Google Shopping image requirements: product images must be at least 100×100 px (250×250 for apparel) today, and 500×500 for all products from January 31, 2027. Google recommends about 1500×1500 px. Files can be up to 64 megapixels and 16 MB. Promotional overlays, watermarks, borders and placeholder images aren't allowed, and you can add up to 10 extra images.
Images reach Google Shopping through your Merchant Center product data: the main photo in the image_link attribute and extra photos in additional_image_link. If the main image breaks a rule, the product is disapproved and won't show in free listings or Shopping ads. This guide covers sizes, the upcoming 500 px minimum, what Google bans, background and framing, how many images to add, automatic image improvements, and how to fix common image errors.
- Minimum size now: 100×100 px, or 250×250 px for apparel.
- Minimum from January 31, 2027: 500×500 px for every product. Google has shown warnings on smaller images since July 2026.
- Recommended: about 1500×1500 px or larger; maximum 64 megapixels and 16 MB.
- Banned on images: promotional text, prices, watermarks, added logos, borders, barcodes and placeholder or "no image" graphics.
- Framing: the product should fill about 75–90% of the image, one variant per image. Up to 10 additional images per product.
What size should Google Shopping images be?
Use at least 1500×1500 px, square, so your images pass both the current and the 2027 minimums with room to spare. The hard minimums are small today but are rising for everyone. Our free marketplace image resizer turns a full-size phone photo into an exact 1500×1500 square JPG, padded or cropped.
| Requirement | Google's rule | What to aim for |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum, non-apparel | 100×100 px (500×500 from Jan 31, 2027) | 1500×1500 px or more |
| Minimum, apparel | 250×250 px (500×500 from Jan 31, 2027) | 1500×1500 px or more |
| Recommended | About 1500×1500 px or larger | 1500–2000 px square |
| Maximum dimensions | 64 megapixels | No need to exceed 2,000–3,000 px |
| Maximum file size | 16 MB | Under 2 MB for fast crawling |
| Formats | JPEG and WebP (recommended), PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF | JPEG or WebP |
| Product fill | About 75–90% of the image | About 85% |
| Additional images | Up to 10 via additional_image_link | 4–8 good extra angles |
Google Merchant Center's image size, format and policy rules were checked in October 2026. Marketplaces change their rules, so confirm the current requirements in your seller dashboard before you upload a large batch.
The file extension must match the real format: a PNG renamed to .jpg triggers an unsupported-image error. Also don't upscale tiny thumbnails to hit a number; Google flags images that are scaled up or look low quality, so start from a sharp original.
What is changing in 2027?
Google is raising the minimum for all product images to 500×500 px, with enforcement starting January 31, 2027. Since July 2026, Merchant Center has shown warnings on images that pass the old minimum but are under 500×500. Google says it may serve an optimized version of a small image where it can, and you'll see an "image resolution optimizations" note in the product's history, but the safe move is to replace small images now.
What does Google ban on Shopping product images?
Anything added on top of the product photo, and anything that isn't a real photo of the product. Breaking these rules gets the product disapproved.
- Promotional overlays: calls to action ("Buy now"), prices, shipping or warranty details, promotional adjectives ("Best", "Sale") and condition or compatibility labels.
- Watermarks, copyright symbols and graphic stamps.
- Added logos of a brand, manufacturer or retailer, unless the logo is physically part of the product.
- Borders around the image, and single-color squares.
- Barcodes, QR codes or serial tags added to the photo.
- Placeholder images: "coming soon" or "no image available" graphics, a store logo or icon used as the product photo, or one stand-in image shared across different products.
- Illustrations or mockups that don't show the physical product (a few categories, such as hardware, vehicle parts and computer software, have narrow exceptions).
- Items not sold with the product, shown as if they were included.
Does Google Shopping require a white background?
No, Google doesn't require white, but it asks for a clean, unobstructed view of the product, and a plain white or light background is the safest way to give one. Google also lists dark backgrounds among the distracting elements that can lower image quality. On a results page full of competing products, a clean white main image reads clearly at thumbnail size.
- Main image (image_link): the product alone on a plain, light background, filling about 75–90% of the frame.
- One variant per image: each color or size variant gets its own image showing only that variant.
- Packaged goods: show the packaging in three dimensions, not a flat front label.
- Lifestyle shots: send them in lifestyle_image_link or as additional images, not as the main image.
Make a clean, Google-ready main image from your own product photo: pure white background, product centered at about 85% of a 2000×2000 frame.
Make a Shopping image7 days free · 50 credits · No credit cardHow many images can you add to a Google Shopping product?
One main image plus up to 10 additional images. Add extra URLs in additional_image_link, separated by commas in a text feed (or one tag per image in an XML feed); Google reads only the first 10. Lifestyle images can go in lifestyle_image_link.
Extra images can appear when shoppers open a product, so use them for alternate angles, close-ups of material or detail, scale, and the product in use. They follow the same rules on overlays and watermarks, so keep infographic-style text for your own store pages.
What are automatic image improvements in Merchant Center?
A setting that lets Google try to fix minor image problems on disapproved products, mainly by removing promotional overlays from the main image. It's off by default; you turn it on in Merchant Center's automatic improvements settings.
- If the fix works, Google replaces the image and the product is approved. If it can't, the product stays disapproved.
- It applies to the main image and to disapproved products; images on approved products aren't changed.
- Google may also apply light cropping to frame the product better.
- Results aren't guaranteed. Google warns that, rarely, an overlay can survive or a non-promotional part of the image can be removed, so review edited images in the Needs attention tab.
It's worth turning on so a stray "Sale" badge doesn't take a product offline, but upload clean images in the first place. You control how the product looks; an automatic edit doesn't ask first.
How to fix common Google Shopping image errors
| Merchant Center issue | Usual cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Image too small | Below the minimum, or under 500×500 (warning). | Upload 1500 px+ from a sharp source. |
| Promotional overlay on image | Price, "Sale", "Free shipping" or a badge on the photo. | Upload the clean original. |
| Generic image | Placeholder, logo or a shared stand-in image. | Photograph each product. |
| Low image quality | Blurry, upscaled, watermarked or dark background. | Reshoot or use a sharp original on a light background. |
| Unsupported image type | Extension doesn't match the file format. | Re-export with the correct extension. |
| Image couldn't be crawled | robots.txt blocks Googlebot-Image, or the URL changed. | Allow Googlebot and Googlebot-Image; keep URLs stable. |
After you replace an image, Google needs to re-crawl it. If you reuse the same URL for a new image, the change can take longer to be picked up; a new file name is clearer. Allow a day or two before assuming a fix didn't work.
AI-generated and AI-edited images
Google asks you to keep embedded metadata that marks an image as AI-generated, such as the IPTC DigitalSourceType field, so don't strip metadata from those files. Whatever tool you use, the image must still show the real product accurately: the same color, shape, parts and variant the shopper will receive.
Google Shopping image checklist
- Main image is at least 500×500 px, ideally about 1500×1500 or larger.
- JPEG or WebP, under 16 MB, with an extension that matches the format.
- The product fills about 75–90% of the frame on a clean, light background.
- No prices, CTAs, badges, watermarks, added logos, borders or barcodes.
- A real photo of this exact product and variant, not a placeholder or a mockup.
- Up to 10 additional images for angles, details and scale.
- Image URLs are stable and crawlable by Googlebot-Image.
- Automatic image improvements turned on as a backup.
If you run a Shopify store, the same photos usually feed your Google listings; our Shopify product image size guide covers the store side, and JPG vs PNG vs WebP explains which format to export.
Making Google Shopping images with AiArter
AiArter keeps the product pixels from your photo and changes only what's around it, so the image stays an accurate photo of the real product.
- White main image (4 credits): pure white background, product centered at about 85% of a 2000×2000 frame, which clears both the 1500 px recommendation and the 2027 minimum. See how to make a product photo background white for the manual method.
- Lifestyle scenes (8 credits) for lifestyle_image_link or additional images: your product kept as-is, only the background generated.
- Upscale (3 credits) a sharp but small photo that falls under 500 px with the AI image upscaler.
- Bulk: the bulk tool handles up to 50 photos per batch with one ZIP download; failed photos aren't charged.
The 1200×628 Facebook/Google ad size in AiArter is for display-style ads, not the Shopping product image, which should stay square. Our Facebook ad image size guide covers that format.
Frequently asked questions
What size should Google Shopping images be?
Google recommends about 1500×1500 px or larger. The current minimum is 100×100 px (250×250 for apparel), rising to 500×500 px for all products on January 31, 2027. Files can be up to 64 megapixels and 16 MB.
Does Google Shopping require a white background?
No. Google asks for a clean, unobstructed view of the product and lists dark backgrounds as distracting. A plain white or light background is the safest choice for the main image.
How many images can I add to Google Merchant Center?
One main image in image_link plus up to 10 additional images in additional_image_link. Google ignores anything past 10. Lifestyle images can also go in lifestyle_image_link.
Can I put text or a sale badge on Google Shopping images?
No. Promotional overlays such as prices, "Sale", "Free shipping" or calls to action get the product disapproved. Put promotions in your feed's sale price or promotions settings instead.
What is the new Google Merchant Center image size requirement?
All product images must be at least 500×500 px, with enforcement starting January 31, 2027. Merchant Center has shown warnings on smaller images since July 2026.
Why was my Google Shopping image disapproved?
Most often because of a promotional overlay, a watermark, a placeholder image, an image that's too small, or a URL Google can't crawl. The issue name in Merchant Center's Needs attention tab tells you which.
Upload your product photos and get square, pure white main images at 2000×2000, plus lifestyle scenes for your extra image slots.
Start free trialSee pricing7 days free · 50 credits · No credit card. Trial images carry a small “Made with aiarter” mark; paid plans export clean files you can use commercially.
