaded stories, paragraph and character styles, master pages and page numbers
Rectangles, ellipses, polygons and lines with their fills, tints, gradients and strokes; rounded corners, groups and transparency
Pictures embedded in the IDML drawn in place; linked pictures shown as a labelled box with the file's name
Save the pages as one PDF, or any page as PNG or SVG
Save all the text in reading order as a Word document with its fonts, sizes, bold, italic, colours and alignment, or as plain text
List the linked files, the fonts (and which were missing when the file was saved) and the colour swatches
Open an InDesign snippet (.idms) as a page
From an .indd or .indt: show the page previews saved inside it and save them as JPG, PNG or PDF
From an .indd: the InDesign version, page count, page size, fonts, linked files and swatches, and save them as text

How to open an InDesign file without InDesign

Drop the .idml, .indd or .indt file onto the page, or click to choose it.
For an IDML file, scroll through the pages, then choose Save as PDF, Save as Word or Save the text, or PNG and SVG under a page.
For an INDD file, look at the page previews and details; save a preview, or ask the sender for an IDML or PDF copy to see every page.

Questions

Why can't this show every page of my .indd file?: Because no program but InDesign can read an .indd file's pages reliably. Adobe has never published the format, it changes with each version, and the free tools that try guess at it. Rather than show wrong pages, this page shows what InDesign stores openly inside the file: the page previews, the page count and size, the fonts and the linked files. For the real pages, ask the sender for a PDF or an IDML file.
How do I save an InDesign file as IDML?: In InDesign, choose File, Save As, and set the format to InDesign Markup (IDML). The .idml file opens here with all its pages, opens in every InDesign version since CS4, and is how designers send work to people on older versions.
Why are only some pages previewed?: InDesign saves small previews of only the first page or the first few unless "Always Save Preview Images with Documents" is set to all pages in its File Handling preferences, and none at all when that option is off, so many files carry just one or two.
Is the PDF made from an IDML file the same as InDesign's?: No, it is a close approximation. The fonts are not inside an IDML file, so similar fonts on your device are used and lines can break differently. Text wrap, effects such as shadows and feathering, table borders, pictures and frames anchored in the text and linked pictures are not drawn (a table's text is shown, row by row). For printing, use a PDF exported from InDesign.
Why are the pictures grey boxes?: InDesign keeps placed pictures as separate files beside the document; neither an .idml nor an .indd normally holds them. Each box is labelled with the picture's file name, listed under Linked files. InDesign's File, Package collects the document, its pictures and fonts into one folder to send.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?: No. It is read in your browser and never leaves your device.

For other publishing files, open PageMaker publications in the PageMaker Viewer, QuarkXPress documents in the QXD Viewer and Publisher files in the Publisher Viewer.