Removing Unused Links

[ycart1299]

Hello, I have 850 unused links in a InDesign CC 2017 file that are no longer active or needed. The pages that these graphics were on have been deleted.  Every time I go to open or print, it runs through all of these. How can I remove them completely from the document/links panel?

[SJRiegel · Accepted solution]

When a graphic is deleted, it should not remain in the Links panel.

Try exporting to make an IDML file, and see if that clears out the ghost links.

[ycart1299]

This actually does not work outright. I figured that you need to go into the XML structure and manually delete the root that you no longer are using in your document. Thank YOU!

[Bryce Farlow]

The fact that we have to do either of these things is mind-boggling. 

[lesliei1708137]

Ridiculous 

[Liz G - CCT]

Just wanted to thank you for posting this. I was very uncomfortable tying this b/c I don't know much about this. However, none of the other suggestions of clearing caches etc were fixing this issue. I reluctantly did what you recommended and it fixed it. Appreciated that you made the time to post this.

[Liz G - CCT]

Little help please.
This method does not work. Other suggestions? I have a book with 20 chapters that each now are "linked" to 800 images. 

I noticed the remark below that I could delete the root in XML, but I am not sure how to do that. Only 1 root displayed.

[Scott Falkner]

Are the linkes used in anchored objects in a story that is overset? That is, you might have 98 pages of text in a story but only page 1 is showing in the document. THe other 97 pages of text are overset. If that overset text contains anchored objects the links in those objects are still referenced in the document.

Other possible locations for links could be unused parent pages.

[Liz G - CCT]

Hi Scott, 

I don't have any overset text. I have a ToC that generates and no overset text is identified. All chapter pre-flights do not indicate any overset text either.

Curios about the unused parent page. I have a file identified in the book as the style source. I only have 1 A-Parent page. So, don't think that is an issue either.