Does Google already require every product image to be 500 × 500 pixels?

Read the date as part of the requirement

Google’s transition page distinguishes the forthcoming minimum from existing category requirements: until the enforcement date, the stated baseline is 100 × 100 for non-apparel and 250 × 250 for apparel. YouTube Shopping on TV already has a 500 × 500 minimum. Different surfaces can therefore need different immediate actions.

This article records a time-sensitive policy rechecked on October 21, 2026; the original publication date is retained. Reopen the linked source when planning a later upload. A warning is useful preparation evidence; it should not be described as a current disapproval without reading the affected item’s status.

Audit both dimensions and useful information

A file can meet a numerical size and still be a poor identification image. Retain an accurate high-resolution source and avoid enlarging a tiny thumbnail solely to pass a width-and-height check.

Write the observation date beside each threshold decision. The transition guidance says warnings began in July 2026 for images above the existing minimum but below 500 × 500. A warning on a 480 × 800 non-apparel image is different from evidence that the same file qualifies for a YouTube Shopping TV placement. Record the actual surface and issue; do not classify an entire catalog using only its long edge.

Plan one inventory pass

List the actual feed URLs, encoded width and height, category, destination and issue severity. Sort the assets needing a new source separately from those needing a different export. For an illustrative shoe catalog, a low-resolution supplier thumbnail calls for better photography or an authorized source; a large master accidentally exported too small calls for a corrected delivery file.

Use the dated feed image audit CSV as a manual record. Its sample row is fictional. Replace it with your own authorized evidence; the worksheet does not connect to or change any external account.

The CSV has one fictional 600 × 600 mug row, with the public response and AI source type marked NOT_CHECKED and the review NOT_APPROVED. Those dimensions illustrate the columns; they do not verify a merchant asset. In your working copy, retain the exact feed rendition, measured dimensions, review date, destination and observed severity for each affected item.

Recheck after replacement

Inspect the encoded dimensions of the image served at the submitted URL, then review the later processed product. Do not count a local 2K export as repaired if the connector points to a smaller derivative. CartVisual resolution settings describe a generation request; the feed still needs a destination-specific delivery check. Schedule the inventory work before the enforcement date rather than bulk regenerating every already suitable asset.

Fictional handoff: a 900 × 400 delivery file has a 1800 × 800 authorized master, while another item has only a blurry thumbnail. Route the first to a corrected delivery export and the second to obtaining a better source. Neither can be marked repaired until the actual submitted response and later product status are checked. No account audit, image generation or future enforcement outcome was executed for this article.