Broken images, scripts and stylesheets: how to find failed requests
A page that requests files which return 404 or fail wastes time and can break features. Find broken images, scripts and stylesheets on your store.
2 min read
Area
Speed
Severity
Medium
Fix effort
Small
Stores failing
2%
Of 180 stores we scanned where this check applies, 2% fail it and 78% pass. See all benchmarks.
A broken subresource is a file the page asks for and does not get: an image, script or stylesheet that returns a 404 or another error. Each failed request wastes time, and a missing script can quietly switch off a feature such as search or a size chart.
Why it matters
Broken requests build up after redesigns, app removals and migrations. The page looks fine, so nobody checks the network log. Yet each failure may delay rendering, trigger fallbacks or leave a feature half working.
They are also a hygiene signal. A store with many failed requests is usually carrying other leftovers from old changes.
What the audit looks at
The audit lists any images, scripts or stylesheets the page asks for that fail to load.
What usually causes it
- Images deleted from the media library but still referenced by a section or old blog post
- Scripts from removed apps that still have a script tag in the theme
- Stylesheets or fonts referenced by a path that changed after a theme update
- Files moved during a migration without updating references
How to fix it
Remove or repoint the assets returning errors. The effort is small, usually a setting or a paste and under 30 minutes.
- Open the network tab and filter by status to list the failing requests.
- A 404 on a script or stylesheet usually belongs to an app that was uninstalled without its snippet being removed.
- Every failing request still costs a connection and a wait, so removing them is a speed fix as well as a correctness one.
How to check it yourself
- Open Chrome DevTools, go to Network, reload, and filter by status. Look for red rows with 404 or failed.
- Check the Console tab for "Failed to load resource" messages.
- Search theme code for the failing file name to find where it is referenced.
Frequently asked questions
Do broken images hurt SEO?
A few failed requests do not by themselves lower rankings. They do slow pages and can break features, and those effects do count.
How do I find which page the broken file is on?
The audit lists the page where each failed request was recorded, so you can open that page and trace the reference.
Related checks
Check your own store
See whether your store passes this check
Paste your store URL. The audit loads your pages in a real browser and shows the result for this check with the evidence behind it.