Older emails that use images later deleted from your Library

[JeffM0294]

I have dozens of older images used once in a prior email that are clogging up my Library. I will not need them again and would like to delete them permanently, but my question is: will these images properly display in older emails once deleted? Or will the "Download pictures" technology in email (i.e., Outlook) NOT FIND the necessary resource and display only a Question Mark?

[William_A]

Hello @JeffM0294 ,

Since images from your Library are embedded into emails, they'll still be present in those emails after you've deleted them from your account. However this will affect the email campaigns as they appear in your Constant Contact account. So if you're wanting to preserve a PDF or image version of an email, make sure you download it as such before deleting images within it from your Library.

[JeffM0294]

No, sorry, still some confusion. So, if Fred Reader across the country opens one of my older emails with a NOW DELETED image (removed from my library), he will not notice anything different than the day he received it (i.e., all images display property even if Fred has to select "Download pictures" in Outlook). Yes?

BUT, if I open that email (click on the thumbnail in my campaign list) and/or make a COPY of that email (presumeably?)...the now-deleted image will NOT display? (is that what you are saying?) Would it be a "question mark" instead?

[William_A]

For the recipient, they'll still be able to see it. For you, depending on your browser's cache functionality and frequency of clearing, may still display the image for a time. Once you go to replace it, or open the email in the editor, the image should disappear.

[JeffM0294]

Does it just become a blank space where the image WAS? (i.e., if text was wrapping around it before, now text would wrap around a white box? Or would the text fill back in as though there was NEVER an image there?). Thanks.

[William_A · Accepted solution]

It should result in an empty image block, as the coding for the image block will still be there, but the image's info wouldn't be. Another thing to keep in mind is that our system also retains a basic cache of Library files for up to 24 hours after deletion (fully, permanently deleted from Library, not just put in Trash). So during this time, the deleted images may still display and be available while editing a copied email. You could even send a copied email that uses an image that's been permanently deleted, and have that image come through. However since the image doesn't exist in the Library anymore, it wouldn't be available for selection or image-editing.

In the event that after perma-deleting an image from your Library, and waiting up to 24 hours after doing so, you're still seeing the image in email previews or while editing a copied email, please call our general support so they can perform further, live troubleshooting.

[JeffM0294]

Thank you. This answers my core question (and I'm sure there are others on CC who have the same concern): do I risk my customers not seeing my older emails display correctly if I delete those images from my library. MANY of the images I use are simple one-offs, and I would not reach for them again. Knowing this, I can now delete them from my Library where they are just taking up space and making it harder to rummage through looking for the images I DO keep and re-use. I will mark this as Accepted Solution. Thanks for your aid, William.