Guide · Google Shopping · Updated 30 October 2026
Google's 500 × 500 product image rule: what to do before 31 January 2027
Google Merchant Center has announced that every product image must be at least 500 × 500 pixels from 31 January 2027. Today the minimum is much lower, so stores with small photos may need new or larger images. Here is what Google says, how to check your photos, and a free way to make white, square images from your originals.
What Google says
Google's help page for the image link attribute says: "We recently announced new image size requirements of at least 500 x 500 pixels for all products beginning January 31, 2027." It also recommends images of 1500 × 1500 pixels or more for the best performance in all listing formats.
Source: Google Merchant Center Help: Image link [image_link], read 29 October 2026. Check the page for the latest wording.
Who is affected
- Stores whose main product photos are smaller than 500 pixels on either side (often older catalogues, supplier photos or images exported as thumbnails).
- Feeds that point Google at a small thumbnail instead of the full-size photo. Sometimes the store already has a larger original, and the fix is to point the feed at it.
How to fix it, in 3 steps
- Find the small images. Merchant Center shows image warnings on affected products. Our free Merchant Center check also looks at your store's product pages.
- Start from the largest original you have. Enlarging a small photo makes it blurry, and Google advises against scaling images up. If your original is under 500 pixels, a new photo is the honest fix.
- Make a white, square image. Open the free background remover with the Google Shopping preset. It cuts out the product, centres it on white at up to 1500 × 1500 (it never enlarges your photo), and shows a size check on each image. Then upload the new image and update your feed.
Open the free tool with the Google preset
The tool checks pixel sizes against Google's published guidance. It can't tell you whether Google will approve a product: Google makes that call. Only edit images you have the right to use.
Want it done for you?
If Merchant Center has disapproved products or suspended your account, our Merchant Center fix service covers images along with the other common causes. Prefer to do it yourself? The GMC Workbook walks through every step.