# EPUBCheck RSC-007: referenced file not found, how to fix it

Source: https://epubcc.com/epubcheck/rsc-007/ (updated 2026-11-04)

EPUBCheck RSC-007 is an error message: “Referenced resource "…" could not be found in the EPUB.” A link or reference points to a file that is missing from the book. EPUBCheck reports the same text as RSC-007 (an error) and as RSC-007w (a warning, for references that do not break the publication's validity); the causes and the fix are the same.

- Official message (EPUBCheck 5.4.0): Referenced resource "%1$s" could not be found in the EPUB.
- Default severity: Error

## Typical causes

- A misspelled path or wrong case (paths are case-sensitive).
- A file that was deleted or renamed, or a link left over from the source document, such as a converted PDF's internal link.
- RSC-007w: the same missing target in a reference EPUBCheck only warns about.

## How to fix it

1. Find the reference named in the message and compare its path with the files really in the archive.
2. Correct the path, or add the missing file to the EPUB and the manifest.
3. Remove the link if the target no longer exists, and validate again.

## When it's not this

If the file exists but is not listed in the manifest, that is RSC-008, not RSC-007.

## Sources

- EPUB 3.3, §5.6 Manifest section: https://www.w3.org/TR/epub-33/#sec-pkg-manifest (read 2026-11-04)

Message text and severity: EPUBCheck (W3C, BSD-3-Clause). Explanation: EpubCC.