bumptech/glide · error · IllegalArgumentException

You cannot start a load on a fragment before it is attached

Error message

You cannot start a load on a fragment before it is attached

What it means

Thrown by the deprecated Glide.with(android.app.Fragment) overload when the passed platform Fragment has no attached Activity (fragment.getActivity() == null). Glide derives the Application context from the Activity to scope the RequestManager, so it cannot proceed without one. The method is deprecated precisely because android.app.Fragment is itself deprecated; androidx Fragment is preferred.

Source

Thrown at library/src/main/java/com/bumptech/glide/manager/RequestManagerRetriever.java:250

  }

  @TargetApi(Build.VERSION_CODES.JELLY_BEAN_MR1)
  private static void assertNotDestroyed(@NonNull Activity activity) {
    if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.JELLY_BEAN_MR1 && activity.isDestroyed()) {
      throw new IllegalArgumentException("You cannot start a load for a destroyed activity");
    }
  }

  /**
   * @deprecated This is equivalent to calling {@link #get(Context)} with the application context.
   *     Use androidx fragments instead: {@link Fragment}.
   */
  @Deprecated
  @NonNull
  @TargetApi(Build.VERSION_CODES.JELLY_BEAN_MR1)
  public RequestManager get(@NonNull android.app.Fragment fragment) {
    if (fragment.getActivity() == null) {
      throw new IllegalArgumentException(
          "You cannot start a load on a fragment before it is attached");
    }
    return get(fragment.getActivity().getApplicationContext());
  }

  private static boolean isActivityVisible(Context context) {
    // This is a poor heuristic, but it's about all we have. We'd rather err on the side of visible
    // and start requests than on the side of invisible and ignore valid requests.
    Activity activity = findActivity(context);
    return activity == null || !activity.isFinishing();
  }

  /**
   * @deprecated This method is no longer called by Glide or provides any functionality and it will
   *     be removed in the future. Retained for now to preserve backwards compatibility.
   */
  @Deprecated
  @SuppressWarnings("PMD.CollapsibleIfStatements")

View on GitHub (pinned to eb14a895d8)

Solutions

1. Move the Glide.with(fragment) call into or after onAttach(Context) (e.g. onViewCreated or onStart) so getActivity() is non-null
2. Switch to androidx.fragment.app.Fragment and use the androidx overload Glide.with(androidxFragment) which is not deprecated and has richer lifecycle handling
3. If you genuinely need a load before attachment, call Glide.with(requireContext().getApplicationContext()) or Glide.with(application) instead
4. Guard with if (isAdded() && getActivity() != null) before requesting

Example fix

// before
public View onCreateView(...) {
  Glide.with(this).load(url).into(imageView); // 'this' is android.app.Fragment, not attached yet
}
// after
@Override
public void onViewCreated(@NonNull View view, @Nullable Bundle savedInstanceState) {
  if (getActivity() != null) {
    Glide.with(getActivity().getApplicationContext()).load(url).into(imageView);
  }
}

if (fragment.activity == null) {
  // defer the load to onAttach, or fall back to application context
  return
}
Glide.with(fragment).load(url).into(imageView)

When it happens

Trigger: Calling Glide.with(androidAppFragment) before the fragment's onAttach(Context/Activity) lifecycle callback has fired, or after onDetach. Common during fragment construction, onCreateView (pre-attach on some versions), or from a retained fragment recreated after a config change before re-attachment.

Common situations: Migrating legacy code that still references android.app.Fragment; starting a load in a Fragment field initializer or constructor; calling Glide.with(this) inside a headless/retained fragment before it is added; unit/instrumentation tests that construct a Fragment without an Activity host.

Related errors

• Unable to find GlideModule implementation
• Cannot restart a running request
• You can't start or clear loads in RequestListener or Target
• Already released
• sizeMultiplier must be between 0 and 1

AI-assisted analysis of bumptech/glide@eb14a895d8 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/50a86667f3f319d6. Report an issue: GitHub.