What possible causes are there for the following message received when trying to import products using a csv file:
“There was an error importing your CSV file. After you fix the error, try importing the CSV file again.
Hi @iniudicatus
That specific error:
File original source missing from the product files input
usually means there’s an issue with the Image Src(or file) column in your CSV.
Most Common Causes
Image Src field is empty
If the column exists but some rows are blank, Shopify can throw this error.
Fix:
Either remove the column completely or ensure every row has a valid image URL.
Image URLs are not publicly accessible
Shopify requires:
Full URL (https://...)
Publicly accessible image
Direct link to the image file (ending in .jpg, .png, etc.)
Private Google Drive or Dropbox preview links will fail.
Incorrect file format
Make sure the file is saved as CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited
No extra hidden columns
No broken formulasProduct files” column populated incorrectly
If you’re using a column like:
Product files
and it contains file names instead of full URLs, Shopify can’t find the original source.
Quick Fix Checklist
Remove unused image/file columns
Ensure all image links are full HTTPS URLs
Save as CSV UTF-8
Re-download Shopify’s sample CSV and compare formatting
Hello @iniudicatus Thanks for reaching out to Shopify community with your concern. Shopify throws this error because it expects a valid image URL when image metadata exists.
To fix this remove the image-related columns for that row or provide a valid URL in **Image Src.
**
Can you provide a link of the image you are trying to upload in the CSV?
Hi, thanks for the reply. I checked all image links with a link checker - everything was a 200 response code (“OK”) so I am looking for other possibilities.
Hi @anmolkumar, thanks for your reply. I followed your advice to check the image urls for validity (using a link checker) but the issue persisted, so I tried uploading a file where no row contained missing data for the image source field (because a lot of the records don’t have that data) as per your advice. The issue persists, even with a file containing one record. There are no file names in the records either.
Here is the record from that file that still fails with one record, with the field names first (“Price / XX” are fields for prices in markets, and I put the image link in quotation marks for the post because otherwise it pastes the image) :
Handle
Title
Variant SKU
Variant Image
Variant Price
Variant Grams
Variant Inventory Qty
Price / AT
Price / AU
Price / BE
Price / CA
Price / CH
Price / CY
Price / CZ
Price / DE
Price / EE
Price / ES
Price / FI
Price / FR
Price / GR
Price / HK
Price / HR
Price / HU
Price / IE
Price / IS
Price / IT
Price / JP
Price / KR
Price / LT
Price / LU
Price / LV
Price / MT
Price / MY
Price / NL
Price / NO
Price / NZ
Price / PL
Price / PT
Price / RO
Price / SE
Price / SG
Price / SI
Price / SK
Price / TH
Price / TW
Price / US
Variant Barcode
Option1 Value
Variant Inventory Tracker
Variant Weight Unit
Google Shopping / Condition
Google Shopping / Custom Product
Status
albrecht-durer-watercolour-pencil-colours-169-to-283
Albrecht Dürer Watercolour Pencil [colours 169 to 283]
STN-MRI-PCL_FBC-AD0_1CT_169-8B-CPMT
”https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0629/6748/0489/products/STN-MRI-PCL_FBC-AD0_169-8B-CPMT.jpg?v=1665178653”
1.43
8
4
1.65
2.98
1.66
2.44
1.29
1.66
46.6
1.58
1.68
1.69
1.78
1.63
1.69
13.66
1.75
765
1.72
211
1.7
277
2646
1.69
1.58
1.69
1.66
7.45
1.66
16.29
3.06
7.88
1.74
9.42
20.48
2.35
1.71
1.68
59.6
57.12
1.66
4005401176695
169 CAPUT MORTUUM
shopify
g
New
FALSE
active
The only thing I have left to try is removing the variant image field entirely, which would not be ideal. Any other ideas? The product page: Albrecht Durer Watercolour Pencil – TXT LTD
Here is the error text:
The file is a comma-delimited CSV.
Thanks.
