If you are stuck with a brand-new .indd file, have an older version of InDesign, and have no one to ask for help, you can utilize Adobe’s official free trial to convert your files. Steps to use the trial workaround:

While not ideal, Scribus can help you access the content of an InDesign file, even if it's not a perfect conversion.

Wait for the cloud server to extract the layout data into an IDML format. Download the resulting .idml file to your desktop. Open it natively in your older InDesign software.

The primary way to convert an file to an older version for free is by exporting it as an InDesign Markup Language (IDML) file . This format acts as a universal bridge, allowing newer files to be opened in any version from InDesign CS4 onwards.

Know the best settings to for safe printing.

This is the official and most reliable way to "downsave" a file. IDML files are universal and can be opened by any version from CS4 to the present. Steps (requires the newer version of InDesign): Open the file in the version of InDesign. File > Export From the "Format" dropdown, select InDesign Markup (IDML) Open this .idml file in the

Newer versions of InDesign often introduce proprietary features (e.g., specific layout adjustments, advanced OpenType features, or newer cloud-based plugins). When these are saved down to an IDML, the features will either be converted into static elements, or they may revert to basic defaults.

Select from the drop-down menu (or press Ctrl + E on Windows / Cmd + E on Mac).