Find Shopify product images missing alt text
Alt text matters twice: screen readers use it for accessibility, and search engines use it to understand your images. The problem is that Shopify buries alt text inside each product's media editor, one image at a time. There is no built-in view that shows every image and its alt text together, so auditing a whole catalog means clicking through products one by one. Here is how to get the full picture in a spreadsheet instead.
Before you start
- You can open Products → Export in your Shopify admin.
- You have a spreadsheet app to filter the list (Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets).
- You can edit products in Shopify, since fixes are made there.
- ExportProducts → Export, all products
- One list
manifest.csv: every image with its alt text - Filter blanksEmpty
alt_textcells are your fix list - Fix and re-checkAdd alt text in Shopify, then export again
What the audit list looks like
| product_title1 | handle | sku | image_position | original_url2 | filename | alt_text3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trail Mug | trail-mug | MUG-01 | 1 | https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/…/mug-1.jpg?v=… | trail-mug/MUG-01-1.jpg | Green enamel mug on a wooden desk |
| Trail Mug | trail-mug | MUG-01 | 2 | https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/…/mug-2.jpg?v=… | trail-mug/MUG-01-2.jpg | |
| Tea Towel | tea-towel | TT-02 | 1 | https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/…/towel-1.jpg?v=… | tea-towel/TT-02-1.jpg |
Columns without a note are left out here; your file has them too.
- product_title tells you which product to open in Shopify.
- original_url is the image’s link: open it to see exactly which photo needs alt text, then find that photo in the product’s media.
- alt_text is blank on two rows: those images have no alt text. Filter this column for blanks to get the whole fix list.
The free manual method
You can assemble the audit yourself from the product CSV plus some legwork.
- In Shopify admin, go to Products, click Export, and export your products as a CSV.
- Open the CSV and find the Image Src and Image Alt Text columns. The alt text column is populated only where someone actually wrote alt text, which is exactly what you are auditing.
- Filter to rows that have a link in Image Src or Variant Image (some rows are variants or products with no image), then find the blank Image Alt Text cells. Those are your missing alt text.
- Fix each one in Shopify: open the product, open the image in the media editor, and add the alt text.
- Re-export the CSV and check the column again to verify nothing was missed.
This works, but the CSV only tells you about alt text stored on the product record. It is a starting list, not a guarantee, so treat the re-export as your verification pass.
Free method
Downloads/
- Trail Mug › image 1
- Trail Mug › image 2
- Tea Towel › image 1
- …
In Shopify you open each product, then each image, to read its alt text.
Parcel
parcel-1a2b3c4d.zip
- trail-mug/
- MUG-01-1.jpg
- MUG-01-2.jpg
- tea-towel/
- TT-02-1.jpg
- manifest.csv
Every image and its alt text in one spreadsheet, next to the image files themselves.
The faster way: Parcel
Parcel (parcelexport.com) turns the same product CSV into an audit-ready package. Upload the CSV and the manifest spreadsheet it returns lists every image with its link, SKU, and alt text in one place:
- Filter the alt text column for blanks to get your fix list in seconds
- Work through the list in Shopify, adding alt text where it is missing
- Re-run the export to confirm every image now has alt text
Keep Include image details spreadsheet (manifest.csv) ticked in the exporter: that spreadsheet is the audit. It lists the images Parcel saved, so before treating it as complete, check that the ZIP has no failed-downloads.csv and that no links were reported as skipped on screen; check any of those images in Shopify directly.
One honest limitation: Parcel cannot write the fixes back into your store. It has no store access by design, which is what makes it safe to use, but it also means the fixing step happens in Shopify admin. Parcel's job is giving you the complete list from your CSV to work from, plus the verification pass at the end.
What it costs
Pricing is one-time, not a subscription. Up to 25 products is free, which covers the audit for a small catalog entirely. Larger catalogs are $9 (26 to 250 products), $19 (251 to 1,000), or $39 (over 1,000). Files are kept for 24 hours after your export is ready.
- 10,000images per export
- 20 MBlargest single image
- 300 MBof images, free export
- 1 GBof images, paid export
Files stay available for 24 hours after the export is ready.
Run it before you need it
If the audit is part of a migration or a store closure, run the export while the products still exist. Once products are deleted, their image links stop working and the audit cannot be built.
If something goes wrong
- manifest.csv is missing from the ZIP
- The image details spreadsheet was switched off. Run the export again with Include image details spreadsheet (manifest.csv) ticked.
- An image shows alt text in Shopify but is blank in the list
- The list shows what your CSV contains. If you added the alt text after exporting, export a fresh CSV and run the audit again; then check that image’s row in the CSV’s Image Alt Text column.
- Some images aren’t in the list
- The manifest lists saved images only. Images that failed to download are in
failed-downloads.csv, and links Parcel couldn’t use were counted on screen before the export; check their alt text in Shopify directly. - The list is long
- Sort by
product_titleand fix one product at a time, or start with your best sellers. Export again afterwards and filter for blanks to see what’s left.
Questions
How do I see all missing alt text in Shopify?
Shopify has no list of it. Export your products as a CSV, keep only rows with a link in Image Src or Variant Image and look for blank Image Alt Text cells, or upload the CSV to Parcel and filter the alt_text column of the manifest it returns, which lists images only.
Can Parcel add the missing alt text for me?
No. Parcel never connects to your store, so it can’t change products. You add the alt text in Shopify and use Parcel’s list to find what needs it and to check your work.
Does the audit include the images themselves?
Yes. The ZIP has every image file in a folder per product next to manifest.csv, so you can look at a photo while you write its alt text.
How often should I run the audit?
Whenever many products have been added or changed. A free export covers up to 25 products, so a small catalog can be checked at no cost each time.