# Diagrams missing from an export

Exports use the stored preview image rather than rendering live, which is what makes them work at all. It also means an export can be slightly behind a very recent edit.

If a diagram is missing entirely rather than stale, the checks below cover the usual causes.

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## What you are seeing

* A PDF export with blank space where a diagram was.
* An export showing an older version of a diagram.
* Clickable areas that no longer work in the exported file.

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## Work through these in order

| **Check**                        | **What it means and what to do**                                                       |
| -------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| How recent was the edit?         | The preview is written a short time after saving. Wait a few minutes and export again. |
| Does the diagram have a preview? | Every saved diagram gets one. A brand new diagram may not yet.                         |
| Is it a reference?               | A reference to a page the exporting user cannot see will not export.                   |
| Are you expecting links to work? | They do not. PDF and Word flatten the diagram into a picture.                          |

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## A few things that catch people out

* Clickable diagrams lose their links in PDF and Word. Publish with Capable Sites if the links matter.
* Very wide diagrams are scaled to the page and can become unreadable. Consider splitting them.
* Dark mode is never applied to exports; they render light.

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## Related

[Diagram error messagesWhat the message means, and what to do.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/diagram-error-messages.html)

[Diagram does not renderBlank space, or an error where the picture should be.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/diagram-does-not-render.html)

[ExamplesWorking diagrams you can copy.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/examples.html)

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_Most of these take under a minute._