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Product feed requirements in 2026: Google vs Meta vs Microsoft

Compare Google, Meta and Microsoft product-feed requirements, fix the highest-risk differences, and scan your feed before upload.

The short version

A feed that passes one ad platform can fail another. Google Merchant Center, Meta catalogs and Microsoft Merchant Center share a common core, but their availability values, identifier limits and required fields differ.

Use this checklist to build one clean source feed, then map platform-specific output without weakening the source data.

Start with the shared core

Every product needs a stable ID, customer-facing title and description, product and image URLs, a price with an ISO currency code, and an availability value. Keep those fields aligned with the landing page and checkout.

Treat these as source-of-truth rules:

  1. Keep IDs stable across refreshes. Changing an ID resets history and can break catalog-to-event matching.
  2. Use absolute HTTPS product and image URLs.
  3. Send a numeric price followed by the three-letter currency, such as 29.99 EUR.
  4. Match feed price and availability to the page shoppers actually see.
  5. Preserve brand, GTIN and MPN even where a platform treats them as optional. Better identifiers improve matching and reduce platform-specific rewrites.

Platform, country, category and checkout programs can add fields beyond this core. Validate the exact destination before upload.

Google Merchant Center requirements

Google's core limits are:

Field Rule
id Required; maximum 50 characters
title Required; maximum 150 characters
description Required; maximum 5,000 characters
link and image_link Required HTTP(S) URLs; use images at least 500×500 pixels
price Required number plus ISO currency
availability in stock, out of stock, preorder or backorder

Condition is required for used and refurbished products. For new products, brand is generally required except for categories such as media. Submit a valid GTIN when one exists; otherwise use MPN plus brand, or explicitly state that an identifier does not exist. Preorders need an availability date.

Google also applies category- and country-specific apparel fields. Do not treat a seven-field core pass as proof that every item is eligible.

Meta catalog requirements

Meta's baseline is stricter in two places: condition and brand are required, while availability accepts fewer values.

Field Rule
id Required; maximum 100 characters; match the ID sent in catalog events
title Required; maximum 200 characters
description Required; maximum 9,999 characters
condition Required: new, refurbished or used
brand Required; maximum 100 characters
availability Only in stock or out of stock
price Required period-decimal number plus ISO currency, such as 9.99 USD
link and image_link Required HTTP(S) URLs; JPEG or PNG images at least 500×500 pixels and no larger than 8 MB

Do not send Google-only preorder or backorder values into Meta unchanged. Meta also rejects comma-decimal prices. If an image changes, publish it at a new URL so Meta does not keep the cached version.

GTIN and MPN are recommended rather than universally required. India and onsite-checkout catalogs add contextual requirements.

Microsoft Merchant Center requirements

Microsoft accepts a Google-like schema, but it is not identical:

Field Rule
id Required; maximum 50 characters
title Required; maximum 150 characters
description Required; maximum 10,000 characters
link and image_link Required HTTP(S) URLs
price Required number plus ISO currency
availability in stock, out of stock or preorder; no backorder

Keep brand and product identifiers populated even when an audit reports them as warnings. Microsoft product offers also need their market context, including channel, content language and target country, when sent through the Content API.

Do not copy Google's backorder value into Microsoft. Offers written through the Content API expire after 30 days by default, so refresh them well inside that window.

Map one source value to each platform

Do not corrupt the source catalog to fit the narrowest destination. Map it at export time.

Source state Google Meta Microsoft
In stock in stock in stock in stock
Out of stock out of stock out of stock out of stock
Preorder preorder Map to a supported state only when operationally true preorder
Backorder backorder Map to a supported state only when operationally true No direct value; apply a documented business rule

A mapping must reflect what the shopper can actually buy. Never label a preorder or backorder item as in stock merely to pass validation.

Run the pre-upload check

Before every scheduled export:

  1. Check required fields and character limits for each destination.
  2. Validate URLs and image size.
  3. Validate price syntax and currency codes.
  4. Map availability values per platform.
  5. Check GTIN, MPN and brand consistency.
  6. Compare feed price and availability with the landing page and checkout.
  7. Test a small upload, then inspect item-level diagnostics rather than relying on the file-level status.

Use the free product feed scanner to catch field, format and parity risks before the next platform upload.

Sources