Active Usage means the asset is currently being used on one or more pages on the site.
If an asset is in use, it cannot be deleted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Deletion & Orphan References
What does "Active Usage" mean?
Why can't I delete an asset?
If an asset is being used on a page, the system prevents deletion to avoid breaking the site.
Remove the asset from those pages first. Once it is no longer in use, it can be deleted.
I see a warning about "previous content revisions" when deleting. What does that mean?
This means the file is referenced by an older version of a content component (paragraph) that is no longer part of any current page. The file is not actively in use.
You can safely proceed with deletion. The warning is informational — if someone reverts the content to an older revision, the image would be missing.
Why can't I delete an external asset?
External assets are links to content hosted on another website. They are not stored on this site, so they cannot be deleted here. To remove one, edit the page where it appears and remove the link.
What are orphan references?
Orphan references come from content components that are no longer attached to any active page.
They do not appear on the site and do not count as active usage.
If an asset has orphan references, can I still delete it?
Yes.
If there is no active usage, the asset can be deleted even if orphan references exist.
Orphan references are cleaned up automatically.
Will deleting an asset with orphan references break anything?
No.
Orphan references are not connected to any active page. Deleting the asset will not affect visible content.
Why does the system show orphan references at all?
Orphan references help identify leftover content components that were not fully removed. This improves site cleanup and reporting accuracy.
What happens to orphan references after deletion?
They are removed automatically during the next scan or cleanup process.
No action is required.
What about automatically created thumbnails?
Some assets may have automatically created preview images.
These do not prevent deletion. If the main asset is deleted, related previews are removed as well.