Can I open Adobe® InDesign® files in an earlier version of InDesign®?

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InDesign CS5.5 files cannot be opened in InDesign CS5, InDesign CS5 files cannot be opened in InDesign CS4, InDesign CS4 files cannot be opened in InDesign CS3, and InDesign CS3 files cannot be opened in InDesign CS2, but there is a way to export an InDesign CS4 file so it can be opened an earlier version. You can't skip a version when you do this, you can't go from CS5 to CS3, you have to go from CS5 to CS4, then from CS4 to CS3, etc. You may also lose features or functionality when open a file in and earlier version. Here's how:

To export from InDesign CS5.5 and open in CS5:

  • Open an InDesign CS5.5 file
  • Go to File > Export
  • In the Save as Type field, choose InDesign Markup (IDML)
  • Name the file
  • Scroll to the folder/directory you want it saved in
  • Click Save
  • The file extension will become .idml

To open the .idml file in InDesign CS5:

  • Go to File > Open
  • Scroll to the folder/directory containing the saved the .idml file  
  • Double-click on the .idml file
  • Save the file as an InDesign CS5 (.indd) file
    • Make sure the name is different than the original CS5.5 file name so you don't overwrite the original file

To export from InDesign CS5 and open in CS4:

  • Open an InDesign CS5 file
  • Go to File > Export
  • In the Save as Type field, choose InDesign Markup (IDML)
  • Name the file
  • Scroll to the folder/directory you want it saved in
  • Click Save
  • The file extension will become .idml

To open the .idml file in InDesign CS4:

  • You may need to upgrade to ver. 6.0.5
    • To update to this version, download it from Adobe’s Web site at www.adobe.com > Support > Downloads
  • Go to File > Open
  • Scroll to the folder/directory containing the saved the .idml file  
  • Double-click on the .idml file
  • Save the file as an InDesign CS4 (.indd) file
    • Make sure the name is different than the original CS5 file name so you don't overwrite the original file

To export from InDesign CS4 or CS3:

  • Open an InDesign CS4 or CS3 file
  • Go to File > Export
  • In the Format field, choose InDesign Interchange
  • Name the file
  • Scroll to the folder/directory you want it saved in
  • Click Save
  • The file extension will become .inx

To open the .inx file in InDesign CS3 or CS2:

  • Go to File > Open
  • Scroll to the folder/directory containing the saved the .inx file  
  • Double-click on the .inx file
  • Save the file as an InDesign CS3 or CS2 (.indd) file
    • Make sure the name is different than the original CS4 or CS3 file name so you don't overwrite the original file

To open InDesign CS2 files in InDesign CS

InDesign CS2 files cannot be opened in InDesign CS, but there is a way to export an InDesign CS2 file so you can. Here's how:

To export from InDesign CS2:

  • Open an InDesign CS 2 file
  • Go to File > Export
  • In the Save as type field, choose InDesign Interchange
  • Name the file
  • Scroll to the folder/directory you want it saved in
  • Click Save
  • The file extension will become .inx

To open in InDesign CS:

  • Make sure you have version 3.0.1 dated April 2005 installed
    • If you don’t have this version, download it from Adobe’s Web site at www.adobe.com > Support > Downloads
    • Install the update before trying to open the .inx file
  • Go to File > Open
  • Scroll to the folder/directory containing the saved the .inx file  
  • Double-click on the .inx file
  • Save the file as an InDesign CS (.indd) file
    • Make sure the name is different than the CS2 file name so you don't overwrite the original file