Pattern PXM gives you several kinds of links to your images and files. Some are for websites, marketplaces and integrations, and some are for sharing with people. This article explains each link type, when to use it, how to copy it, and what happens to it when you replace or rename a file.
For the technical details of CDN links, such as hosts and URL formats, see Accessing Pattern PXM Files via CDN.
Quick guide: which link should I use?
Putting an image on a website or in an integration, and it should always show the latest version: use the permalink (/p/).
Need an exact width, height or format, such as a 600 px WebP: use a custom-size link (/_i/) with size settings (the settings also work on permalinks, /p/).
Already using classic size links (_large, _medium, _small, _thumb) that work: keep them. You don't have to switch.
Linking to a PDF, video or other document: copy the link from GENERAL INFORMATION, which gives a direct link to the file.
Sending files to someone who doesn't use PXM, such as a retailer or agency: create a shareable link.
Need the files themselves: download them instead of linking.
The link types
Custom-size link (/_i/)
Looks like https://{cdn-host}/_i/{mediaId}. This is what COPY LINK under GENERAL INFORMATION gives you for an image, including EPS and SVG files. It points at one specific upload of the image, so it never changes on its own. Add size settings to get any width, height or format (see Custom sizes below).
Permalink (/p/)
Looks like https://{cdn-host}/p/{fileId}. It always shows the current version of an image, even after you replace it. The links in VARIANTS and in the file viewer are permalinks. For PDFs and videos, a /p/ link shows a preview image, not the file itself.
Classic size links
Look like https://{cdn-host}/{fileId}_large.jpg, with _medium, _small and _thumb for the other sizes. The original (master) file has no suffix. These fixed sizes come from your account's Image Conversion settings. They still work, and there's no deadline to move away from them.
Direct file links (PDFs, videos, documents)
For videos, documents and other non-image files, COPY LINK under GENERAL INFORMATION gives a direct link to the file itself.
Shareable links
A shareable link lets people without a PXM account view and download files, products or folders. You choose the role the recipient sees content as, when the link expires and which Org Units are included. You can also share a whole lightbox with one link. See Shareable Links and Lightboxes.
Older links (amp-fs and older CDN hosts)
Links from before Pattern PXM, such as amp-fs.amplifi.io/file?id=…, and links on older CDN hosts keep working. You don't need to replace them.
Copy a link to a file
Open the file by clicking its thumbnail in a product, folder or search results.
In the right panel, find GENERAL INFORMATION.
Click COPY LINK to copy the link, or OPEN LINK to open it in a new tab.
Copy a link to a specific size or format
Open the file and expand VARIANTS in the right panel.
Find the size you need, such as LARGE, MEDIUM or SMALL, and the format: JPG, PNG or WEBP. Each format shows its pixel dimensions.
Click COPY LINK or OPEN LINK for that format. You can also click DOWNLOAD to download that version.
For more about sizes and formats, see File Variants.
Always copy links from your own PXM account. The CDN host is different for different accounts, so don't build links by hand from another account's links.
Custom sizes
Add any of these settings to the end of a custom-size link (/_i/) or a permalink (/p/):
w: width in pixels. Sizes are rounded down to steps of 25 px, so w=237 gives an image 225 px wide.
h: height in pixels, rounded the same way.
f: format (jpg, png or webp). If you use other settings and leave out f, the image comes back as a JPG, so a transparent PNG gets a white background. Add f=png or f=webp to keep transparency.
q: quality, from 1 to 100 (default 95). For PNG, q sets the compression level rather than the visual quality.
tpc: background colour for transparent areas when the image comes back as a JPG, as a 6-digit hex code without the # (default ffffff, white). WebP and PNG keep transparency.
l: page or layer of a multi-page TIFF or layered PSD, starting at 0 (the first, and the default).
Start the settings with ? and separate them with &. For example: https://{cdn-host}/_i/{mediaId}?w=600&f=webp
The aspect ratio is always kept. Set just one dimension and PXM works out the other.
Set both, and the image fits inside that box without being cropped or stretched, so one side may come out smaller than you asked for.
Images aren't enlarged. If you ask for a size larger than the original, you get the original size.
Leave the settings off to get the original size and format.
Open the finished link in a private browser window to check it before you use it on your website or in an integration.
What happens when you replace, version or rename a file
Permalinks (/p/) follow the change and show the new image. Allow about 5 minutes for it to appear.
Custom-size links (/_i/) keep showing the old image, because each upload gets a new link. After a replace or new version, copy the new link and update it wherever you've stored it.
Renaming a file keeps its links working, because PXM serves files by ID, not by name.
Deleting a file and uploading it again creates a new file with new links, so the old links stop working. To update an image, replace or version it instead.
Replacing from the file itself (Replace Image in the ⋯ menu) keeps the file, its permalink (/p/) and its product links, even if the new file has a different name. Custom-size (/_i/) links still change, as described above.
If you upload an image with the same name as an existing image, even with a different extension such as chair.png over chair.jpg, PXM asks you to choose. Replace swaps the existing file for the new upload and keeps its tags, folders and metadata. This can't be undone, so use a new version if you want to keep the old one. Rename keeps both, and the new file gets its own new links.
If a Replace changes the format (for example JPG to PNG), the file switches to the new format. Check any links you've stored that include a file extension after the change.
Classic size links use the file's ID. After a replace, check them in a private window.
For more on keeping older copies, see File Versions.
Caching and update timing
After a replace, a permalink can show the old image for about 5 minutes while the CDN updates.
Your browser may also keep an old copy. Hard-refresh the page or open the link in a private window.
PXM makes the thumbnail when you upload an image. Other sizes are made the first time someone requests them.
For most images, the sizes in VARIANTS follow your current Image Conversion settings automatically. Classic size links (_large, _medium, _small, _thumb) and some older images, generally those uploaded before late July 2026, only change when you run Convert. Links you already copied keep their size and format. Convert starts as soon as you click it, with no confirmation step. Run it on about 100–200 images at a time. See Image Conversion Settings.
Share files with people outside PXM
Open the file and click the share icon (Share this file), or select the files, products or folders you want to share and choose Share from the bulk menu.
In SHARE ASSETS (Step 1 of 2), choose GET SHAREABLE LINK or VIA EMAIL.
Set Roles. Recipients see the share as this role, so anything that role can't see is left out. General User shows published content only.
Set Expires (often 365 days by default).
Check Share as. It's set to you by default.
Under Org Units, choose which Org Units to include. You can search the list or use Select All.
Click SHARE. Then open the link in a private window to check what recipients will see.
Good to know
CDN links are public. Anyone who has a link can open the file, so don't put confidential files in places where links are shared widely.
Anyone who can view a file can download it. To limit who sees a file in PXM, use Org Units. See Regions (Org Units): How to Create, Manage, and Control Visibility.
If your company's firewall or VPN blocks outside content, your IT team may need to allow Pattern CDN hosts, including *.patterncdn.com.
To get image links for a whole media stack, use Export Media Stack. The Media column has full-size links to the original files, and the Preview column has thumbnail links. You can also download a stack, or copy a link for each file from VARIANTS. For links across many products, see Channel & Marketplace Templates in PXM.
To download files instead of linking to them, see Downloading Media.
FAQ
Do I need to update my existing image links?
No. Classic size links, permalinks and older links all keep working. Use the newer link types when you need them.
Why doesn't the ID in my /_i/ link match the file's ID?
That's expected. The file ID stays the same for the life of the file. The ID in a /_i/ link identifies one upload of the image, so it changes with every replace or new version.
Can I add a size suffix like _large to a /_i/ link?
No. Size suffixes only work with classic links. For /_i/ and /p/ links, use the w, h, f, q, tpc and l settings instead.
Can people open a shareable link without a PXM account?
Yes. Recipients don't need an account and don't get an invite. They can view and download what the link includes until it expires.
Troubleshooting
I replaced an image, but the old one still shows
Wait about 5 minutes, then hard-refresh or open the link in a private window.
Check which link you're using. A /_i/ link always shows the upload it was copied from. Copy the new link, or switch to the permalink (/p/) if the image should follow future replaces.
If the thumbnail in PXM still looks wrong, select just that file and run Convert. It starts right away.
An image is broken on my website or a marketplace
Open the exact link in a private browser window. If it doesn't load there either, the link itself is the problem.
Make sure the link was copied from your own PXM account, and that the file wasn't deleted and uploaded again. That creates new links.
If you use an old /_i/ link after a replace or version, it may no longer be the image you expect. Copy the current link.
If the link works for you but not on your company network, ask your IT team to allow Pattern CDN hosts, including *.patterncdn.com.
If you send images by syndication or export, check that the template uses the full-size link, not a thumbnail link.
A PDF or video link opens a still image instead of the file
Links to PDFs and videos copied before October 15, 2026, and any /p/ link to a PDF or video, show a preview image. Open the file, copy the link again from GENERAL INFORMATION, and regenerate any QR codes made from the old link.
Open Link downloads a PDF or video instead of showing it
This can still happen with some PDFs and videos. Create a shareable link for the file instead, which usually works. If the shareable link also downloads the file, contact Pattern support with the file type, the link and a short screen recording.
The person I shared with can't see a file
The share's role can't see it, it isn't in the Org Units chosen for the share, or it's unpublished and the share uses General User. Fix the file or create a new share with the right settings, then check it in a private window.
A custom size of a very large image won't load
Contact Pattern support with the file name, the exact link and the time you tried it.
Need more help?
Contact your Pattern CSM or Pattern support.