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If an image in your note shows up empty or says it couldn’t be saved, here’s why and how to fix it. Most images come into Mem and stay put. When one doesn’t show, it’s almost always one of a few fixable situations. Mem saves its own copy of the images you add, so they keep working even if the original source changes or goes away, which is why the fixes below are usually quick.

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Why an image isn’t showing

This usually happens when you copy a section of a web page, or paste an image from a chat tool. Your clipboard grabs a link to the image rather than the image itself. Mem tries to fetch a copy and save it, and most of the time it works. But if the image sits behind a login, like images in apps such as Slack or Microsoft Teams, or the site blocks Mem from fetching it, Mem can’t save a copy. Either way, the reliable fix is to add the actual image directly:
1

Right-click the image directly

Right-click (or Control-click) the image itself, not the surrounding text and not the whole page.
2

Choose Copy Image

Look for Copy Image specifically. If the menu only says “Copy,” you’re copying the page content, not the image.
3

Paste into your note

Paste into Mem. Because you handed it the actual image, Mem can save its own copy.
On iOS: Long-press the image, then choose Copy Image from the menu that appears, and paste it into your note. You can also download the image to your device and add it to your note. The most reliable way is to bring the image in from your computer: uploading a file, or dragging it from your desktop or Finder, always works, because Mem gets the actual image. Dragging or pasting straight from a website or app can be hit or miss, so if an image doesn’t come through, use one of the methods above.

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You’re offline and haven’t opened this image yet

When you’re offline, you can see images you’ve already opened, because Mem saves a copy to your device as you view them. Images in a note you haven’t opened on this device yet won’t appear until you’ve loaded them online once. After that, it stays available offline. To check whether you’re connected, look at your profile photo. A cloud icon with a slash through it means you’re offline.

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How Mem saves your images

When you add an image, Mem briefly shows a loading state while it saves a copy to your workspace. You don’t need to wait around. You can keep typing, leave the note, and come back. The image finishes saving in the background. Because Mem keeps its own copy rather than linking to another site, your images stay reliable over time and become searchable, so you can find and chat with what’s in them. See PDF & Image Understanding.
Mem saves its own copy of images you paste, drag in, or clip going forward. Images you clipped before this update may still point to the original website. See Images I saved earlier in the FAQs below.

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FAQs

Why does my image say it couldn’t be saved?
Usually the image came in as a link rather than the image itself, which happens when you copy a section of a web page or paste from a chat tool. Mem tries to fetch and save a copy, but if the image is behind a login, like in Slack or Microsoft Teams, or the site blocks it, Mem can’t. Either way, the fix is to add the actual image directly: right-click it, choose Copy Image, and paste it in, or download it and upload it to your note. What’s the difference between “Copy” and “Copy Image”?
”Copy” on a highlighted section grabs the page content, which usually includes only a link to the image. “Copy Image,” from right-clicking the image directly, grabs the actual image, which is what Mem needs in order to save it. Images I saved earlier aren’t showing offline. Why?
Images you clipped or pasted before this update may still point to the original website, which means they can break or won’t show when you’re offline. To ensure a copy of the image is saved to Mem, re-clip the page or download the image and add it to your note again. If the original source is gone, or now requires a login you no longer have, that image can’t be recovered, because Mem only ever linked to it rather than storing a copy. Do images count against any limit?
No. Images are free to add and understand on every plan. Do I have to wait while Mem saves an image?
No. Mem saves images in the background. You can keep working, leave the note, and come back. The image finishes on its own. Is this getting better?
Yes. We’re continuing to improve how fast images save and to widen the kinds of images Mem can keep. If an image won’t come in the way you expect, reach out at support@mem.ai. Real examples help us improve.