Fixing blurry images, failed uploads, or missing media

Use this guide when a picture looks wrong, an upload fails, or a file is missing from your library or website. Start with the symptom below, then check the result on the actual page where customers use it.

Keep your original file and the address of any affected page while you investigate. Deleting an asset can break other pages and shared links, so check its uses before removing it.

Choose the problem you are seeing

What you see	Where to start
A picture is soft, pixelated, stretched, or cropped badly	Check image quality and cropping.
A selected file reports Failed or never finishes uploading	Check a failed upload.
The upload finishes but processing fails or appears stuck	Check processing and generated outputs.
You cannot find a file you uploaded	Find a missing library item.
The library contains the file, but customers see a broken image or cannot open it	Fix a missing image or inaccessible download.

Check image quality and cropping

1. Go to Site → Media and open the affected image. Check its filename and dimensions so you know you are inspecting the file used on the page.
2. Under Delivery URL, open Original. Compare that image with the original on your computer and with the image on the public page. A small library thumbnail is not a reliable quality check.
3. If the original itself is blurry or pixelated, find a clearer source or export a fresh copy from the design or photo application. Enlarging a small image does not recover missing detail. Avoid repeatedly editing and recompressing an already degraded copy.
4. If the original is clear but the page looks soft, check the source selected in the page editor. Reselect the intended library asset if needed. If you pasted a URL, make sure it points to the intended image rather than a small thumbnail or an older copy.
5. Compare the source dimensions with the space it occupies. Use a larger, sharper source for a large banner, or reduce its display size. Preview both desktop and mobile; the same source can look good in a small card and poor across a wide screen.

A cropped image needs a different fix from a blurry image. Where the block offers Image Fit, Cover fills the available space and may crop the edges. Contain keeps the whole image visible and may leave space around it. Adjust Focal Point when offered to keep the subject in view. Check the block’s shape and sizing if the image appears stretched or the crop changes on mobile.

Prefer adjusting the page’s display settings when the source is already suitable. Editing the library asset can affect its other uses. If you need a different crop or version for one location, follow Replacing or deleting a media asset to choose the appropriate replacement workflow.

For the full page setup, see Adding images, videos, and downloads to a page.

Check a failed upload

Open Site → Media → Upload media and read the message beside the affected file. Each file in a batch has its own result; one failed upload does not mean all the others failed.

Check these items before trying again:

• File format: use a supported format. Common image choices are JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, and SVG; video choices include MP4, WebM, and MOV. Export or convert an unsupported file into a supported format. Renaming its extension alone does not convert it.
• File size: the standard per-file limits are 10 MB for images, documents, and fonts, and 100 MB for video and audio. Your site’s storage or hosting limits can also prevent an upload. Reduce or re-export an oversized file and check its new size before selecting it.
• File contents: open the original on your computer. If it is damaged or cannot be opened, export another copy or obtain the source again.
• Connection: keep the upload view open until the transfer finishes. Leaving it during upload can interrupt the transfer. If the connection drops, check the library before resubmitting the same file.
• Access and storage: if uploading is unavailable or the error mentions permissions, storage, quota, or service configuration, ask your site administrator to resolve that specific issue. Repeated uploads will not fix a permission or storage problem.

See Uploading and organizing media for the complete supported-format list, upload steps, and where different file types appear.

After correcting the cause, Try Again in the upload queue sends the selected file again. It is a new upload attempt. If the error was a timeout after the transfer, first search the library for the file: Cedros may already have received it and continued processing.

If Upload media is missing or disabled, also check Why can’t I see or edit a feature?.

Check processing and generated outputs

Uploading transfers the source file. Processing prepares the file’s previews and other outputs. These are separate stages, so a completed transfer does not always mean the media is ready to use.

1. Open the asset in Site → Media. Read its status and any processing error.
2. Check Original under Delivery URL, then expand Generated outputs. Inspect the status of the particular output that is failing; the original and its generated versions may have different states.
3. If it is Processing, allow the job to finish and return to the asset to check its updated state. An upload-view timeout alone does not prove the server stopped working.
4. If processing has Failed, address the error first. For example, a damaged source needs a new export, while a storage or processing-service failure needs your administrator’s help.
5. If Retry processing is offered, use it once after resolving the cause. Check for progress and then a ready result. If the same error returns, preserve the message and ask for help.

Retry processing works with an existing image or video whose original file is still stored. It does not upload a missing original or recover a deleted file. Try Again in the upload queue uploads the selected file again; use the control that matches the failed stage.

A Missing file status, or Missing beside an output, needs investigation into the stored file. If the original is unavailable, ask your administrator about restoring it or upload a replacement from your saved source. If the original opens but a generated output does not, report which output fails rather than deleting the whole asset.

Needs alt means an image needs alternative text. It does not mean its file failed to upload. Add a useful description for visitors who cannot see the image, then check the actual file separately if it also looks broken.

For AI-generation or video-export failures, use the relevant workflow guide: Creating images with AI or Creating and editing videos. Before generating or exporting again after an interruption, check whether a result has already reached Media.

Find a missing library item

Start in Site → Media on the site where you uploaded the file.

1. Clear Search Media, then use Filter to return to All media. Search by a distinctive part of the filename; search also matches alt text and captions.
2. Check the other result pages using Next. A file outside the current page or filter is not necessarily missing.
3. Check the upload result. Ready confirms that upload finished; Failed needs its error investigated. If the upload view is still open, Edit details on a completed item opens the asset directly.
4. Check the file type. The main gallery is for images and videos. Documents, fonts, and audio can be available through their relevant upload flow or picker without appearing in this gallery. For example, use the video editor’s audio picker for a soundtrack.
5. If the library shows a loading or access error, resolve it before treating the results as an empty library. Refresh after the underlying connection or permission problem is fixed.

A picker may also show only files compatible with the field or track you are editing. An audio track’s choices and an image field’s choices will differ.

If several files have the same name, open their details and compare dimensions, dates, and previews. The name alone does not establish which asset a page uses.

If a file was deleted, uploading the same filename creates a new asset. It does not restore the old asset’s identity or automatically repair its previous links. Follow Replacing or deleting a media asset to update affected uses safely.

Fix a missing image or inaccessible download

First find out whether the problem affects the file itself or only its placement on a page.

1. Open the asset’s details and test its Original delivery link. If Copy URL is disabled, read the storage and processing status; the file is not currently available through that control.
2. If the file opens but the public page fails, edit the page and inspect the affected image, video, or download block. Confirm it uses the intended asset or URL. A link copied before a replacement may still point to the earlier file.
3. Review Access in the media details. File access and page visibility are separate. A page can be visible while its file requires access the visitor does not have. Wait for the access settings to load and involve your administrator if they cannot be read or changed.
4. Preview the corrected page before releasing it. On an already-published visual page, Save publishes the update immediately. For a new page, use Save draft, review, then Publish. Uploading a new asset alone does not change the page. See Understanding drafts, previews, and publishing.
5. Test the public page as the intended visitor. For public media, use a signed-out or private browser window. For restricted media, use an account that should have access. An administrator’s successful preview does not prove every customer can open the file.

Keep the intended privacy or purchase restrictions in place while diagnosing access. If authorized customers are blocked, investigate their access and the file’s rules rather than making the file public as a shortcut.

If both the delivery link and page fail, record the status and error. A missing original may need restoration or replacement; a permission failure needs an access review. If many unrelated files fail at once, ask your administrator to check storage and media delivery before replacing individual files.

After a fix, reload the public page and test a fresh browser window. If an older image remains, confirm the selected asset, delivery link, and published page version before assuming the browser is showing a cached copy.

Confirm the fix or get help

A successful fix should pass the checks relevant to your file:

• The asset opens and the needed outputs are ready.
• The correct image, video, or download appears on the published page.
• Images look clear and keep the intended subject visible on desktop and mobile.
• Videos play and downloads open for the intended visitor.
• Other pages that use the asset still work.

If the problem remains, follow Getting help and reporting a problem. Include the site address, filename, affected page, file type and size, time of the attempt, exact error, and whether the original delivery link opens. Explain whether one file or many files are affected, and which checks you have already tried.

Send private media details only through an appropriate support channel. Do not include passwords, storage credentials, or private delivery links in a public report.