Google Shopping Product Image Requirements: Fix Image Disapprovals

Updated October 31, 2026 · By the Merchant Center for Google team

Your image is the first thing shoppers see on Google. Merchant Center rejects images that are missing, too small, generic placeholders or covered in promotional text, and limits products with low-quality images.

The core requirements

• Show the actual product you sell, accurately, in the variant you link to.
• Minimum size: 100 × 100 px (250 × 250 px for apparel). For good results use at least 800 × 800 px.
• No promotional overlays: no “Free shipping”, “Sale”, prices, call-to-action text or large watermarks and logos.
• No placeholders such as “image coming soon” or a store logo instead of the product.
• Reachable by Google: the image_link must be a public URL that is not blocked by robots.txt or login.
• Use a plain white or neutral background for the main image; lifestyle shots go in additional_image_link.

Common image issues and fixes

• Missing product image: the product has no image_link. Add one.
• Generic image: the image is a placeholder or shared by many products. Upload a photo of the specific product.
• Promotional overlay on image: remove the text from the image and resubmit; Google re-crawls the image URL.
• Image too small or unavailable image: upload a larger file and check the URL opens in a private browser window.

After replacing an image, use a new file name or URL. Google caches images, and an unchanged URL may keep the old version for a while.

Replace a product photo from your phone

In Merchant Center for Google, open the product, tap Edit and pick a photo from your library. The app resizes and compresses it on the device, strips location metadata, uploads it and sets it as the product’s image link.

Frequently asked questions

What size should Google Shopping images be?

At least 100 × 100 px (250 × 250 px for apparel), but 800 × 800 px or larger is recommended for zoom and quality. Files must be under 16 MB.

Can I use lifestyle photos?

Yes, as additional images. The main image should show the product clearly, ideally on a plain background.

How long does an image fix take?

Google re-crawls images on its own schedule; a new image URL is usually picked up within a few days.