InDesign Scripts Collection (2026+ Compatible)

A curated collection of free InDesign scripts updated for Adobe InDesign 2024-2026+ compatibility.

This project maintains compatibility fixes for popular InDesign scripts that would otherwise crash on modern versions of Adobe InDesign.

The Problem

Many excellent InDesign scripts use the exit() function which causes the following error in InDesign 2024 and later:

JavaScript Error 89867: default engine cannot be deleted

This collection fixes that issue and provides a centralized, maintained repository of working scripts.

Sponsors

This project is made possible by:

• Kids on the Yard - Homeschool Coaching and Educational Resources
• KOTY Mart - Educational Materials and Publishing

Their support enables the time and resources needed to maintain these scripts for the InDesign community.

Installation

Quick Install (Recommended)

1. Download the latest release from the Releases page
2. Unzip the downloaded file
3. Copy the scripts folder contents to your InDesign Scripts Panel folder:

macOS:

~/Library/Preferences/Adobe InDesign/Version [X]/en_US/Scripts/Scripts Panel/

Windows:

C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\InDesign\Version [X]\en_US\Scripts\Scripts Panel\

Replace [X] with your InDesign version number (e.g., 21.0 for InDesign 2026).

Manual Install

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/101sam/indesign-scripts-2026.git

2. Copy the contents of the scripts folder to your InDesign Scripts Panel folder

Verify Installation

1. Open Adobe InDesign
2. Go to Window > Utilities > Scripts
3. Expand the User folder
4. You should see the organized script folders

Usage

1. Open the Scripts panel: Window > Utilities > Scripts
2. Navigate to the script you want to run
3. Double-click to execute

Script Categories

Folder	Description
01-Layout-Guides	Alignment, guides, margins
02-Text-Frames	Frame threading, splitting
03-Text-Formatting	Text manipulation, formatting
04-Tables-Charts	Table sorting, formatting
05-Images	Image management
06-Color	Color conversion, swatches
07-Styles	Style management
08-Footnotes-Endnotes	Notes and references
09-Variables-Hyperlinks	Variables and links
10-Sort	Sorting utilities
11-Index	Index generation
12-Find-Replace-GREP	Search and GREP tools
13-Import-Export	File import/export
14-Fonts	Font management
15-Book	Book panel operations
16-Utilities	General utilities

Scripts Included

03-Text-Formatting

Script	Description	Original Author
compose.jsx	Creates diacritics shortcuts	Peter Kahrel
missing_glyphs.jsx	Lists/fixes missing glyphs	Peter Kahrel
price_adjuster.jsx	Adjusts prices and formats	Peter Kahrel
swap_thousands_decimals.jsx	Swaps number separators	Peter Kahrel

04-Tables-Charts

Script	Description	Original Author
tablesort.jsx	Sorts table contents	Peter Kahrel

05-Images

Script	Description	Original Author
unembed_images.jsx	Extracts embedded images	Peter Kahrel

07-Styles

Script	Description	Original Author
clearOverrides.jsx	Clears style overrides	Grefel

08-Footnotes-Endnotes

Script	Description	Original Author
dynamic_endnotes.jsx	Dynamic endnote conversion	Peter Kahrel
endnotes.jsx	Footnote to endnote conversion	Grefel
foot_to_column.jsx	Footnotes in columns	Peter Kahrel
foot_to_endnote.jsx	Converts footnotes to endnotes	Peter Kahrel
sidenotes.jsx	Dynamic side notes	Peter Kahrel

09-Variables-Hyperlinks

Script	Description	Original Author
createHyperlinks.jsx	Auto-creates hyperlinks from URLs	Grefel
variables.jsx	Text variable management	Peter Kahrel

10-Sort

Script	Description	Original Author
sort.jsx	Advanced paragraph sorting	Peter Kahrel
sort_via_index.jsx	Language-aware sorting	Peter Kahrel

11-Index

Script	Description	Original Author
index_charstyles.jsx	Index from character styles	Peter Kahrel
index_independent.jsx	Index from word lists	Peter Kahrel
index_pagerefs_from_topics.jsx	Page references for index	Peter Kahrel

12-Find-Replace-GREP

Script	Description	Original Author
grep_editor.jsx	GREP editing interface	Peter Kahrel
grep_query_manager.jsx	GREP query management	Peter Kahrel
Migrate_GREP_Styles.jsx	Transfer GREP styles	Rick Gordon

13-Import-Export

Script	Description	Original Author
batch_convert.jsx	Batch file conversion	Peter Kahrel
mass-combine.jsx	Merge InDesign documents	Simon Wiscombe
MultiPageImporter.jsx	Import multi-page PDFs (v2.7.0)	Scott Zanelli, Mike Edel
pdf_individuals.jsx	Export chapters as PDFs	Peter Kahrel
press2id.jsx	WordPress to InDesign	Grefel

16-Utilities

Script	Description	Original Author
addScriptFolderToMenu.jsx	Add scripts to menu	Grefel
runscript.jsx	Script launcher with search	Peter Kahrel

What Was Fixed

All scripts in this collection have been updated with the following fix:

Before (causes crash in InDesign 2024+):

exit();

After (compatible with all versions):

return;

This change prevents the "JavaScript Error 89867: default engine cannot be deleted" error.

Compatibility

InDesign Version	Status
CC 2024 (v19.x)	Tested
CC 2025 (v20.x)	Tested
CC 2026 (v21.x)	Tested
Earlier versions	Should work

Issues

Reporting Bugs

1. Go to Issues
2. Click New Issue
3. Select the appropriate template:
   • Bug Report - Script not working
   • Compatibility Issue - InDesign version problem
   • Feature Request - Suggest improvements
4. Provide:
   • Script name
   • InDesign version
   • Operating system
   • Steps to reproduce
   • Error message (if any)

Known Issues

Check open issues for current known problems and workarounds.

Contributing

We welcome contributions. Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Ways to Contribute

• Report bugs
• Submit fixes
• Add new scripts (with proper attribution)
• Improve documentation
• Test on different InDesign versions

License

Scripts in this collection retain their original licenses. Most are released under GPL v2 or similar open-source licenses. See LICENSE for details.

Credits

See CREDITS.md for full attribution to original script authors.

Resources

• Original Scripts Reference - Comprehensive list of InDesign scripts
• Peter Kahrel's Scripts - Many scripts from this collection
• Adobe InDesign Scripting Guide

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for version history and changes.

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Maintained by 101sam

Sponsored by Kids on the Yard and KOTY Mart