How to use the Google Merchant feed validator
- Choose a
.csvor.xmlfile, or paste a supported text feed. - Select Process files. Try an example loads one fictional product with common attributes.
- Read the product preview and correct any reported source-row or item issues.
- Download
merchant-report.jsonand run the corrected feed again.
The Google Merchant feed validator does not log in to Google or fetch your product pages. The report is not an upload-ready replacement feed; keep and edit the original export in the system that creates your product data.
Common attributes included in this preflight
The implemented checks require values for id, title, description, link, image_link, availability and price. Duplicate IDs are reported. The supported length checks flag IDs over 50 characters, titles over 150 and descriptions over 5000.
Product and image links need absolute HTTP or HTTPS URL syntax. This is a syntax check only: an unreachable image, a redirected product page or a misleading landing page can still be outside what the local report observes. XML input uses supported RSS-style item elements; this interface is not an arbitrary product API payload or a complete XML-schema validator.
Worked example: one mug with a valid price shape
id,title,description,link,image_link,availability,price,gtin
SKU1,Example mug,Blue ceramic mug,https://example.test/mug,https://example.test/mug.jpg,in_stock,19.99 USD,The example uses a unique ID, the supported in_stock availability value and price text containing a decimal amount plus an uppercase three-letter currency. The fictional URLs pass the local URL-shape check; they are not fetched. A blank GTIN is not proof that this product qualifies for an identifier exception.
If you change the price to $19.99, this checker reports that the supported amount-and-currency shape is missing. Correct the source data deliberately rather than appending a currency chosen by guesswork.
Availability, condition and GTIN checks
The supported availability values are in_stock, out_of_stock, preorder and backorder. When condition is supplied, supported values are new, used and refurbished. This checker does not enforce every extra attribute associated with each availability or product situation.
A supplied GTIN is checked for numeric content, a supported length of 8, 12, 13 or 14 digits, and its check digit. A mathematically valid identifier is not proof it belongs to the item. Preserve leading zeroes, obtain identifiers from an authorized source, and never invent a GTIN merely to avoid a warning or satisfy a feed requirement.
Follow the current product specification beyond this subset
Google’s product data specification describes requirements that depend on product, destination and market. Use it for the complete current requirements rather than treating this page’s common-attribute checks as a fixed universal submission template.
The Google Merchant feed validator does not evaluate shipping, tax, country/category-specific attributes, variant grouping, account policy or landing-page consistency. A clean local report cannot guarantee approval or prevent disapproval later. Submit through the actual Merchant Center workflow and review its diagnostics; those checks observe account and deployment information this browser tool intentionally does not access.
Prepare a clean source feed before platform submission
Check that CSV quoting preserves descriptions containing commas and that every row has the expected number of columns. If accented product text is broken, the CSV encoding converter can help diagnose the supported source character sets. Preserve SKU and GTIN columns as text when your spreadsheet might remove leading zeroes.
Use the CSV difference checker to review product-data changes between matching exports before submitting them. If you are preparing Amazon images, the Amazon image checker targets a different platform and an estimated image-property subset. One platform’s local preflight does not establish another platform’s eligibility.
Troubleshooting row errors and interpreting the report
Correct malformed price strings, unsupported availability values and duplicate IDs in the source system when possible, so the next export does not recreate the issue. A GTIN error should trigger a check of the original identifier, not an arbitrary check-digit edit. Missing fields can be a source-column mapping problem rather than a product-quality judgment.
The report describes the implemented common checks and preserves the local findings. Files are processed in the browser and no product URL is requested. Review the corrected source against Google’s current specification, then use the actual submission diagnostics to finish the workflow. Keep the report as a focused formatting audit rather than an approval certificate.
Common Google Merchant feed validator errors and how to fix them
When the Google Merchant feed validator cannot use a file, it stops with one clear message instead of producing a half-finished download. These are the problems people run into most often, with the fix for each. Most Google Merchant feed validator errors trace back to how the source file was exported, so correcting the source and running the Google Merchant feed validator again is usually faster than working around the message.
- Missing required attribute A product row lacks id, title, description, link, image link, availability or price.
- Price needs decimal amount and currency, for example 19.99 USD. Prices such as $19.99 or 19,99 are reported.
- GTIN has an invalid length or check digit. A GTIN must have 8, 12, 13 or 14 digits and a valid check digit.
- Invalid availability / Invalid condition Use the documented values such as in_stock or new.
Privacy: the Google Merchant feed validator runs in your browser
Google Merchant feed validator processing happens with JavaScript in a background worker on this page. Your file is not uploaded to a FileFix server, and the results you download are created in your browser’s memory. Configuration and network captures can expose tokens, hosts and internal paths, so local checking avoids another copy on someone else’s server. When you finish on a shared computer, clear the selection or close the tab.
Sources
The google Merchant feed validator follows these specifications and format guides:
Questions about this tool
Does the Google Merchant feed validator submit my feed?
No. It checks the local file and downloads a report. It does not connect to Merchant Center or make account changes.
Does a clean report guarantee product approval?
No. Eligibility, account policies, country/category rules and landing-page consistency require checks outside this common-attribute preflight.
Are product and image URLs downloaded?
No. The tool checks absolute HTTP(S) URL syntax without requesting the pages or images.
Does a valid GTIN check digit prove the identifier belongs to my product?
No. The checksum tests format, not ownership or product assignment. Use the actual authorized identifier.
Are all variant and shipping requirements checked?
No. This subset does not fully validate variant grouping, shipping, tax or every market-specific attribute.
Review the supported formats and limitations before using an output file. File processing happens in your browser.