From 31 January 2027, every product image you send to Google Merchant Center must be at least 500 × 500 pixels, whatever the product category. Until then the old minimums still apply. Google aims for 1500 × 1500 pixels or larger, a clean view of the product with no overlays, and an image URL that Google can crawl. This guide covers the numbers, the rules that trigger disapprovals, and how to fix the errors that show up in your feed.
TL;DR
- Minimum size: 500 × 500 px for all product images from 31 January 2027. Until then, 100 × 100 px for non-clothing and 250 × 250 px for clothing.
- Aim higher: Google recommends 1500 × 1500 px or larger for the main image.
- Limits: JPEG, WebP, PNG, non-animated GIF, BMP or TIFF. Maximum 16 MB and 64 megapixels. The image URL can be up to 2,000 characters.
- Main image: the product only, with no promotional text, watermarks, logos, borders or placeholders.
- Errors: most come from blocked crawling, wrong file formats, overlays or small images. Replace an image by submitting a new, unique URL.
Table of Contents
- What changes on 31 January 2027
- The technical requirements at a glance
- What the main image may and may not show
- How to optimise product images for a shopping feed
- Common image feed errors and how to fix them
- Managing images across countries, languages and channels
- Where the image columns sit in the feed
- Keeping image columns right with Textfinity
- FAQ
- Sources
What changes on 31 January 2027
Google's product data specification announces new image size requirements of at least 500 × 500 pixels for all product images, with enforcement starting on 31 January 2027. The Swedish-language version of the same specification says the same, so the rule applies to stores advertising in Sweden.
Until that date, Google's Image too small help page allows images of at least 100 × 100 pixels for non-clothing products and 250 × 250 pixels for clothing. That is why you may see older guides quoting those figures. Treat them as outdated for planning. Any image under 500 × 500 px in your catalogue is a future problem, and a product whose image fails can drop out of the ads and free listings it appears in.
The same help page notes that for YouTube Shopping ads, images already need to be at least 500 × 500 pixels to serve on TV.
The technical requirements at a glance
The image_link documentation sets the rules for the main image. This table collects them in one place.
| Requirement | What Google asks for |
|---|---|
| Minimum size | 500 × 500 px from 31 January 2027 |
| Recommended size | 1500 × 1500 px or larger (image best practices) |
| Formats | JPEG, WebP, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF |
| Maximum file size | 16 MB |
| Maximum resolution | 64 megapixels |
| URL | Starts with http or https, 1 to 2,000 characters, ASCII, RFC 3986 compliant |
| Crawling | Googlebot and Googlebot-image must be allowed in robots.txt |
A few practical notes:
- Use a stable, readable URL. Spaces, accented characters such as å, ä and ö, and unencoded symbols in file names are a common cause of invalid URLs. Rename the file or encode the URL properly.
- Match extension and content. A file called .jpg that is really a WebP can fail format checks. Google's invalid image format page covers this.
- Do not upscale. The product specification rules out thumbnails and scaled-up images. A 300 px image stretched to 500 px is still a 300 px image.
What the main image may and may not show
The main image is the one shoppers see first, so it carries most of the rules. According to the image_link documentation, it must give a clear, unobstructed view of the product you sell. Google lists these as disapproval triggers:
- promotional text or calls to action
- price and delivery details
- service information and promotional adjectives
- condition or compatibility text
- barcodes and tracking codes
- overlays and watermarks
- added brand or retailer logos
- placeholder or generic images
- single-colour images
- borders
- items that are not sold together with the main product
The image best practices page adds a positive brief: the product should fill 75% to 90% of the frame, on a solid white or light neutral background.
The usual culprits in real catalogues are supplier images with a "SALE" badge, marketplace images with a seller logo in the corner, and pack shots showing accessories that are not in the box. If a supplier sends you these, you need a clean image in the main slot and the badge version somewhere else, if at all.
Additional and lifestyle images
The main image is only one slot. Google's Swedish product data specification says additional_image_link is optional, allows up to 10 extra images, and those may show the product in use or staged, and may include graphics and illustrations. That makes it the right place for:
- a lifestyle shot showing the product in a real setting
- close-ups of texture, fabric, stitching or packaging
- the product with included accessories
Google's image best practices recommend at least one lifestyle shot and detail shots through additional_image_link. Note that from 31 January 2027 the 500 × 500 px minimum covers additional images as well, not just the primary one.
AI-generated images
If you use generative AI for product pictures, the product data specification requires the file to carry metadata showing it is AI-generated, using the IPTC DigitalSourceType tag (values such as TrainedAlgorithmicMedia, CompositeSynthetic or AlgorithmicMedia). You must not strip that metadata. Some image pipelines and CDNs remove metadata when compressing, so check that the tag survives on the URL you publish, not just on the original file.
The image must also still show the product accurately. An AI background around a real product photo is a different matter from an AI-invented product.
How to optimise product images for a shopping feed
Google's tips to optimise your product data advise giving the highest-resolution image you have, and note that products with high-quality images are more likely to show for relevant searches. These habits follow from the rules above.
- Export at 1500 × 1500 px or larger. You can always serve a smaller version on your own site. Keep the large original for the feed.
- Keep the framing consistent. Same crop, same background and similar product proportions across the catalogue make a Shopping grid look trustworthy.
- Show the right variant. If the title says "navy, size M", the image should be navy. Variants with the colour of a sibling product are a frequent source of mismatch complaints.
- Separate the clean image from the marketing image. Put the plain product shot in image_link and banners or badges on your own product page only.
- Use the extra slots. Fill additional_image_link with lifestyle and detail images rather than leaving them empty.
- Pair images with strong text. A good image helps the shopper recognise the product. The title helps Google match it to the query. Our Google Shopping product title template shows how to structure titles by category.
For electronics and jewellery, where shoppers compare detail closely, extra angles matter more. Our pages on feeds for electronics and jewellery cover the attributes that go alongside the images.
Common image feed errors and how to fix them
Google's image status page lists the usual issues and their remedies. Here they are as a working checklist.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Image not processed or product stays under review | Googlebot blocked, or image still being crawled | Allow Googlebot and Googlebot-image in robots.txt. Wait: new images are typically crawled and approved within 3 days |
| Invalid image format or URL | Unsupported format, extension not matching the file, malformed URL | Use a supported format, check the extension matches the MIME type, encode the URL |
| Promotional overlay or watermark | Badges, logos or text baked into the image | Supply a clean version of the image |
| Image too small | Below the minimum size | Provide at least 500 × 500 px |
| Old image still showing | Same URL reused after a change | Submit the new image on a new, unique URL |
Replacing an image without losing the listing
When you change an image, Google may keep serving the previously approved one for up to 30 days while the new URL is processed. The invalid image format page says the same grace period applies if a format issue is being fixed, and that the issue can take up to 30 days to disappear from the Needs attention page.
The practical consequence: do not overwrite a file at the same address and expect Google to re-fetch it quickly. Give the new image a new file name, update the link in the feed, and let the feed refresh.
A quick audit before January
- Export your catalogue with the image_link and additional_image_link columns.
- Read the pixel dimensions of each file. Many tools and scripts can do this in bulk.
- Flag everything under 500 × 500 px, then anything under 1500 × 1500 px as a second priority.
- Check the filenames, formats and file sizes against the table above.
- Look for supplier images with badges, logos or borders.
- Replace files on new URLs and republish the feed.
For a typical catalogue this is a one-off clean-up. Variants are where it usually goes wrong, because a size or colour variant may inherit a small or missing image from its parent product.
Managing images across countries, languages and channels
Selling in Sweden and other European markets multiplies feeds, not image problems. Google's specification says to use the same ID for the same product across countries or languages, so a single product can keep one set of images while titles, descriptions, currencies and prices change per market. A few rules of thumb:
- Reuse the same clean image files across markets unless the product genuinely differs, for example a plug type, a packaging label or a language-specific box.
- Keep text out of the image. Because overlays are not allowed, a language-specific badge is a policy problem in every market. Put the language in the title and description instead.
- Check each channel's own rules. A Google-clean image is a good base for Meta and price comparison sites, but each channel has its own size and crop rules. When you convert, our Google Shopping feed to Facebook catalogue mapping shows how the image columns carry over, and the Facebook catalogue feed template lists the Meta columns.
- Keep one source of truth. Change the image once in the catalogue and let every feed pick it up, rather than editing each market's file by hand.
If you run a store in the UK as well, see our notes on Google Shopping feeds for the UK. Dropshippers who inherit supplier images should read product feeds for dropshipping, since supplier pictures are where most watermark and small-image disapprovals begin.
Where the image columns sit in the feed
In a Google Shopping feed, the main picture goes in image_link and extras go in additional_image_link, with lifestyle images in their own attribute. In a CSV, each is a column holding a full URL. Our Google Shopping feed template shows the columns for CSV and XML, and the feed examples show common mistakes and fixes. If you start from a spreadsheet, the CSV to Google Shopping XML guide walks through the mapping, and Shopify merchants can follow the Shopify CSV to Merchant Center route.
Keeping image columns right with Textfinity
Image rules are easy to meet once and easy to break later, when a supplier updates a file or a variant loses its picture. Textfinity reads your catalogue from Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop, BigCommerce, a CSV, TSV or XML export, or a Google Sheet. It maps your image columns, filters products and publishes one feed per channel and market to a stable URL that rebuilds on a schedule. That means a corrected image link in your catalogue reaches every feed without hand-editing each one.
Plans are listed on the pricing page: a Free plan at $0 a month, Basic at $4.99 a month or $49.90 a year, Standard at $9.99 a month or $99.90 a year, and Premium at $14.99 a month or $149.90 a year. If you would rather not do the mapping yourself, have us set it up: you send the store and channels, and we connect the catalogue and build the feeds. Agencies handling several stores can see how per-client set-up works.
FAQ
What is the minimum image size for Google Shopping?
From 31 January 2027 it is 500 × 500 pixels for all product images. Until then Google still accepts 100 × 100 px for non-clothing and 250 × 250 px for clothing. Google recommends 1500 × 1500 px or larger for the main image.
Which image formats does Google Merchant Center accept?
JPEG, WebP, PNG, GIF, BMP and TIFF. Files must be no larger than 16 MB and 64 megapixels, and the file extension should match the real format of the file.
Can I add text, a logo or a sale badge to the main image?
No. Promotional text, watermarks, borders and added logos can get the image disapproved. Keep the main image a clean product shot and use additional images for lifestyle or detail views.
Why does my old image still show after I changed it?
Google can keep serving the previously approved image for up to 30 days while a new URL is processed. Publish the replacement on a new, unique URL and update the feed link.
Do the image rules differ for Sweden?
The size requirement is the same: Google's Swedish specification states the 500 × 500 px minimum from 31 January 2027. Using the same product ID across countries lets you keep one image set for every market.
Sources
- Product data specification, Google Merchant Center Help
- Produktdataspecifikation, Google Merchant Center Hjälp
- Image link [image_link], Google Merchant Center Help
- Image best practices, Google Merchant Center Help
- How to fix: Image too small, Google Merchant Center Help
- How to fix: Invalid image format, Google Merchant Center Help
- How to check and manage your product image status, Google Merchant Center Help
- Tips to optimise your product data, Google Merchant Center Help