How template updates work
Publishing and unpublishing templates
To publish a template, select Publish in the upper-right corner of the screen, name the file, and add a description. The template is published automatically.
To make a template inaccessible to users, select Unpublish.
If changes are made to a published template, the status updates to Unpublished Changes. From there, users can publish the changes, discard them, or unpublish the template entirely.
The replace function
When changes are needed in the original InDesign or Sketch files after a template has been set up, the InDesign package or Sketch file can be replaced on the existing template. To do this, select Replace and choose the updated file or package.
Key limitations
Unpublishing doesn't disconnect existing publications
Important: Unpublishing a template only prevents it from being selected when creating new publications. Once a publication has been created using a template, it stays connected to that template — even after the template is unpublished.
This means team members can continue working with old templates in existing projects by reusing those publications.
When the replace function works — and when it doesn't
When new elements or pages/spreads are added to a file, InDesign assigns new IDs to those elements. Restrictions must be set again for those elements, even if they share the same name.
The replace function works best when:
The new template has the same structure as the old one (same layers, pages, and element IDs)
Updates are minor design changes that preserve the template structure
Settings and annotations need to be kept
The replace function can cause issues when:
Significant structural changes have been made to the template
Pages or spreads have been added or removed
Element IDs have changed
These changes can break existing publications and affect settings and annotations.
No automatic notification system
There is currently no built-in notification system to alert users about template updates within their projects. There is also no way to automatically disconnect existing publications from unpublished templates or force them to use new versions.
Best practices for rolling out template changes
1. Communicate directly with the team (recommended)
This is the most reliable approach. Send an email, newsletter, or message asking team members to:
Create new publications using the updated templates
Stop using publications based on the old template
2. Use the replace function for minor updates only
If the new templates have the same structure (same layers, pages, and element IDs) as the old ones, the replace function can be used on the original templates to update the design while preserving settings.
Use this approach only if:
Changes are purely visual or design-related
The template structure remains identical
The update won't break existing publications
3. Keep templates simple and maintainable
When setting up templates:
Define elements as adaptable by switching to Edit Mode and selecting the specific area to set as editable or locked
To allow users to edit a layer, select the element and then select the lock icon in the side panel
Be aware of unsupported features that can cause missing elements, incorrectly displayed elements, or broken layouts