What size should Shopify product images be?
Use 2048 x 2048 pixels for square product images, the size Shopify says usually displays best. Shopify accepts images up to 5000 x 5000 pixels (25 megapixels) and under 20 MB, and names PNG, then JPEG, as the best file types. Keep one aspect ratio for every featured image so collection pages line up. Shopify makes smaller copies itself and serves WebP or AVIF to browsers that support them.
Shopify’s limits in one table
| Setting | Shopify’s number |
|---|---|
| Recommended size | 2048 x 2048 px for square images |
| Maximum size | 5000 x 5000 px, or 25 megapixels |
| Maximum file size | Under 20 MB |
| File types | PNG first, then JPEG, in Shopify’s words. PSD, TIFF, BMP, GIF, SVG, HEIC and WebP also work, including animated GIF and WebP, though collection images do not take WebP. |
| Media per product | 250 images, videos and 3D models in total. The limit cannot be raised. |
| Images per variant | One |
| Alt text | Up to 512 characters, with 125 or fewer recommended |
| Video | Up to 10 minutes, 1 GB and 4K (4096 x 2160 px), as MP4, MOV or WebM |
| 3D models | Up to 500 MB, as GLB or USDZ |
The first item in a product’s media list is the featured image. Shopify shows it on collection pages, in the cart, at checkout and on the home page, so it is the image to get right first. For how many images to add after it, see how many photos a listing should have.
Pick one aspect ratio and keep it
Shopify’s advice is to give every featured image the same aspect ratio, because mixed ratios make product cards on collection pages display at different sizes. Themes can also ask Shopify’s image service for a fixed size and crop to it. That crop centers on the middle of the image unless the theme sets another position, so keep the product centered with some margin on every side.
Shopify only gives a size for square images. If your theme uses portrait or landscape cards, keep the short side at 2048 px so shoppers who zoom get the same detail:
| Ratio | Size to export | Megapixels |
|---|---|---|
| 1:1 square | 2048 x 2048 px | 4.2 |
| 4:5 portrait | 2048 x 2560 px | 5.2 |
| 3:4 portrait | 2048 x 2731 px | 5.6 |
| 2:3 portrait | 2048 x 3072 px | 6.3 |
| 4:3 landscape | 2731 x 2048 px | 5.6 |
Before you shoot or render a whole catalog, upload three test images and check the crop in the theme editor preview on a phone-sized screen.
What Shopify does with your file
Shopify stores your upload and makes smaller copies for each place the theme shows it, such as a large one on the product page and a small one on collection pages. Its Imagery service checks which formats each shopper’s browser supports and serves the best one, which can be WebP or AVIF. Themes can request any width up to 5760 px, and Shopify’s CDN may re-encode the file on the way out.
So you do not need to make WebP or AVIF files for your own Shopify store. Upload a sharp 2048 px master and let Shopify make the copies. Shopify’s product photography page also suggests keeping web images to 200 KB or less and warns that heavy compression makes images blotchy. With a 2048 px master, compress lightly, because shoppers are served copies that Shopify has already resized and re-encoded. How the formats compare is in the best file format and size for product images.
Variant images
Each variant, such as a color, takes one assigned image. To show more photos of one option, add them all to the product’s media gallery, keep each option’s photos together in order, and assign the first one to the variant. Variants cannot take videos or 3D models. On Plus and Enterprise plans, Shopify’s Combined Listings app joins separate products into one listing so each option can carry its own set of images.
Make every color’s image from the same angle, crop and light, so switching colors on the page changes only the color. If you sync products to Google, Merchant Center also asks for a unique image per variant, in the right color. See Google Shopping image rules.
Alt text in Shopify
- In the Shopify admin, go to Products and open the product.
- Click a media item on the product’s page.
- Click Add alt text, type the description, and click Save alt text.
Shopify allows 512 characters and recommends 125 or fewer. Its media editor may suggest alt text for images that have none, so read each suggestion before you accept it. What to write is in how to write alt text for product images.
AI images on Shopify
Shopify has AI image editing built in. Media generation in the file editor can replace a background with a solid color or transparency, change the scene or lighting from a short prompt, and extend an image past its edges. It is on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans, at no extra cost for a limited time as of September 2026. Google’s Product Studio also runs inside the Google & YouTube app on Shopify.
Shopify’s Acceptable Use Policy has no rule aimed at AI product images as of September 2026. The marketplaces you also sell on have their own rules, so an image that is fine on your store can break one of theirs. See can you use AI images on Amazon.
Shopify image checklist
- Featured images share one aspect ratio across the catalog.
- Square images are 2048 x 2048 px; other ratios keep a 2048 px short side.
- Files are under 20 MB and no larger than 5000 x 5000 px.
- The product sits centered with an even margin, so a theme crop cannot cut it.
- Each variant has its own image, made at the same angle as its siblings.
- Every image has alt text of 125 characters or fewer.
- AI-edited images are full size wherever shoppers will zoom.
Questions people also ask
- Do Shopify collection images follow the same rules?
- Mostly. A collection image has the same 25 megapixel limit as a product image and must be under 20 MB, but collection images do not accept WebP, even though product images do. Use JPEG or PNG for collection images, and keep them in one aspect ratio so a list of collections lines up.
- Should I upload PNG or JPEG to Shopify?
- Shopify names PNG as the best file type for most product images, followed by JPEG. Use PNG when you need a transparent background. Because Shopify converts images for delivery, the upload format mainly affects the quality of the master file.
- How do I change which image shows first?
- On desktop, open the product in the Shopify admin and drag the image you want into the first position in the media section. In the Shopify app, tap View all, then Select, choose the image, open the menu, tap Set as default and save. The first image becomes the featured image on collection pages, in the cart and at checkout.
- Can I upload WebP images to Shopify?
- For product images, yes, including animated WebP; collection images do not accept WebP. You do not need to convert JPEGs to WebP for your store, because Shopify already serves WebP or AVIF to browsers that support them.
Where Overs fits
Overs makes store-page photos from one product photo and exports the files. It does not publish to Shopify or any other store, so resize the exports to your theme’s ratio before you upload them.
Free for 40 photos a month. The AI that makes the photos is billed separately, on your own key, with no markup from Overs.
Sources
- Shopify Help Center: Product media types
- Shopify Help Center: Adding product media
- Shopify Help Center: Adding alt text to media
- Shopify Help Center: Adding images to product variants
- Shopify Help Center: Taking product photographs
- Shopify Help Center: Media generation in the file editor
- Shopify.dev: image_url Liquid filter
- Shopify: Acceptable Use Policy
- Google Merchant Center Help: Image link [image_link]