Few things are more frustrating than discovering that images on your WordPress website have suddenly disappeared. Pages that looked perfectly fine yesterday may now show broken image placeholders, missing thumbnails, or blank sections where images should appear.

Website owners often assume the problem is related to WordPress, PHP, hosting, or even malware. However, in many cases, the issue is caused by caching and optimization tools that continue serving outdated image references long after the original images have changed.

One of the most overlooked causes is NitroPack.

The real-world case: images visible in Divi Builder but missing on the frontend

A recent troubleshooting case involved a WordPress website using the Divi theme. Images were displaying correctly inside the Divi Visual Builder but were missing or broken on the public-facing website.

Several possibilities were investigated:

  • PHP version compatibility
  • WordPress Media Library issues
  • File permissions
  • Hotlink protection
  • Divi theme problems
  • CDN configuration
  • Wordfence security rules

However, the actual cause turned out to be NitroPack.

The NitroPack plugin was still active, but it was no longer connected to an active NitroPack account. The plugin appeared to have been configured previously, possibly by a former administrator or under a subscription that had expired.

After disabling NitroPack, all missing images immediately reappeared.

How NitroPack can cause image issues

NitroPack is a website performance optimization platform that provides:

  • Page caching
  • Image optimization
  • WebP conversion
  • Lazy loading
  • CDN delivery
  • CSS and JavaScript optimization

When functioning correctly, NitroPack can significantly improve website performance and Core Web Vitals.

However, if the service is no longer connected, improperly configured, or serving outdated cached content, problems can occur.

Common symptoms include:

  • Images visible in the WordPress admin area but not on the frontend
  • Broken image placeholders
  • Missing background images
  • Some pages displaying images while others do not
  • Images reappearing after clearing cache
  • Visual Builder showing images correctly while public pages do not

In these cases, the website may still be referencing optimized image versions or cached assets that no longer exist.

Why the issue can be difficult to diagnose

Caching problems are often misleading because the original image files remain intact.

For example:

  • Images still exist inside /wp-content/uploads/
  • Media Library thumbnails appear normal
  • Divi Builder displays images correctly
  • Direct image URLs continue to load

Because the source images still exist, administrators may spend hours investigating PHP settings, file permissions, or plugin conflicts before discovering the real cause.

Other common reasons WordPress images disappear

Although NitroPack was responsible in this particular case, there are several other common causes worth checking.

1. Missing files in the uploads directory

WordPress stores media files inside:

/wp-content/uploads/

If files are accidentally deleted, restored incorrectly, or lost during migration, image URLs will return 404 errors.

2. Image optimization plugins

Plugins that generate WebP images or compress media can occasionally remove or rename image files incorrectly.

Examples include:

  • Smush
  • Imagify
  • ShortPixel
  • EWWW Image Optimizer

3. CDN synchronization problems

A Content Delivery Network may continue serving outdated image references after media files have changed.

This commonly occurs after:

  • Website migrations
  • Domain changes
  • SSL migrations
  • Large media imports

4. Hotlink protection rules

Incorrect hotlink protection settings can block legitimate image requests and return 403 Forbidden errors.

5. Cache plugins serving stale content

Even without NitroPack, other caching solutions can serve outdated image references.

Examples include:

  • LiteSpeed Cache
  • WP Rocket
  • FlyingPress
  • W3 Total Cache

6. Cloudflare cache conflicts

Cloudflare may continue serving older versions of pages that reference image files that have since changed or been removed.

How to troubleshoot disappearing images

When images disappear from a WordPress website, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open the image directly

Copy the image URL and open it in a browser.

Results typically indicate the cause:

  • 200 OK = image exists
  • 403 Forbidden = permissions or security issue
  • 404 Not Found = missing file

Step 2: Check the Media Library

Verify that the image still appears in the WordPress Media Library.

Step 3: Check the uploads folder

Use cPanel File Manager and verify the image physically exists inside:

/public_html/wp-content/uploads/

Step 4: Disable optimization plugins temporarily

Temporarily disable:

  • NitroPack
  • Image optimization plugins
  • Cache plugins

Then test again.

Step 5: Clear all caches

Purge:

  • WordPress cache
  • Plugin cache
  • CDN cache
  • Cloudflare cache
  • Browser cache

Step 6: Test in an incognito window

This helps eliminate browser caching issues.

Lessons learned

The most important takeaway is that missing images do not always indicate missing files.

Modern WordPress websites often use multiple layers of optimization, caching, image conversion, and CDN delivery. A stale cache or disconnected optimization service can create image problems even when the original files remain untouched.

In the case discussed above, NitroPack remained active despite no longer being connected to an active account. Disabling the plugin immediately resolved the issue and restored image delivery directly from the WordPress uploads directory.

Before spending hours troubleshooting PHP settings or reinstalling themes, always review any caching, optimization, CDN, or image-processing plugins that may still be serving outdated content.

Sometimes the problem is not the image itself. It is the cache trying to serve a version that no longer exists.