Blocking Affects: image_link image

Fix “Broken image link” on Meta Commerce Manager

Meta can't fetch the image at image_link. Could be 404, geo-blocked, requires authentication, or HTTPS issues. Items with broken images don't serve.

What you see in Meta Commerce Manager:

Broken image link

Meta can't fetch the image. CDN URL changes, HTTP-vs-HTTPS issues, expired auth tokens, or robots.txt blocking facebookexternalhit / meta-externalagent crawlers.

Allow Meta's crawlers in robots.txt explicitly. Verify SSL and HTTPS. Meta caches images; cache invalidation can lag URL changes by 24-48 hours.

Top causes

1
CDN URL changes after migration
2
HTTP image URLs (must be HTTPS)
3
Expired CDN auth tokens
4
robots.txt blocks Meta's user agent from /images/

How to fix it

1

Test each image URL

Open in an incognito browser. If it 404s, 403s, or fails SSL, that's the issue.
2

Check robots.txt allows Meta's crawler

User-agent: facebookexternalhit and meta-externalagent must have access to /images/ paths.
3

Update URLs in the feed

Point at working image URLs and force a catalog fetch.

Related issues

Google Merchant Center

Broken image link

Googlebot can't fetch the image_link URL. Could be 404, blocked by robots.txt, geo-blocked, requires authentication, or HTTPS certificate issues.

Meta Commerce Manager

Meta image too small

The image at image_link is below Meta's 500×500 minimum. In 2026 Meta has tightened practical enforcement, so images that previously squeaked through at 400×400 now consistently fail.

Related fields

image_link

FAQ

Does Meta cache images?

Yes, for serving. But cache invalidation on URL changes can lag — broken-image flags after a CDN migration can persist for 24-48 hours even after the new URLs are working.

Last reviewed: 26 May 2026

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