You can detach the reference to an image file in a drawing.
You can detach images that are no longer needed in a drawing. When you detach an image, all instances of the image are removed from the drawing, the image definition is purged, and the link to the image is removed. The image file itself is not affected.
Erasing an individual instance of an image is not the same as detaching an image. An image must be detached to remove the link from your drawing to the image file.