Cannot load images from Drive via API

Retired Boards Appdev Custom Storefronts

Topic summary

Users are experiencing failures when uploading variant images to Shopify via API using Google Drive direct links. The API returns a “file not found” error even though the Drive URLs are accessible.

Key Details:

  • Error occurs with Drive URLs formatted as https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=...
  • Multiple users confirm experiencing the same issue recently
  • The functionality reportedly worked 5 days prior, suggesting a recent API change

Attempted Solutions:

  • Removing the export=download parameter was suggested but confirmed not to resolve the issue
  • One user proposed using a third-party compression app, though relevance is unclear

Current Status:

  • The issue remains unresolved
  • No official explanation provided for why previously working Drive links now fail
  • Users seeking clarification on what changed in the API
Summarized with AI on November 21. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

I suspect something changed in the API

I am trying to upload variant images, but when I supply the src as drive direct link it fails

{
"errors": {
"image": [
"Could not download image: [\"Image https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=[0B9o1MNFt5ld1N3k1cm9tVnZxQjg](https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=0B9o1MNFt5ld1N3k1cm9tVnZxQjg) failed to download. - file not found. Check that file can be found at your URL.\"]"
]
}
}

The curl command is

curl -X POST \
[https://example.myshopify.com/admin/api/2021-10/products/736972003xxxx/images.json](https://example.myshopify.com/admin/api/2021-10/products/736972003xxxx/images.json) \
-H 'cache-control: no-cache' \
-H 'content-type: application/json' \
-H 'x-shopify-access-token: <<token>>' \
-d '{
"image": {
"position": 1,
"src": "[https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=0B9o1MNFt5ld1N3k1cm9tVnZxQjg](https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=0B9o1MNFt5ld1N3k1cm9tVnZxQjg)"
}
}' 
2 Likes
2

** Following **

Currently experiencing the same issue

1 Like
3

Hi @Ancita

Can you please try it without the export=download parameter? I am not sure our system is expecting the file to be sent in that way. Please let me know if you’re still experiencing the issue with that parameter removed from the URL.

Regards,

4

Hi

I have the same problem as Ancita. Unfortunately, your proposed solution does not work for me either (although it used to work).

Regards

1 Like
5

Unfortunately export=download doesn’t work. I wonder why it was working past 5 days? Something changed and now the API doesn’t work.

3 Likes
6

Here is the solution to your problem

https://apps.shopify.com/compress-files?

tanmaykejriwal_0-1679696080779.png
tanmaykejriwal_0-1679696080779.png399Ă—216 47.8 KB