How to Remove Broken Links from InDesign's Links Panel

[Paul_Miller]

I'm reusing an InDesign (2015) document that had many images linked. Those images are gone forever, but the missing links are still in the Links panel. I just want to remove those linked images from the Links panel.

The images or the linked images do not exist in the document structure. There must be a way to remove these useless orphaned linked images from the Links panel.

Thanks!

[EnGiNear87]

I know I'm a little late but I ran into the same issue as described above with editing an older document and found a solution to delete those links without using a script or saving the file as a different name. If you click on the Window tab located at the top of the screen and click on "Layers" (F7 is the hot key) you will notice all of the layers currently used in the document.  Next look to the left of the desired link that you want to delete and make sure it doesn't have a lock symbol associated with it. If it does, this is why you can't delete that particular link from your file.  Once you unlock that link, you should be able to select it and delete it from your project while still inside of the layers tab.  I hope this helps others in the future.

[ladyinblack1964]

Hello--jumping in here because I've got the same issue.

to complicate matters, when I go to the page where the missing links supposedly are, and I remove the photos I've used for this document, there's nothing but extra photo frames.

this may be because the library I'm using has photos in the various elements.

There aren't any lock symbols on the links, and I am working in Windows, not Mac, so an Apple script won't work. I'm working in CS5.5.

Besides fixing my document, can I fix my library somehow?

Can anyone help? Thank you.

[Laubender]

Hi ladyinblack1964 ,

perhaps a screenshot of your Links panel would help.

Select one of the links you cannot remove and show the info about it.

Thanks,
Uwe

[ladyinblack1964]

Here is a photo of part of the links panel.

[Laubender]

Please select one of the links and show the information about the link.

Thanks,
Uwe

[ladyinblack1964]

I'm sorry--I misunderstood. Hopefully this one is better.

[Laubender]

Very well.

My ExtendScript ( JavaScript ) from reply 10 should work. If not, report the error message.

Save the code as text only file without any formatting with suffix *.jsx and install the script file in the User folder of your Scripts panel. Here is how you do this: Information, script locations, payments/donations | Peter Kahrel

To run the script just open the User folder of your Scripts panel in InDesign and double-click the name of the script when your document is open. Before running the script do a backup of your InDesign document.

Best,
Uwe

[ladyinblack1964]

I have installed the script. Here's a screenshot of what it looks like after I've double-clicked on it to run it.

I've clicked that little arrow to the right of the word "Main" in the little white box, and the cursor stops at *jsx.

What have I done wrong?

Thank you.

[Laubender]

ladyinblack1964  wrote

…What have I done wrong?

Don't know. I cannot see a screenshot with your reply.

You have to go the forum's controls to insert one.

Answering by mail will not attach one.

Best,
Uwe

[ladyinblack1964]

[Laubender]

Hi,

you added the first line that is not in my script. Remove it.

You did not copy all the code.

You did not "link" to a running InDesign; the field with the green chain says ExtendScript Toolkit CS5.5 and not InDesign CS5.5.

Regards,
Uwe

[ladyinblack1964]

It worked perfectly. Thank you very much, especially for your patience.

[Laubender]

Thank you for reporting back.

I'm glad the script is working as expected. 🙂

Regards,
Uwe

[Laubender]

ladyinblack1964  wrote

… Besides fixing my document, can I fix my library somehow?

Not directly. You have to remove the old asset from the InDesign library and add a new asset.

Regards,
Uwe

[elellilrah]

I created a video with 5 different methods for fixing broken links. I actually found 3+ methods that actually work when the original document isn't available. The other 2 methods may work if you have the Windows version of Indesign:

https://youtu.be/P8wPLywjXmo

[Raphnorac]

I found a way to remove these images. Easier and better than script code. But I think that this action only works if you are working on a printed document. Click on Ctrl + Alt + 1 (command + option + 1) to open a Structure panel on the left side. Click "root" and then click to remove it. That's it.

Probably it won't work for everyone, but in my case it worked just fine.

[Laubender]

Hi Raphnorac,

right; that's not for everyone with the issue.

Your suggestion with the Structure window can only work with documents from an XML workflow.

Or with documents resulting from a data merge action where all data field placeholders were positioned on master pages.

( Because this special workflow will add a tagged XML structure to a result document. )

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Raphnorac]

Hi Laubender,

The document that I worked on was an edition of a printed book, which uses the same structure in all editions. In some edition, these images were created. An XML Workflow was never used, nor was it at the master page. I believe that something corrupt the file when the images and the old text were deleted and the new ones were added, which may have generated this aspect of XML and it was through the images indicating XML (as can be seen in the image attached) that I found this solution. I don't know if that was what happened, probably you know better them I if this is possible. A better option would be to work with a blank structural model. I know that, but here where I work, it's complicated.

Thanks.

[Laubender]

Hi Raphnorac,

to analyze the cause of this issue I must be able to look into your document.

I can speculate on and on, but this will not bring us to a solution.

Best,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[James26696403fioy]

I have a weird missing link issue that I've been unable to solve. Hoping to get some help here, please!

As you can see in the screenshot above, I have a missing link that is not associated with any page in the document. It also doesn't have a parent. There is a file with the same name in the links folder. Clicking relink and going through the steps doesn't fix it. Double-clicking the icon and choosing a new file doesn't fix it. I have tried the script suggestion in this thread without success. "Search for missing links" returns "no missing links found", and yet I get a warning that "This document contains a link to a source that is missing" when I open the file.

What to do?

[rob day]

Have you tried deleting your Caches folder and if that doesn’t work trash your Preferences?

[James26696403fioy]

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately, neither step solved the problem.

[rob day]

Can you share the ID file? Attach it to a reply

[James26696403fioy]

Sorry, I'm fairly new to InDesign. What do you mean by ID file, and where would I find it?

[BobLevine]

ID=InDesign