Category:Articles with missing files

Here are some tips for assisting with clearing this category:

  • Check the history of the article. An article may have had a redlinked image added recently in which case it can be rolled back or undone. If detected the MediaWiki software will use a tag in the edit history.
  • Use tools like Wiki File Helper to view a file's past history on en.wp and commons to see if it was deleted.
  • Sometimes the hidden category flag is not cleared if images are added that are used by a template. Doing a null edit to the article clears the flag.
  • When removing an image from an infobox template be sure to remove the caption as well. There is no guarantee that a replacement image would use the same caption.
  • Highway marker related images will often add numerous pages to this category. Please request any US markers at Wikipedia:USRD/S/R and any markers for the rest of the world at Wikipedia:HWY/RM instead of attempting to remove the missing graphics from articles.
  • If an image is called by an intricate template, and the image is deleted on Commons, it may be a good idea to WP:HIDE the template and hope the image can be uploaded locally under fair use.
Example for temporary hiding issues...
c:File:Guangzhou Metro icon.svg was deleted on Commons 11 July 2021. The file is
  a. Called by {{Rail-interchange}}, and
  b. Called by {{Infobox station}}
and resulted in 300+ articles showing up here in CAT:MISSFILE.

In case a. instead of finding instances of {{rint|guangzhou|metro}} and deleting them, opt for hiding them: <!-- {{rint|guangzhou|metro}} -->
and use an edit summary like:
Hiding {{rint|guangzhou|metro}} for now, [[c:File:Guangzhou Metro icon.svg]] was [[:c:Commons:Deletion requests/Files in Category:SVG logos of China|deleted on Commons]]. Could a substitute be uploaded locally?
Case a. example in Special:Diff/1032052729/1033227215
Using WP:AWB or WP:JWB in such a case saves a lot of time.

In case b. instead of finding instances of | symbol_location = guangzhou and | symbol = metro and deleting their values, opt for hiding them: <!-- | symbol_location = guangzhou --> and <!-- | symbol = metro -->
and use an edit summary like:
Hiding symbol_location and symbol in the infobox for now as they depend on [[c:File:Guangzhou Metro icon.svg]] that was [[:c:Commons:Deletion requests/Files in Category:SVG logos of China|deleted on Commons]]. Could a substitute be uploaded locally?
Case b. example in Special:Diff/1033227215/1033244213.
  • Templates in Category:Templates with missing files can add large numbers of articles to this category – As of November 14, 2024 there were 0 templates with missing files and the current number is 2.