Multisite images not working anymore.

If you use a plugin to get the multisite you need to ask their forum for support as they can have different .htaccess rules. include your wordpress version and the problem otherwise read https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Multisite_Network_Administration#Uploaded_File_Path
Note* it’s called WPMU <3.0 or multisite from 3.0+ with different .htaccess for prior 3.5 from 3.0 to 3.4.2 , from 3.5+ and WPMU <3.0 (without modification plugin).
For WPMU read issue media and .htaccess https://codex.www.ads-software.com/htaccess#WordPress_MU

Wordpress 5.2 – latest version?
No updates are available to me.
Has been running as mutlisite since at lease 2014 so i assume it was originally pre 3.5 – i honestly don’t remember it was that long ago.

not using a plugin for multisite (that im aware of)

I previously found the link you posted & have tried to change a couple of things based on that but i have had no luck yet.

My htaccess file:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]

# uploaded files
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?files/(.+) wp-includes/ms-files.php?file=$2 [L]

# add a trailing slash to /wp-admin
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?wp-admin$ $1wp-admin/ [R=301,L]

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d
RewriteRule ^ - [L]
RewriteRule  ^[_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/(wp-(content|admin|includes).*) $1 [L]
RewriteRule  ^[_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/(.*\.php)$ $1 [L]
RewriteRule . index.php [L]

inside my WP-config:

define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);

define( 'MULTISITE', true );
define( 'SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', false );
$base = '/';
define( 'DOMAIN_CURRENT_SITE', 'www.mydomain.com.au' );
define( 'PATH_CURRENT_SITE', '/' );
define( 'SITE_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1 );
define( 'BLOG_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1 );

/* That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */

Im quite lost with this one.

Thanks

From the version you started with the current version, from November 2012 there is 3.5+.

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]

# add a trailing slash to /wp-admin
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?wp-admin$ $1wp-admin/ [R=301,L]

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d
RewriteRule ^ - [L]
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?(wp-(content|admin|includes).*) $2 [L]
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?(.*\.php)$ $2 [L]
RewriteRule . index.php [L]

Your code for the wp-config.php file is right if it is a multisite installation on subdirectories.

Multisite 3.0-3.4.2, where images of subsites were stored in /wp-content/blogs.dir/ and were shown in https://example.com/files/ and https://example.com / sitename / files and so on. If you started with a Multisite install older than 3.5, it is not an error if your images show with the URL of / files /.

The link I posted to you says that the blog folder exists from wordpress 3.0 to 3.4.2… You have originated installazion from 3.0+

Add manually htaccess and setting wp-config.php https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Create_A_Network ??

the site is running as subdirectories yes.

I’m not sure what you mean with the htaccess code but i copy/pasted the code in your post & it did not make any difference.

original site would have been started around 09 as single site, so obviously would have been a very old version then.
it was then changed to multisite around 13/14 from memory.

Full htaccess code:

Options -indexes

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]

# uploaded files
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?files/(.+) wp-includes/ms-files.php?file=$2 [L]

# add a trailing slash to /wp-admin
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?wp-admin$ $1wp-admin/ [R=301,L]

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d
RewriteRule ^ - [L]
RewriteRule  ^[_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/(wp-(content|admin|includes).*) $1 [L]
RewriteRule  ^[_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/(.*\.php)$ $1 [L]
RewriteRule . index.php [L]
</IfModule>

# END WordPress

I assume the options indexes & ifmodule part is meant to be there?
I don’t know much about the WP setup files.

Also from your last link posted
https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Create_A_Network
it states to go into network setup & copy the code into the wp-admin & htacess.
This also did not work.

It gave me
WP-Admin:

define('MULTISITE', true);
define('SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', false);
define('DOMAIN_CURRENT_SITE', 'www.mydomain.com.au');
define('PATH_CURRENT_SITE', '/');
define('SITE_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1);
define('BLOG_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1);

htaccess:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]

# uploaded files
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?files/(.+) wp-includes/ms-files.php?file=$2 [L]

# add a trailing slash to /wp-admin
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?wp-admin$ $1wp-admin/ [R=301,L]

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d
RewriteRule ^ - [L]
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?(wp-(content|admin|includes).*) $2 [L]
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?(.*\.php)$ $2 [L]
RewriteRule . index.php [L]

so damm confusing.

For 2009 is prior 3.0 … After you have installated WPMU or upgrade your single site in 3.0?
Prove this.

If you installed WordPress MU in subfolder/subdirectory (not in root folder on your server via ftp) and you have problem with image library, where thumbnails and images do not show, you may need to manually add in rewrite rules for your file directories as follows:

RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?siteN/files/(.+) wp-content/blogs.dir/N/files/$2 [L]
Put those below the normal call for uploaded files.

Note* Options – indexes is for not directory listing and <IfModule mod_rewrite.c> is check if load module mod_rewrite exist
RewriteBase / this for root RewriteBase /test/ this for directory named test.

I added
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?siteN/files/(.+) wp-content/blogs.dir/N/files/$2 [L] to htaaccess and it still does not work.
I had also tried that previously also but with original htacess file not the one i have copied network setup.

Original WP site started in early 2011 as far as i can tell.
The dates i am going off files in media library etc to estimate the times.
earliest files uploaded to main site is 09/05/2011
earliest files uploaded to main site is 01/05/2014 but i have got a copy of the original wp-config file before i edited to to be multisite dated 14/5/2012 so somewhere around 5/2012 – 2014 i changed it to to multisite.

the last bit you wrote i am unsure what you mean?
“Note* Options – indexes is for not directory listing and <IfModule mod_rewrite.c> is check if load module mod_rewrite exist
RewriteBase / this for root RewriteBase /test/ this for directory named test.”

Does this mean options – indexes should be removed? I tried & it didn’t make much difference.
im not sure where the rewritebase /test/ is you mentioned? or do you mean it should it have a rewritebase /directory/ for each directory?

we are tangled ??
every htaccess file needs RewriteEngine On and RewriteBase / if the file is in the root it is called / otherwise in the test folder it is called /test/. the options you need to not show the directory listing, while if you activate the rewrite alone the mod_rewrite module exists. Now in the installation folder are there really folders blogs_dir/2/ etc? if you need to insert that string in an htaccess file in folder 2.

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /2/
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?site2/files/(.+) wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/$2 [L]

*this If you installed WordPress MU in subfolder/subdirectory

Disable directory listing https://www.thesitewizard.com/apache/prevent-directory-listing-htaccess.shtml

WP is in public_html with htacess

Media Files are in
public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/
Folders 2 3 4 5
2 /files is empty
3 /files is empty
4 /files/201*/month seems to have files for my test subdirectory/subsite (Site is not used any more)
5 has the files for the website i am working on at the moment (shop subsite)

so are you saying i need to add the following to htacess for each subsite?

RewriteBase /subdirectoryname/
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?site2/files/(.+) wp-content/blogs.dir/5/files/$2 [L]

site2 as subdirectory name? or site5 like the blogs.dir folder? or other?

or

RewriteBase /5/
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?site5/files/(.+) wp-content/blogs.dir/5/files/$2 [L]

??

Sorry but i really have no idea when it comes to htaccess files or fixing the issue.

create .htaccess into 5 folder

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /5/
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?site5/files/(.+) wp-content/blogs.dir/5/files/$2 [L]

This rule imposes a redirection from folder 5 and all its subfolders (files).
I’m not sure about the RewriteBase /wp-contet/blogs_dir/5/ or RewriteBase /5/ well if he doesn’t like it with the browser towards https://yourdomain.com/wp-content/blogs_dir/5/ he should give errorr http 500

Unfortunately this still did not work for me ??

I tried your suggested .htacess code with:
– RewriteBase /wp-contet/blogs_dir/5/
– RewriteBase /blogs_dir/5/
– RewriteBase /5/

With the ” ?site5/files/ ”
is “site5” how the sub site is identified? should this be the subdirectory name? (shop) ?
if not how does the shop subdirectory know it is “site5” ?
is it possible this has somehow been changed? and i need to change something so shop knows it is “site5”?

Or will it be easier to move all of the image files to a different location?
uploads?

thanks for the help so far, i really appreciate it.

sorry I have no experience on old installations the public_html folder is the root in your case. is the site in this path? ^ ([0-9a-zA-Z_-]+/)?site5/files/ Optionally any letter, number, _, – and slash followed site5/files/?
delete your previous htaccess if site5 exists creates a htaccess in the site5 folder.

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /site5/
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?site5/files/(.+) wp-content/blogs.dir/5/files/$2 [L]

otherwise for testing insert in your htaccess root (public_html) immediately after RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?site5/files/(.+) wp-content/blogs.dir/5/files/$2 [L]

Public html is in the root dir yes.

is the site in this path?

I do not understand what you mean?
there are no site subfolders in root dir or public_html
there is no “site5” folder.
only /5/ in blogs.dir

both of the above suggested codes did not work.

I found how to check the site id.
The site ID is 5
so “site5” does belong to blogs.dir/5

Options -indexes

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]

# uploaded files
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?files/(.+) wp-includes/ms-files.php?file=$2 [L]

# add a trailing slash to /wp-admin
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?wp-admin$ $1wp-admin/ [R=301,L]

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d
RewriteRule ^ - [L]
RewriteRule  ^[_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/(wp-(content|admin|includes).*) $1 [L]
RewriteRule  ^[_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/(.*\.php)$ $1 [L]
RewriteRule . index.php [L]
</IfModule>

# END WordPress

Delete all htaccess files and only create this one in the main root.
upload a new image and check if you see it in the media library, if you see it it means that after a certain date the media library no longer shows the old uploads.

^ that is identical to my original .htaccess

I have tried to upload new files after some changes from time to time & it will not display new uploads or pre-existing files.