InDesign: Resize Document Window?
September 2, 2009 / Updated: April 22, 2019 / Lena Shore
Filed under: InDesign, Print Design, Q&A
Question:
Do you know what preference I need to adjust in Indesign CS4 to keep an opening document from filling the entire screen? Even if I adjust it to where I’d like it to stay and then close it, when I reopen it, it takes the whole 24″ of my screen.
Answer:
NOTE: New versions of InDesign remember what size the window was when you last closed it. This tip will only be helpful with older versions of InDesign like CS4.
I wish I had a better answer to this. If anyone comes up with one, please let me know. It surely seems there should be a built in way to do this, but I can’t find one. But this works pretty well.
You can install this javascript script (written by Dave Saunders) in your Adobe InDesign/Scripts: ResizeWindow (download and unzip the file)
You open the document, reset the document window size and then run the script and it remembers that size. Next time, you just run the script on any open document and it resets the window size to your selected size.
To make it easier and quicker, apply a shortcut to the script! You can combine that with saving your own custom workspace and in a couple of clicks you can be in your own InDesign nirvana.
Thanks, Lena! It kept opening every document the size of the full document window for some reason, but now it’s working right. User error, I’m sure 😉
It probably just knows you are watching it now and decided to behave. (:
I installed from the link given above, and when I run it, it says it’s missing the settings file and asks if I want to use the front window. So with the front window set the way want them to be, I run the script and click Yes to use the front window. Next time I run it, same thing, it just says it’s missing the settings file and it doesn’t work at all. Could anyone tell me where to get the settings file or what to do? I’m on Windows 7.
Noni – The new versions of InDesign don’t seem to need this tip. They remember the size of the window.
And giving credit where it is due — this script was written by Dave Saunders.
Tom – Thank you for pointing that out. I don’t remember where I found the script – but I have given Dave credit in the article. If you have a link-back for him, I’d be happy to post that as well.
Thank you SO much for providing this info. I updated to ID CS4 a few months ago and this issue has been plaguing me ever since! The shortcut for the script makes it SO easy.
You are welcome! Glad it helped! (:
The script is awesome! One question …. how can I reset it and start over? I want to change the default size.
Thanks!
I would click the green plus/window expander button (in the upper left) to get it to full screen. (:
How do you “run the script?” I don’t see that option anywhere…
To bring up a list of scripts in CS5 go to Window –> Utilities –> Scripts. I believe in CS4 it is Window –> Automation –> Scripts. After you have the Scripts panel open, you can click on any of the scripts in the list to launch them.
i’m dealing with the same thing right now. cs3 just remembered whatever size you set the window. why would they take that away in cs4? the same way they took away indesign contact sheets from bridge. adobe must be on crack.
GLUON ProScale will do it all.http://store.gluon.com/Products/ProScaleIDCS4.dmg
Valeriya – Thanks for the tip. I looked at the link, but couldn’t tell if the product is resizing the document page size, or the inDesign window itself. Does it do either or both?