Library health scans Pro

A health scan checks every published document in your library for four kinds of rot: a file that has gone missing, an external link that no longer resolves, a file on your own site that is only linked by URL, and documents with no downloads after 90+ days. FileDeck runs the scan automatically once a week and emails you if it finds anything, so a quiet library stays quiet and problems surface on their own.

FileDeck Pro — this feature is included in all Pro plans. See pricing

What does a health scan check?

Published documents are tested against four checks, and results are grouped by check:

• Missing or broken file — the document points at a file that is no longer there. This usually means someone deleted the file from the Media Library after attaching it.
• External link that no longer resolves — for documents whose file is an external URL (a shared drive or another site), FileDeck confirms the link still answers.
• File on this site linked by URL, not attached — the document’s "external" URL points at a file inside this site’s own uploads folder. It downloads fine, but a URL-linked document gets no zip checkbox, no preview, no thumbnails and cannot be vaulted. This is the footprint of an older migration; the Health screen offers Attach them now to register each file in the Media Library where it already sits; the file is not copied or moved. <!– claim-ok: verified by the integration suite — "import(sf): the attachment points at the original file — nothing copied" –>
• Never downloaded in 90+ days — the document has been published for at least 90 days and nobody has ever downloaded it. Not an error, but a signal: the document may be mistitled, buried, or simply not needed.

How do I run a scan?

You usually do not need to — FileDeck scans automatically once a week and emails you only when something turns up. To check immediately, for example after a bulk import or a Media Library cleanup:

1. Go to Documents → Settings → Health.
2. On the Library Health screen, click Run scan now.
3. Review the results, grouped by the four checks above.

What should I do with the results?

Missing files are the urgent ones — reattach or replace the file from the document editor before a visitor hits a dead download. Broken external links need the URL fixed at the source or the document repointed. URL-linked local files are a one-click fix: Attach them now processes 100 per click (or run wp filedeck attach-local-files to do the whole library at once). Zero-download documents are a judgment call: improve the title and categories or tags so people can find them, or retire them with document expiry.

FAQ

Where do the alert emails go?

FileDeck emails you when a weekly scan finds problems, using WordPress’s wp_mail function. If alerts are not arriving, your host may not send mail reliably — install an SMTP plugin.

Does a scan slow down my site?

No. Scans run in the background in the admin; visitors browsing your library are unaffected.

Does the scan check draft or expired documents?

No. Health scans cover published documents — the ones visitors can actually reach.