Match the report title.
Look for "Spine idref is missing from manifest" or the closest title listed above. If the platform wording is different, keep the original EPUBCheck, KDP, or Kindle Previewer message before choosing a fix.
OPF_049 item id was not found in the manifest
Use this when an OPF reference names a manifest id that does not exist. Find where the missing id is used before you change spine or navigation wiring.
The scan shows affected paths and repair decisions. It does not show manuscript text.
Not sure this kind of EPUB should be scanned here? Check unsupported or review-first EPUB cases.
Scan report titles
- Spine idref is missing from manifest
- OPF_049 item id was not found in the manifest
- Item id was not found in the manifest
Read the scan report
How to decide whether this report item matches OPF_049 item id was not found in the manifest.
Use the report label, affected file, and repair decision together. A matching title alone is not enough if the file path or EPUB structure points to a different problem.
Check the affected file first.
Use the report's Affected area, Source file, Target file, or Problem type rows before editing content.opf, nav.xhtml, toc.ncx, XHTML, CSS, or image paths.
Follow the repair decision.
Repairable means EPUB Fixer found one clear structural change. Needs review or Not supported means use the named file, source project, or platform step instead of guessing.
Repair summary
What to keep if this is not safely repairable.
Copy the report summary instead of rebuilding the fix from memory. A useful repair note keeps the source file, target file or field, original error, repair decision, and next step together.
Source file
Target path or field
Original error
Repair decision
Next step
1. Example report output
What the OPF_049 report should show.
A useful report should show the broken id reference and whether there is one obvious manifest item behind it.
EPUBCheck message
ERROR(OPF-049): OEBPS/content.opf(42,15): item id "chapter3" was not found in the manifest.
KDP / Previewer wording
The package references an item that is not declared in the manifest.
EPUB Fixer report
spine has idref="chapter3". manifest has id="chap-3" href="Text/chapter3.xhtml".
Do this next
Align the idref only if chap-3 clearly points to the same content document.
Do not do this
Do not point the spine to a nearby chapter just to make the EPUB validate.
Safe repair means preserving the intended reading order, navigation, and package relationship, not just replacing a missing id with any existing id.
2. Next step
Use the missing id before editing the OPF.
The next step depends on where the missing id is used and whether a clear replacement exists.
Scan first
You only have the missing id.
Find whether the id is used in spine, guide, fallback, media overlay, toc, or another OPF package field.
Safe repair
A renamed manifest item is obvious.
Update the OPF reference to the existing manifest id only when the href and role match the missing item.
Manual review
The fix could change reading order or navigation.
Stop when several chapters, fallbacks, overlays, or rendition items could match the missing id.
3. Concrete path example
A typical OPF_049 id mismatch.
The file can exist while the OPF id wiring is still broken.
EPUBCheck: ERROR(OPF-049): OEBPS/content.opf(42,15): item id "chapter3" was not found in the manifest. Report: Broken reference: <itemref idref="chapter3"/> Manifest candidate: <item id="chap-3" href="Text/chapter3.xhtml" media-type="application/xhtml+xml"/> Fix decision: safe repair if chap-3 is the same spine item After: update idref, then validate again
If chapter3 was deleted or several chapter files look similar, the report should stop instead of guessing the reading order.
Quick decision
Decide whether OPF_049 is a rename or a missing book item.
The safe action changes depending on whether the intended item still exists under another id.
Scan first
Find where the missing id is used.
OPF_049 means some OPF field names a manifest id that is not defined. First identify whether the missing id is used by the spine, guide, fallback, media overlay, toc, or another package reference because each one changes a different part of the book.
Safe fix
One manifest item clearly matches.
OPF_049 means an OPF reference names a manifest id that does not exist. Update the idref or restore the manifest item only when the matching href, media type, and role prove which file the package meant to use.
Stop
The id affects structure or timing.
Do not guess reading order, fixed-layout pages, fallbacks, media overlays, or multiple-rendition package choices.
Start here
Start with the missing OPF idref.
OPF_049 is usually not about a missing file path. It means one OPF field names a manifest id that the manifest does not define.
What it means
The OPF package is pointing to an internal manifest id that does not exist. Unlike a missing file path error, this problem is about the relationship between OPF elements: one part of the package names an item id, but the manifest never defines that item.
Can it be fixed automatically?
EPUB Fixer can repair this when the intended manifest item is clear, such as a spine itemref that points to an old id while the same XHTML file is still declared under a new id. A safe fix updates the reference to the existing manifest id or restores the missing manifest item when the file and media type are unambiguous.
What to check next
Find the OPF line named by the error, such as a spine itemref, guide reference, fallback, media-overlay, toc value, or another package-level reference.
What not to assume
Do not guess the reading order, navigation target, fallback chain, or media overlay target when several manifest items could match. If the missing id affects spine order, fixed-layout pages, multiple renditions, or editorial navigation choices, manual review is required.
Common situations
Common OPF_049 cases.
Most OPF_049 errors appear after package ids are renamed or old references survive cleanup.
A spine itemref still uses an old id.
The manifest id changed from chapter3 to chap-3, but the spine still names chapter3. EPUBCheck fails because the reading order points to an id that the manifest no longer defines.
Update the spine idref only if the matching manifest href proves it is the same chapter in the intended reading order.
A guide or toc reference points to a deleted item.
Old EPUB 2 guide or toc wiring can remain after a file was removed, so the package still points to an id that no manifest item owns.
Remove the obsolete reference or restore the intended manifest item only after confirming whether that guide or toc target should still exist.
A fallback id is missing.
Media or alternate content points to a fallback item that no longer exists in the manifest.
Do not guess fallback behavior without checking the asset chain.
A media overlay target was renamed.
Audio or fixed-layout packages can reference ids that changed during export.
Treat timing and fixed-layout links as manual review unless the target is obvious.
The OPF_049 manifest id error text
OPF_049: Item id was not found in the manifest.
Where OPF_049 appears in EPUB validation
EPUBCheck, Kindle Previewer, or KDP finds an OPF reference that names a manifest id, but the OPF manifest has no item with that id. This can affect spine itemrefs, EPUB 2 NCX wiring, guide references, media overlays, fallbacks, or other package-level links.
What it means
OPF_049 is broken package wiring.
The OPF package is pointing to an internal manifest id that does not exist. Unlike a missing file path error, this problem is about the relationship between OPF elements: one part of the package names an item id, but the manifest never defines that item.
This often happens after renaming manifest ids, deleting a chapter item, changing nav or NCX entries, merging EPUB files, or editing the OPF by hand. The file may still exist in the ZIP, but the package-level id wiring is broken.
Before you edit
Match the idref to the manifest item it should use.
Do not point a spine, guide, fallback, or media-overlay reference to a nearby item just because the file name looks similar. First confirm the intended manifest item.
- 1Find the OPF line named by the error, such as a spine itemref, guide reference, fallback, media-overlay, toc value, or another package-level reference.
- 2Copy the missing id value and search the manifest for an item with that exact id, including capitalization, hyphens, and underscores.
- 3If the same file exists under a renamed manifest id, update the OPF reference only when the intended item is obvious.
- 4If the referenced file was removed entirely, restore the file or remove the stale reference instead of pointing to a different chapter.
- 5Do not auto-fix ids when the change could alter reading order, navigation structure, fallback behavior, or media overlay timing.
- 6Validate again after updating the OPF reference because an id fix can reveal a missing file, wrong media type, or broken anchor.
Why KDP checks it
Why validators reject missing manifest ids.
EPUB 3.3 package rules
The OPF file is the EPUB's map: metadata, file list, reading order, and navigation wiring. KDP and EPUBCheck use it to decide whether the book package is coherent.
EPUBCheck
EPUBCheck checks EPUB 2 and EPUB 3 files against the official rules and reports package, markup, link, and file-reference problems.
Can this be fixed safely?
When OPF_049 can be repaired safely.
When automatic repair is safe
EPUB Fixer can repair this when the intended manifest item is clear, such as a spine itemref that points to an old id while the same XHTML file is still declared under a new id. A safe fix updates the reference to the existing manifest id or restores the missing manifest item when the file and media type are unambiguous.
When you need manual review
Do not guess the reading order, navigation target, fallback chain, or media overlay target when several manifest items could match. If the missing id affects spine order, fixed-layout pages, multiple renditions, or editorial navigation choices, manual review is required.
Before / after example
Before: the spine contains <itemref idref="chapter3"/> but the manifest only has <item id="chap-3" href="chapter3.xhtml" media-type="application/xhtml+xml"/>. After: the spine idref is updated only if chap-3 is the clear intended item. Before: an idref points to a deleted chapter with no matching file; that should stop for manual review.
Ready to retry?
Scan the OPF before changing idrefs.
A report should show the missing id, where it is used, and which manifest items might match by href or media type.
Upload EPUB to scanFAQ
Questions authors ask about OPF_049.
What does OPF-049 item id was not found in the manifest mean?
It means an OPF reference names a manifest item id that does not exist. The EPUB package may still contain the file, but the manifest id wiring is inconsistent.
Where does an OPF-049 missing id usually come from?
It often comes from spine itemrefs, NCX toc references, fallback chains, guide references, media overlay links, or manual OPF edits where an id was renamed or deleted.
How is OPF-049 different from OPF-002?
OPF_002 usually means the package file path itself cannot be found. OPF_049 means the OPF package exists, but an internal id reference points to a manifest item that is missing.
Can EPUB Fixer repair OPF-049 automatically?
Only when there is one clear intended manifest item. If the missing id affects reading order, navigation, fallback behavior, or media overlays, the report should stop for manual review.
Can OPF-049 cause broken Kindle navigation?
Yes. If spine, nav, NCX, or guide references point to ids that do not exist in the manifest, Kindle conversion can fail or produce a book with missing chapters or broken navigation.
Related EPUB error guides
- OPF_030 unique-identifier was not found
- OPF_029 manifest media-type mismatch
- OPF_003 item is not declared in the OPF manifest
- OPF_048 package is missing unique-identifier
- Mimetype compressed EPUB and invalid mimetype contents
- OPF rootfile path mismatch
- container.xml missing in EPUB
- PKG_006 mimetype file entry is missing or not first