Unable to view images & videos from private-user-images.githubusercontent.com

[dotext]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Bug

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Issues

Body

When submitting topics or comments for Issues, those uploaded images and videos done via the GitHub website will report a 404 error from private-user-images.githubusercontent.com, unless you manually refresh the page.

Trying to view them full screen by clicking on the image or video directly results in downloading a 0 KB file instead of them appearing in a new tab.

You can see them correctly in the preview, and it’s shown after posting, but if you navigate away within the GitHub desktop website (like clicking on the Issues tab, then selecting another issue with images or videos inside, then the bug reappears until you refresh the page again.

This also quickly occurs when trying to view your Issues on the dedicated https://githubfast.kdns.fr/issues/ page when the side panel appears after selecting an Issue. Might be the same issue as #209282.

This began a few months ago, but it doesn’t seem to have been resolved yet.

Occurring in Safari on macOS and iOS via the GitHub website, but not in the GitHub iOS app.

Screenshot of an example provided below.

It happens on both my iPhone and Mac, both in Safari and regardless of extensions, private browsing, or any user settings made on the browser. It is also not related to the network connection either. Different sessions.

The page requests a direct link to the image, and the domain returns a 404 error in the console. Refresh the page instead, and the direct link can then work.

I would be surprised if it was a caching issue as it can be replicated in mere seconds after uploading the original image or video.

Safari versions

• Safari Version 26.6 (21624.4.1.11.1)
• Safari Version 26.6.2 (21624.5.1.11.3)
• Safari Version 27.0 (22625.1.29.11.27)
• Safari Version 27.2 (22625.2.4.1)
• Safari Version 27.2 (22625.2.5.11.1)
• Safari Version 27.2 (22625.2.7.1)

macOS & iOS versions

• macOS Tahoe and iOS 26.6 Beta
• macOS Tahoe and iOS 26.6.2
• macOS Golden Gate and iOS 27.0
• macOS Golden Gate and iOS 27.2 Beta 1
• macOS Golden Gate and iOS 27.2 Beta 2
• macOS Golden Gate and iOS 27.2 Beta 3

As of now, it's still occurring in macOS Golden Gate 27.2 Beta 3 (26B5101f) and iOS 27.2 Beta 3 (24B5099f).

Guidelines

• I have read the above statement and can confirm my post is relevant to the GitHub feature areas Issues and/or Projects.

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[anis-mselmi]

A 404 from private-user-images.githubusercontent.com after navigating between Issues pages is consistent with a stale or expired private attachment URL, but the report does not establish whether the cause is browser caching, session authorization, or a GitHub-side asset service issue. As a diagnostic, compare the same issue in a private window and another supported browser, disable extensions/content blockers, and inspect whether the failing request is made with the same signed-in session after navigation. If refresh reliably restores the asset, capture the failing and successful request timestamps, browser/Safari version, issue URL, and whether it affects both images and videos, then report those details to GitHub Support or staff; do not repost private attachments just to work around the problem.

[slyyr]

The fact that refreshing the page restores the images is a useful clue. It suggests the media may still exist, while something about the page's navigation or loading state is failing.

I'd try to narrow down the issue with a few controlled tests:

1. Open the same issue directly in a fresh browser tab instead of navigating to it through the issue sidebar.
2. Test the same issue in another browser to determine whether the behavior is specific to Safari.
3. Check the browser's Network panel when the media fails. Record the request status and whether the failing request is for the original media or a preview.
4. Compare a failing request before refreshing with the successful request after refreshing.
5. If possible, check whether the same issue occurs in a private browsing window with extensions disabled.

Because the issue appears after navigating between issues and temporarily disappears after refreshing, I'd investigate client-side navigation and media URL loading before assuming the uploaded files have been deleted.

A useful report would include the browser version, a sanitized failing request, and whether opening the issue directly avoids the problem. Avoid sharing private image URLs if they contain access-sensitive tokens or content.

If the same behavior occurs across multiple browsers and users, that would strengthen the case for a GitHub-side issue rather than a Safari-specific problem.