Broken Images in Knowledge Base Article

[pavanakumar]

I'm facing an issue where a few images embedded in a Knowledge Base article are broken. When I checked the corresponding records in the sys_attachment table, I couldn't find the image attachments there either.

If I open the image source URL in a new browser tab, I get an "Attachment not available" error. I also reviewed the audit history, but there are no recent records indicating that the attachments or article were modified or deleted.

Has anyone encountered a similar issue? What could cause attachments/images to disappear without any audit history? Is there any way to determine how the images were removed and whether it's possible to recover the missing attachments?

Any suggestions or troubleshooting steps would be greatly appreciated.

[Rafael Batistot]

Hi @pavanakumar 

This might help you 

https://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB3056315

[Tanushree Maiti]

Hi @pavanakumar 

• Ensure in have used correct relative URL from the image : <img src="/sys_attachment.do?sys_id=<sys_id>">. 
• Delete the broken images from the article body -> Upload image again ->link it->Publish the article ( Refer: KB3056315 Images are broken in knowledge base articles )
• If you have Knowledge Versioning enabled, you can view a previous, stable version of the article and restore it

[ajmalmuhamm]

Hi,

If the image URL itself returns "Attachment not available" and there is no corresponding record in the sys_attachment table, it usually indicates that the attachment has been deleted or is no longer accessible rather than being an issue with the article HTML.

A few things you can check:

• Verify whether the image sys_id exists in sys_attachment or sys_attachment_doc.
• If Knowledge Versioning is enabled, compare the current article with an earlier published version to see if the attachments are still present there.
• Review any scheduled jobs, cleanup scripts, integrations, or update sets that may have removed attachments, as these may not always leave an obvious audit trail.
• If your instance is backed up, you may need to restore the missing attachments from a backup, as deleted attachment records generally cannot be recovered directly from the platform.

If the attachment records are missing entirely, re-uploading the images is typically the quickest resolution unless you have a backup available to restore them.

Kind regards

[Tejas Adhalrao]

Hi @pavanakumar  ,

If the image attachments are no longer present in the sys_attachment table and opening the image URL returns "Attachment not available", it generally indicates that the attachments have been deleted or are no longer accessible.

Here are a few things you can check:

• Verify whether the attachments exist in another instance (e.g., DEV, TEST, or PROD) and, if available, copy them back.

• Check the sys_attachment and sys_attachment_doc tables to confirm whether both the attachment metadata and binary data are missing.

• Review System Logs, Upgrade History, and any scheduled jobs or custom scripts that may delete attachments.

• If your instance is integrated with external storage (such as Attachment External Storage), verify that the storage service is accessible and functioning correctly.

• If audit is not enabled for the attachment tables, deletions will not appear in the audit history. This is expected behavior.

• Review recent Update Sets, Fix Scripts, or Background Scripts to see if any attachment cleanup logic was executed.

Unfortunately, if the attachment records have been permanently deleted and there is no backup or another instance containing them, ServiceNow cannot recover them from the database.

A few questions that may help narrow down the cause:

• Is this affecting only one Knowledge article or multiple articles?

• Are all missing images from the same time period?

• Did this occur after an upgrade, clone, or data migration?

• Are you using Attachment External Storage?

If you have HI Support, it may also be worth opening a case with ServiceNow. They can review system logs and determine whether any platform activity or known issue contributed to the missing attachments.

If you found my solution helpful, please mark it as Helpful and Accept Solution. This helps others in the community find the answer more easily.