Can I Open Adobe InDesign CS5.5 Documents in InDesign CS5?

Recently, Adobe released a new version of Adobe InDesign - CS5.5. I upgraded from Adobe InDesign CS5, without thinking much about the impact it would have on my workflow and the compatibility of files with different versions of InDesign.

Turns out I should have been paying attention. As with every major upgrade to Adobe InDesign, this new upgrade creates a new file format. The file extension stays the same, however INDD files created in Adobe InDesign CS5.5 are not backwards compatible with CS5, CS4, or any earlier version of Adobe InDesign.

So What Do I Do?

One solution, found in this article on InDesign file types, is to export your document to an open format - InDesign Markup Language.

Beginning with InDesign CS4, Adobe introduced the IDML file format. This is a format specifically created to export InDesign files and make them compatible with multiple programs. On the one hand, this can make your document compatible with Quark and other layout programs. Or, it can make your program backwards compatible with older versions of InDesign.

To create an IDML file, go to File -> Export with your document open. Under "Save As Type," choose "InDesign Markup (IDML)." Give your file a name and be along your merry way. These files are definitely backwards compatible to Adobe InDesign CS5. Presumably, they are also backwards compatible to CS4. However, if you use newer features exclusive to InDesign CS5.5 or CS5, you will most likely have some trouble exporting the files and opening them in older versions of InDesign. I assume that the simpler the document, the better this will work.

Another solution, suggested on the Adobe support forums, is to simply keep multiple copies of Adobe InDesign installed on your computer. There's no reason, technically speaking, that you can't have InDesign CS3, CS4, CS5, and CS5.5 all installed. If you were to do this, you could choose which version of Adobe InDesign to use in order to open a particular file.

This doesn't make sense for most people, and I'm sure it would be a pain in the butt. However, if you happen to be a graphic designer and you have clients who use all four versions of Adobe InDesign, it would be prudent for you to keep the multiple versions installed. If the client needs a file delivered in a CS3 INDD file, then you're going to need InDesign CS3. It may seem silly from your perspective, but... work is work. Don't scoff at that.