Why are additional product images not importing from my CSV file?

Topic summary

Core Issue:
Secondary product images disappear when re-importing CSV files into Shopify, while primary images remain intact.

Root Cause:
Images uploaded directly to product pages (rather than to Shopify’s Files repository) lose their links during export/import cycles. Only images with persistent URLs in the Files section survive the process.

Primary Solution (widely validated):
Modify the CSV file before re-importing by replacing URL paths:

  • For /products/ URLs: Replace with /deleted/products/
  • For /files/ URLs: Replace with /deleted/files/

This pulls images from Shopify’s deleted files archive and re-links them with new filenames.

Important Caveats:

  • Only apply the /deleted/ modification to secondary image columns, not primary images
  • Different URL structures may require custom find/replace patterns
  • Some users report no import errors despite missing images

Alternative Approaches:

  • Upload all images to Shopify’s Files repository first, then link via URLs
  • Use third-party apps like “Image Audit” for detection
  • Python script provided for bulk URL validation/conversion (50,000+ products)

Status: Solution confirmed working by multiple users across 2020-2024, though the underlying Shopify behavior remains unchanged.

Summarized with AI on October 23. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.

I didnt get a notice either. The url you’ve sent seems fine. Does it not work?