Images · E-IMG

Referenced image file is missing

Your book references an image file that isn't included in the EPUB package. We report this but do not generate replacement art.

Severity
error

Automatic repair
Manual / guided

Submission impact
KDP: reject

Rule ID
E-IMG

Error: Referenced image file is missing
Category: Images
Severity: error
Auto Repair: Not automatic
Rule ID: E-IMG
Affected: KDP=reject, Apple=reject, Google=reject, Kobo=warning

Check this automatically with Cermify

Why this happens

img src or CSS background url points to a file omitted from the zip.
Manifest lacks the image item even when the binary is present (often pairs with E-MIME).
Case or path mismatch after renaming assets.
Export linked to a local absolute path that never entered the EPUB.

How platforms treat it

Platform	Result
KDP	reject
Apple Books	reject
Google Play	reject
Kobo	warning

How Cermify detects it

Collect image references from XHTML and CSS.
Resolve paths relative to the content document.
Confirm each target exists in the package and is preferably declared in the manifest.
Report missing binaries as E-IMG (no placeholder art generated).

Automatic repair

Not auto-repaired. Cermify does not invent or download replacement artwork. Add the correct asset or remove the reference, then recheck.

Manual fix

Locate the broken src/url from the issue report.
Export or copy the image into the EPUB folder structure.
Update the href if the path changed; declare the image in the OPF manifest.
Repackage and confirm images render in Previewer.

Examples

Referenced images must exist in the package (and should be manifested).

Incorrect

<img src="images/cover-hero.png" alt="Hero"/>
<!-- images/cover-hero.png not in the EPUB -->

Correct

<img src="images/cover-hero.png" alt="Hero"/>
<!-- file present + manifest:
<item id="img-hero" href="images/cover-hero.png" media-type="image/png"/> -->

FAQ

Why won't Cermify generate a blank image?

Placeholder art would misrepresent your book and can still fail content review. Supply the real asset.

SVG and JPG are both covered?

Yes—any referenced image resource missing from the package is in scope for E-IMG.

File exists but still flagged?

Check relative paths and case sensitivity. Also confirm the reference isn't an absolute file:// path from desktop export.

Related errors

References

EPUB content document — embedded resources
Cermify Rule Set kdp-epub-2026-07