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Troubleshoot Missing Images in InDesign ​

If images are missing when you open a Publication Item in InDesign, or if they become unavailable while you're working, this guide explains what happened and how to recover.

Why images go missing ​

The plugin keeps the images of a Publication Item in a local Links folder on your computer. Images usually go missing when:

  • The local files were removed. Clicking Close → Close and remove in the Publication Item panel, or running Remove cache from the Relayter plugin menu, deletes the downloaded files from your computer.
  • A file was linked from somewhere else on your computer and never uploaded. If you clicked Cancel in the Link management dialog, the file only exists on your computer. Team members who open the Publication Item see a missing link.
  • An asset or attachment was removed from the Publication Item or from Relayter. The plugin can only download files that are still linked to the Publication Item.
  1. Open Window → Links to open the Links panel.
  2. Look for links with a red icon or warning symbol — these are missing.
  3. Select a missing link to see its filename and path.

Recover a missing image ​

Option 1: Download the Publication Item again ​

If the images still exist in Relayter, opening the Publication Item again through the plugin downloads them and links them in your document.

  1. If you have changes you want to keep, click Upload in the Publication Item panel first. The next step deletes everything you haven't uploaded.
  2. Click Close, then Close and remove.
  3. In the Campaigns/Projects panel, find the Publication Item and click Download.
  4. The plugin downloads the InDesign document and the linked assets used in it, and links them again.

The plugin only downloads files that are used in the layout. An attachment that was removed from the layout is not downloaded, even if it still exists in Relayter. If you need that file, use Option 3 if you still have it on your computer.

Option 2: Place the asset again ​

To get a single Relayter asset back without reopening the Publication Item. This works for Relayter assets only, not for attachments:

  1. In the Links panel, select the missing link and click Go to Link to find its frame. Delete the frame.
  2. Click Add linked Asset in the Publication Item panel, and click Place Linked Asset on the asset you need. The plugin downloads the file again if it's missing.
  3. Move and resize the new frame to where the image was.

To use a different image from Relayter instead, click Add new Asset. See Add DAM Assets and Manage Links in InDesign for both options.

If you have the image on your computer:

  1. In the Links panel, select the missing link.
  2. Click Relink, or right-click and choose Relink.
  3. Select the file and click Open.

The plugin then offers to upload the file as an attachment, so team members get it too. See Add your own files as attachments.

Option 4: Remove the image ​

If you don't need the image, select its frame (use Go to Link in the Links panel) and delete it.

Clean up attachments you no longer use ​

When you remove images that were uploaded as attachments, click Check Links in the Publication Item panel. The plugin lists the attachments that are no longer used in your layout:

"The following attachments no longer exist in the InDesign file. Do you want to delete them from the Relayter Publication item as well?"

  • Delete attachments — Deletes these attachments from the Publication Item in Relayter, and removes the unused files from your local Links folder.
  • Cancel — Keeps the attachments in Relayter. The image stays removed from your layout, and the dialog lists the attachments again the next time you click Check Links.

Neither button puts the image back on the page. To undo the removal, use Edit → Undo in InDesign.

Choose Delete attachments to keep the Publication Item's attachments up to date.

Keep in mind
Downloading an attachment that is no longer used in the layout is not supported at the moment. Clicking Cancel keeps the attachment in Relayter, but the plugin cannot download it to your computer or place it in your layout again. If you might need the image later, keep a copy of the file on your computer, so you can place it again as described in Option 3.

Prevent missing images in the future ​

  • Upload before you close. Close and remove and Remove cache delete your local files, including changes you haven't uploaded yet.
  • Let the plugin upload your own files. When the Link management dialog appears, click Upload & Link, so team members get the same files. Add DAM Assets and Manage Links in InDesign explains how this works.
  • Check before deleting assets in Relayter. Before deleting an Asset, check with your team whether it's still used in a layout.

Still stuck? ​

If you cannot recover a missing image and don't have a suitable replacement, contact your team lead or the person who originally created the Publication Item to understand what the image was intended to show.