Images are missing, wrong or not replaced

A missing image never stops a file: the item is published without it. That makes the problem easy to miss, so the review and the result both say it out loud.

Symptoms#

• The review has a box, N images could not be used, with a table of rows, images and reasons.
• The finished file says 12 published · 2 without a new image, and the results are succeeded with a warning.
• An item on your site has no featured image.
• An image you replaced is still the old one.
• An item lost its image after an upload.

Likely causes#

Confirmed (all reproduced in our tests):

1. No ZIP was uploaded, or the ZIP does not contain the file named in the cell.
2. The name is spelled differently in the sheet and in the ZIP (a missing or different extension, a typo).
3. The ZIP has several files with the same name in different folders: the cell must name the path (summer/p01.png).
4. The cell is empty. An empty image cell removes the item's image on update. This is the one case where an image disappears.
5. The replacement is not a different image. An unchanged image is recognised by its content, so a ZIP that holds the same picture under the same name changes nothing.

From the program's own checks:

6. The cell holds a web address that is not public, is a share link (Google Drive, Dropbox), leads to a page, or is too large or too slow (images from web addresses).
7. The image is not an accepted type (an SVG, or a file that is not an image) or is over 20 MB.
8. The site could not store the image while publishing (permissions or disk space; see items fail to publish).

Possible (a site setting, not Content Uploader): the item has its image, but your theme does not display featured images.

Step-by-step solution#

1. Read the reason next to each image in the review: it says which of the three places was searched (the ZIP, images this configuration sent before, the site's media library).
2. Fix the name or add the file. Correct the cell, or add the image to the ZIP. Keep names simple (letters, digits, hyphens) and identical in both.
3. Upload the file again with a ZIP that has the missing images. The other images may be left out: images already on the site are found by name. The items that now get their image show as updated (Featured image: Not sent → p03.png); all others are unchanged.
4. If an image disappeared, check the cell: an empty cell removed it. Put the file name back and upload again; the image is delivered again (it is the same attachment if it is still in the library).
5. If a changed image did not replace the old one, give the new picture a new file name, or a new web address. A web address whose picture changes behind the same address is not noticed (reusing and replacing images).
6. For share links, use the direct form the message gives, or put the images in a ZIP.

How to verify#

• The review no longer shows the images box, or lists fewer.
• Open an item in the review: it names the image and says where it comes from (From the uploaded ZIP).
• After publishing, the result is succeeded with no warning; the finished file shows no without a new image count.
• On your site, Media → Library (WordPress) or Content → Media (Joomla, folder images/content-uploader) lists the image, and the item shows it.

If it persists#

• Open the item in the review and read the Featured image line exactly as it is.
• Check that the file in the ZIP is a real image and opens on your computer.
• Contact support with the row number, the cell's text and the reason shown.