My images no longer display
An empty frame where a product photo should be is one of the rare symptoms where the browser gives the answer in one click. The response code returned for the image says exactly which of the four possible causes applies, and saves half a day of looking in the wrong place.
The response code names the cause
Open the image on its own in a new tab by copying its address. The result immediately places the problem in one of four families.
- Not found: the file does not exist at that address. Either it was never copied, or the address stored in the database no longer matches the real directory layout.
- Access denied: the file exists but the server refuses to serve it. That is a file permission problem, or an over-broad security rule added to the server configuration.
- Server error: thumbnail generation fails at request time, usually out of memory on a very heavy original.
- The image loads alone but not in the page: the file is fine, the template or the lazy-loading script is at fault.
Thumbnails that were never generated
A shop almost never serves the original image. It builds several derivatives — list thumbnail, product image, zoom format — and stores each as a separate file. When those derivatives are missing, the product page shows empty frames even though the original is present on the server.
This happens after a site move that copied only the source directory, after adding a new display format, or when regeneration was interrupted partway by a timeout. The fix is to run generation again, in batches if the catalogue is large, rather than as one operation that will fail at the same point.
Establishing the scope
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All images or only some
A general fault points to a path, a permission or a server rule. A fault on a few products points to missing files or names containing problematic characters.
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Check recently added images
If only new ones are missing, uploading is failing: insufficient write permissions on the destination directory, or a file size limit reached.
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Check older images
If only the old ones are missing, a cleanup or migration removed files the database still references.
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Look at remaining disk space
A full disk silently fails to write any new image, and the product record saves anyway.
Carry on with the right page
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Product images on PrestaShop
Uploading, formats and regenerating derivatives on PrestaShop.
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Product images gone on WooCommerce
The WordPress case, with the media library and registered sizes.
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Optimising product images
If generation fails because of heavy source files.
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File permissions on a server
If the server refuses to write or serve the files.
Describe your need in one minute
A few targeted questions so I can reply with an estimate rather than another questionnaire.