The four common failure causes
Nearly every blank-image import traces to one of these:
Common Scenarios:
- Dead or expired URLs from supplier files that change over time.
- Relative paths like images/1.jpg that Shopify has no domain to resolve against.
- HTTP instead of HTTPS - Shopify may block insecure image sources.
- Files over 20 MB or in unusual formats (SVG, HEIC) that Shopify cannot process.
Audit every URL before the import
ShopTools' image checker validates every URL in your CSV - flags dead links, relative paths and HTTP sources, and can upgrade http:// to https:// automatically.
Features:
- URL validation: Flags dead links and non-image responses
- HTTPS upgrade: Converts http:// image sources to https://
- Alt text check: Reports missing alt attributes at the same time
The four-point check
- Verify every URL in Image Src returns a real image - open a few in a browser.
- Confirm all paths are absolute (https://...) not relative.
- Replace http:// with https:// and check the file loads over HTTPS.
- Check file size and format; recompress anything over 20 MB.
Before and after
- Before: Image Src: images/1.jpg (relative, cannot resolve) After: Image Src: https://cdn.example.com/images/1.jpg
- Before: Image Src: http://img.example.com/x.png (blocked over HTTPS) After: Image Src: https://img.example.com/x.png
Who runs this check
- Migration teams: Image URLs from old platforms often die in the move
- Stores with blank image grids: Diagnose blank products before re-importing
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Why do products import but images stay blank?
- Shopify fetches images from URLs during import. If a URL is dead, relative or blocked, the product imports without an image.
- What image formats does Shopify support?
- JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP and AVIF. SVG and HEIC are not supported for product images.
- Is there a file size limit?
- Yes - Shopify accepts images up to 20 MB (4472 x 4472 px recommended max).
- Does ShopTools upload my images?
- No. It only reads the URLs in your CSV and checks which ones resolve. Nothing is uploaded.