Open and view IDML files without InDesign
IDML (InDesign Markup Language) is the open, XML-based format Adobe InDesign uses to share layouts with other people and other versions of InDesign. It's what designers send when someone doesn't have the same version, or any version at all. This viewer opens an .idml file in your browser and shows you what's inside: every page laid out with its frames, shapes, colors, and images, the complete text of every story, the fonts and colors used, linked images, and styles.
Everything happens in your browser. The file is never uploaded.
How to use it
- Choose an
.idmlfile, or drag it onto the box. - Browse the Pages tab to see each spread. Turn master page items, hidden layers, and frame edges on or off.
- Use the Text tab to read every story and copy it, or download it as plain text or HTML.
- Check Fonts, Colors, and Links before printing or handing the layout off. Missing fonts and linked images are flagged.
What you can see
| Tab | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Pages | Every spread at its real size, with page items positioned, rotated, and colored as in the document. Master page items and page numbers appear on each page. Embedded JPEG and PNG images are shown. Linked images appear as labeled placeholders. |
| Text | Each story in reading order, with paragraph styles, character formatting, and tables. Copy it, or download it as TXT or HTML. |
| Fonts | Every font family and style, its PostScript name and type, and whether InDesign could find it when the file was saved |
| Colors | All swatches with their model (process or spot), color space, and values, previewed on screen |
| Links | Every placed image: file name, original folder, format, whether it's embedded or linked, and the page it's on. Embedded images can be downloaded. |
| Styles | Paragraph and character styles with their main settings |
| Info | Page size, number of pages and spreads, facing pages, bleed, layers, color profiles, and the InDesign version that saved the file |
How accurate is the preview?
Shapes, frames, colors, rotation, groups, and image positions follow the exact geometry stored in the file. Text is the approximation. InDesign's typesetting engine, with its hyphenation, justification, and exact font metrics, isn't part of the file, so the preview sets text with your browser and the closest available fonts. Line breaks may fall in different places, and text that flows through several linked frames starts in the first one. For an exact visual proof, export a PDF from InDesign. For reading, copying, and checking content, this viewer has everything.
IDML vs. INDD
.indd is InDesign's native file, a closed binary format that only InDesign can read. .idml is its open, readable counterpart. In InDesign, choose File, then Save a Copy, then InDesign Markup (IDML) to create one. Affinity Publisher, QuarkXPress, and Scribus can also import IDML.
Frequently asked questions
Is my file uploaded?
No. The IDML file is unzipped and read in your browser.
Why are some images gray boxes?
Most images in an InDesign layout are linked, not stored in the file. The IDML only records where they were, such as a path on the designer's computer. The viewer shows a placeholder with the file name and lists it under Links. Embedded JPEG and PNG images are shown in full.
Can I edit the IDML here?
No. This is a viewer for checking and extracting content. Use the Text tab to copy everything out for editing elsewhere.
Can it open .indd files?
No. INDD is a proprietary binary format. Ask for an IDML or a PDF instead. Any version of InDesign can export IDML.
What does "Not available" mean for a font?
InDesign records whether each font was installed when the file was saved. "Not available" means it was missing on the designer's computer, so the layout may already have had substitutions. You'll need that font installed to print the document correctly.