When you search the historical records on FamilySearch, you sometimes receive an error message. Messages that direct you to a FamilySearch center or affiliate library are not errors. Contracts with record owners dictate which images you can view online. Likewise, a message about checking another website is not an error message. Some commercial websites share the index of their record collections with our users, but not the record images.
Image Unavailable
The message drops down over where you expect to see the film images and is in a white box. The message is accurate—the images are not available online. You typically see the message when permissions for record collections changed and not all portions of FamilySearch are up to date yet. When the systems get in sync, the issue goes away. Try to view the images again after a while.
Error has a number or the word "wildcard"
If the message contains an error with a number or the word "wildcard," use these steps:
- Delete temporary files, browsing history, and cookies.
- Try a different Internet browser.
- Sign in to FamilySearch.org before you search for historical records.
- If the problem continues, contact FamilySearch Support.
If you receive other error messages, please contact FamilySearch Support.
Important note
You can sometimes find links to Historical Records collections on forums or blogs. The links can be out of date. If you get an error message from such links, we suggest that you search for the collection on FamilySearch instead.
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