Deleting Product Images but not the Image File

[erin20]

I am replacing the product images in my products, but I do not want the old photos to be deleted because we use the URL's for those images in many other places. Is there a way to remove an image from a product without deleting the file?

[thirtycoders]

Hi @erin20,

Yes, you can remove an image from a product in Shopify without deleting the file or its associated URL.

• Log in to Shopify.
• Go to your product list.
• Choose the product you want to update.
• Click on "Edit product."
• Scroll down to the "Images" section.
• Hover over the image you want to remove, and click the trash bin icon.
• Save your changes.

By doing this, you're only removing the image from that specific product, but the file and its URL will remain intact for use in other places.

Thank you

[erin20]

I don't see an "Edit product" button but I go into the product, there is no "Images" section but there is a "Media" section where the images live. Hovering only shows a checkmark box and I a dragging icon. but if i click the checkmark box (or just the image), then click on the Trash Icon and it deletes the image out of the product AND my Files. The image is no longer in my files after I do this. 

[erin20]

An update I received from the Shopify team.

"We understand your need to retain the URLs of the old images for use in other areas, and we acknowledge that our current platform does not directly support this requirement. We have received similar feedback from other merchants, and I want to assure you that your voice is important to us. I will add your feedback to our internal system to increase our developers' visibility into this issue."

[SIreland]

I honestly can't believe you can't remove an image from a product without deleting the file completely and affecting all other products, this is insanity.
Also I just want to browse existing stored images in the file manager and add multiple of them to the product's media gallery, but you can't, you have to add them individually by a URL. This is madness, I need to lookup each individual image, find the url and add them one by one.
I don't understand how the shopify product media section is this bad, there is already a file media manager in shopify, but it doesn't work with the product media section?!
As a wordpress user where you have a media gallery of all your images that you can add and remove images from, I really can't believe how bad this system is. It makes no sense.

[erin20]

I completely agree. I am curious as to why these aren't linked and can't be managed together as one large content gallery. I hope this gets looked into soon.

[simon_evolution]

This decision is insane. Who signed off on this.

Which idiot had so little foresight as to consider that the optimum way to edit image assets assigned to multiple SKU's was with only a global over ride and no per SKU settings?   Thanks for making my life hell, Now I have to delete an image and then re-load it onto 19 other products rather than just delete one instance of the same image.

[kadajawi]

The function seems to be back? See my response above.

[kadajawi]

They probably just added this, but... under media, you see a list of images. When you hover over it, a checkbox should appear. Select it, then you'll be able to hit remove.

[erin20]

Yes they actually emailed me about it, it has been added thank goodness!

[MMWeb]

when I delete or override a product will this delete my image files? I have lost all my photos from a recent csv upload. non of the linke are working. Also seems the photos are all gone. Example link below

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0035/3756/7811/files/ParallelBars.jpg?v=1721678720

[simon_evolution]

Yeh, it's a recent addition. (Welcome)