Why was my Google image asset disapproved?
Direct answerGoogle disapproves a Search image asset when the picture is an overlay, a collage, too empty to recognize, blurry, warped, badly cropped, or sexually explicit. The image assets format requirements, reviewed October 19, 2026, also limit who can use the asset: the account needs history, recent Search spend, and an eligible vertical. These rules override other Google Ads image rules when they conflict.
Who can use the asset
Google says you should be able to use image assets once the account has enough history and meets all of these:
- The account has been open for at least 60 days.
- The account has a good history of policy compliance.
- The account has active campaigns.
- The account has active text ads, and Search spend in the last 30 days is greater than zero.
- The account is in an eligible vertical or sub-vertical. Sexual content and gambling are the examples of verticals that are not eligible.
By opting in, you confirm that you own the rights to publish the images and you instruct Google to publish them for advertising. That is the disclaimer on the page.
What the picture cannot be
| Image | Google’s rule |
|---|---|
| Text, a graphic overlay, or a brand logo, including a logo used as the whole image | Not allowed. Performance Max may use overlays. Google recommends at least one image without overlays for square, horizontal, and vertical. |
| Too much blank space, or a crop where the product cannot be recognized | Not allowed. |
| Pictures combined into a collage after the shoot | Not allowed. A naturally occurring collage can be, and Google names scrapbooks, greeting cards, printing catalogues, and yearbooks. |
| Blurry, unclear, skewed, warped, or cropped so the subject is hard to tell apart | Not allowed. |
| Nudity, including artistic nudity, or a sexually suggestive image | Not allowed. Modeled clothing is allowed with good coverage and without excessive skin. Lingerie and bathing suits are allowed as a flat lay or on a mannequin. |
The clothing row is a limit on this asset. It is not a product-category approval. Broader sexual-content rules still sit on the sexual content page. Blur, rotation, flashing, and a loop longer than 30 seconds on an image ad stay on image quality. A product photo in a Shopping feed, including a “Free shipping” sticker on the picture, is the Shopping product image rule. A business logo in the business-information slot is the business logo asset, which has its own size rules.
Google says these image-asset requirements take priority if they conflict with other Google Ads and personalization policies. They are also more restrictive than other surfaces, so a disapproved image asset may continue to run on Google’s other owned and operated properties.
Size, and text that must still show
| Shape | Where it can show | Pixels |
|---|---|---|
| Square, 1:1, required | Google.com, and YouTube search via AdSense for Search (Search Partners) | Minimum 300 by 300. Recommended 1200 by 1200. |
| Landscape, 1.91:1, optional and recommended | The same surfaces | Minimum 600 by 314. Recommended 1200 by 628. |
Files are PNG or JPG, with a maximum size of 5120 KB. Put the important content in the center 80 percent of the image. Google says you can crop in the image picker while you implement the asset.
Headlines or descriptions pinned to headline position 1, headline position 2, or description position 1 always show. Description position 2 may be truncated when an image asset is shown. If legally required text has to appear in every ad, pin it to one of those three positions.
Google also notes that ads rules in the European Union, India, and New York require labels on certain AI-generated or edited assets. You can put the label on the creative or use the AI label setting in Google Ads, Display & Video 360, Campaign Manager 360, Merchant Center, or Ads Editor. Google says those labels will not violate its ban on text overlays and watermarks, and that using the setting does not by itself prove you meet the local law. The page does not list which creatives the laws cover.
Sources
Reviewed October 19, 2026. Policies change. This is not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put the logo or a sale badge on the image?
Text or graphic overlays, including brand logos, are not allowed, and a brand logo used as the whole image is not allowed. Performance Max is the exception Google states: overlays are allowed, and Google recommends at least one image without overlays for each aspect ratio.
My account is new. Why can’t I add image assets?
Google says the account should have been open at least 60 days, have a good policy-compliance history, have active campaigns and active text ads, and have Search spend greater than zero in the last 30 days. Sexual content and gambling are named examples of verticals that are not eligible.
Does a disapproved image asset stop the text ad?
Google says image asset requirements are more restrictive than the requirements for other surfaces. A disapproved image asset may continue to run on Google’s other owned and operated properties. Pin legally required text to headline 1, headline 2, or description 1, because description 2 may be truncated when an image shows.
Check the image before it is pinned to Search
LaunchGuarding can scan the creative and the landing page for overlay text, a collage, and other policy risks before the asset is saved.