Why do images show for me but not for customers?

That pattern points to caching: your browser holds a working version while new visitors get a broken one. Hard-refresh with Ctrl+Shift+R to see what customers see, and check the storefront in an incognito window.

What image formats does Shopify accept?

JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, and HEIC are accepted for upload, with HEIC converted automatically. JPEG and WebP are the reliable choices for photos; PNG for graphics needing transparency.

Can a theme update break product images?

Yes, especially updates that change the media gallery snippet or add lazy-loading. If images broke right after a theme update, roll back to the previous theme version in Online Store, then Themes, then the theme's version history or your duplicate backup.

Fix Shopify product images not loading

When Shopify product images fail to load, the usual causes are a broken image URL after a theme or app change, files uploaded in an unsupported format, or a content delivery hiccup that clears on its own. Check the image in the product admin first, re-upload one image to test, then rule out a lazy-load script from a recent app or theme edit.

Check the image in admin first

Open the product in your admin and look at the media gallery. If the image is missing there, it failed to upload and you need to add it again. If it shows in admin but not on the storefront, the problem is in the theme layer, not the file.

Re-upload one image as a test

Re-save the image as a standard JPEG or PNG under 20 megapixels and upload it fresh. HEIC files from iPhones and oversized TIFFs can upload without error yet fail to render. If the fresh upload displays, convert and replace the rest of the set.

Rule out lazy-load and app conflicts

If images work in admin and as fresh uploads but the live page still shows blanks, a recent theme edit or app with lazy-loading is the suspect. Preview your store with the last theme version or disable the newest app. When only some visitors see the problem, it is CDN caching and resolves within hours.

Frequently asked questions

Why do images show for me but not for customers?: That pattern points to caching: your browser holds a working version while new visitors get a broken one. Hard-refresh with Ctrl+Shift+R to see what customers see, and check the storefront in an incognito window.
What image formats does Shopify accept?: JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, and HEIC are accepted for upload, with HEIC converted automatically. JPEG and WebP are the reliable choices for photos; PNG for graphics needing transparency.
Can a theme update break product images?: Yes, especially updates that change the media gallery snippet or add lazy-loading. If images broke right after a theme update, roll back to the previous theme version in Online Store, then Themes, then the theme's version history or your duplicate backup.