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CEP Extension for Adobe InDesign

Linked Text Frames

Sync text content across multiple frames while keeping each frame's styling independent. Edit once, update everywhere.

Install for Mac Install for Windows
v2.0 · One file, double-click, done. · InDesign 2022+
One-click installers. Each file contains the entire extension embedded inside it. Download, double-click, restart InDesign. No separate tools, no Terminal, no command line.
One-Click
macOS Manual
Windows Manual

One-Click Installer Recommended

The installer files above contain the entire extension embedded inside them. Nothing else to download.

  1. Mac: Download the .command file. Double-click it in Finder.
    If macOS blocks it: right-click → Open, or run chmod +x on it first.
  2. Windows: Download the .bat file. Double-click it.
    If SmartScreen blocks it: click "More info" → "Run anyway".
  3. Restart InDesign.
  4. Window → Extensions → Linked Text Frames

Alternative: ZXP Installer

If you prefer using a dedicated extension manager:

  1. Download LinkedTextFrames.zxp
  2. Install with ZXPInstaller or Anastasiy's Extension Manager (both free)
  3. Restart InDesign.

Terminal

Download the .tar.gz and run:

  1. tar xzf ~/Downloads/LinkedTextFrames.tar.gz
  2. cd LinkedTextFrames && ./install.sh
  3. Restart InDesign.

Manual copy

  1. Extract the .tar.gz
  2. Copy the contents of LinkedTextFrames/ to:
    ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CEP/extensions/com.seikata.linkedtextframes/
  3. Run: defaults write com.adobe.CSXS.11 PlayerDebugMode 1
  4. Restart InDesign.

Batch file

Download the .tar.gz, extract with 7-Zip or WinRAR, then:

  1. Open the extracted LinkedTextFrames folder.
  2. Double-click install.bat (or right-click → Run as Administrator if needed).
  3. Restart InDesign.
  4. Window → Extensions → Linked Text Frames

Manual copy

Copy the contents of the LinkedTextFrames folder to:

  1. %APPDATA%\Adobe\CEP\extensions\com.seikata.linkedtextframes\
  2. Enable unsigned extensions: open regedit, navigate to
    HKCU\Software\Adobe\CSXS.11
    and set PlayerDebugMode (String) to 1
  3. Restart InDesign.
Synced content, independent styling Text stays identical across linked frames. Each frame keeps its own paragraph styles, character styles, fonts, sizes, and colors.
Auto-sync Toggle live sync and text changes propagate automatically every 2 seconds. No manual sync needed.
Auto-create styles When adding a frame to a group, paragraph and character styles are created automatically from the frame's current formatting.
Smart group input Autocomplete suggests existing groups as you type, or create a new one on the fly. Arrow keys to navigate, Enter to confirm.
Persistent across saves Link data is stored inside the InDesign document. Groups survive save, close, and reopen.
Compatibility: macOS + Windows. Adobe InDesign 2022 (v17) and later.
How it works: CEP panel extension using ExtendScript. The extension itself is cross-platform. Install scripts handle platform-specific setup (PlayerDebugMode on Mac via defaults, on Windows via registry).