About the Alt text - Featured Image

Store Feedback
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Topic summary

A user requests that alt text added in Shopify’s Files section automatically populate when images are used as featured images (e.g., in blog posts).

Current Problem:

  • Alt text must be manually re-entered for each context where an image appears
  • Creates workflow inefficiencies and risks accessibility/SEO inconsistencies

Proposed Solution:

  • Auto-populate alt text from Files when inserting featured images
  • Mirror existing behavior for product images, which already inherit alt text from the media editor

Response:
Another user suggests this can be addressed through theme code customization. They provide an example from the Dawn theme using alt="{{ card_product.featured_media.alt | escape }}" and note that implementation varies by theme and requires updating multiple image tags across different files.

Status: The issue appears solvable via code but lacks native platform support for automatic alt text inheritance.

Summarized with AI on October 24. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hello,

I’d like to submit a feature request regarding alt text handling in Shopify.

Current Issue:
Alt text added in the Files section does not automatically carry over when the image is used as a featured image (e.g., in blog posts).

Impact:
This creates extra manual work and risks inconsistencies in accessibility and SEO, since alt text must be re-entered in each context where the image is used.

Proposed Solution:
Automatically populate the alt text from Files whenever an image is inserted as a featured image (similar to how product images inherit alt text from the media editor).

Business Case:
This improvement would streamline workflows, reduce duplication, and ensure consistent accessibility compliance across the store. It would also align the behavior of featured images with how alt text is already handled for product images.

Thank you for considering this request!

Best regards,

2

Hello @user1457 ,

I hope you are doing well!

Can you please confirm what theme you are using? Basically, thie alt text can be added using code. For example in DAWN theme the code is

        `alt="{{ card_product.featured_media.alt | escape }}"`

In some themes the code could be different. Also, you need to work on all the img tags and code might be different for all the img src tag in other files.