Common data feed upload errors

• Your data feed file couldn't be accessed / Bad request

  These errors mean we can't access your data feed from your server or file hosting website.

  If you get an error that says Your Data Feed File Couldn't Be Accessed, Failed to Connect to FTP Server or Fetching Feed from HTTP Server Failed, check to make sure that:

  • The URL is a link to your downloadable file. The URL can't be a link to your product page, Facebook Page or somewhere else. Test the URL in a new browser tab to make sure your file opens.
  • The URL is accessible outside Facebook. Open a new browser tab and test that your URL leads to your downloadable file and doesn’t go to a broken page, like a 503 or 404 error.
  • You formatted the URL headers correctly. A common mistake is to set your Content-Encoding to UTF-8, so make sure to set this in the Content-Type section of the header instead.

  If you get a bad request error, check with your developer or team to make sure that your server or hosting site isn’t blocking our requests to fetch your data feed. They can get more information about the server logs and check that the settings are correct.

  If you get an HTTP authentication failed error, make sure your username and password are correct in your data feed's Settings page.

• Catalogs only support CSV, TSV and XML (RSS/ATOM) file formats. If you upload your data feed file in any other format, your upload won't work.

  • You can use CSV and TSV formats with most spreadsheet programs, such as Excel. Make sure to save your spreadsheet file in the correct format.
  • XML files are typically generated by automated feed provider systems or web servers. They need to begin with a valid <?xml declaration tag.

• For every item in your catalog, you must include a description. These two errors mean your description field is missing or it's in all capital letters, which isn't allowed.

  • Make sure to include a description column that contains a relevant, accurate description for each item. The character limit for item descriptions is 5,000.
  • Descriptions can't be in all capital letters. Use sentence case instead. For example, change A BRIGHT SHIRT FOR SUMMER to A bright shirt for summer. You can also create data feed rules to fix capitalization issues automatically.
  • Don't enter links in the description column. Put these in the link column instead.

• For every item in your catalog, you must include a link to an image. This error means your data feed file is missing image links.

  • Include an image_link field in your data feed and add the correct image URL for each item.
  • Make sure links begin with http:// or https://.
  • Make sure that links are correct and aren't broken. Copy and paste them into a new tab in your browser to test them.
  • Remember to comply with image size requirements.

• This error is only for products, not other inventory types. For each product in your catalog, you must provide at least one of the following identifiers: brand name, Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN) or Manufacturer Part Number (MPN). This error means that none of these are in your data feed.

  To fix this error, make sure to include at least one of the following fields for each product in your data feed: brand, mpn or gtin. You can refer to the field descriptions for products.

• You can have multiple data feed files uploading to your catalog, but each individual item can only be in one file. If you see this error, it means you have the same item ID listed in multiple files.

  • If you listed an item in more than one data feed file by accident, delete the item from the extra files. It's best to keep the item in the original file where you first uploaded it, so delete the item from the newer files.
  • This error often happens when you accidentally upload a new data feed file instead of updating your existing one. If this happens, delete the newer feed file from your catalog in Data Sources so items aren't listed in two files. Then, update your original file instead.

Other data feed errors

• When you create a data feed, you must include certain required fields (column names) depending on your inventory type. If you don't include the required columns or we don't recognize them because you used different names, you may not be able to upload your items or use them in your ads or commerce channels.

  • Check the data feed specifications and make sure to include all of the required fields for your inventory type.
  • Enter field names exactly as they appear in the specifications. They must be in US English, even if the rest of your file is in another language.
  • If you used a different name for certain columns, you can also create data feed rules to map your column names to columns we support.

• This error can happen if something in your data feed file causes your columns to not match up. For example, you might have misplaced quotation marks or quotation marks that aren’t enclosed properly. Or, the number of columns in row 1 might not match the number of columns in later rows.

  • For every row in your data feed, check that the number of columns matches the number of columns in row 1 (the header row).
  • Remove any extra columns in your feed that you aren't using. Make sure not to delete any required columns.

• For every item in your catalog, you must include a link to a product page on your website so people can learn more about the item.

  • Add the correct links in the link column.
  • Make sure that links begin with http:// or https://.
  • Make sure that links are correct and aren't broken. Copy and paste them into a new tab in your browser to test them.
  • If you can, always link to pages that are optimized for mobile.
  • Don't link to pages where people have to sign in or register to see items.
  • Use a URL that won't change often.

• You must include prices in your data feed file so people know how much your items cost.

  • Include prices in the price column.
  • Make sure prices are formatted correctly. Use a 3-digit ISO currency code such as USD or EUR, not currency symbols like $ or €. Use "." as the decimal point, not ",". For example, 9.99 USD or 24.50 EUR are correct. $9.99 or 24,50 EUR are incorrect.
  • Make sure the prices you list are accurate and match the prices on your website.
  • Don't include shipping or other additional fees in the price.
  • Don't use auction prices or fluctuating prices. If you want to advertise a sale price, add sale_price and sale_price_effective_date columns. Learn more about sale prices.

• Item IDs are unique identifiers you create for each item in your feed. They match the items in your catalog with the items on your website or in your app. You determine your item IDs, and they won't show up in your ads.

  • Enter IDs in the correct field on your data feed file: id (products), hotel_id (hotels), destination_id (destinations), home_listing_id (real estate) or vehicle_id (autos). Flights don't require an ID field because we create flight IDs automatically from the arrival and destination airport codes.
  • Don't use capital letters to differentiate between product IDs. For example, shirt1 is the same as SHIRT1.
  • Use SKUs as your product IDs if you can. If you don't know a product's SKU, refer to the manufacturer or user guide.
  • Make sure to use a different product ID for each item.
  • If you want to include product variants such as the same shirt in different sizes or colors, each individual variant still needs its own product ID. Add an item_group_id column to group variants together. Learn more about product variants.

• Most inventory types require a name or title field, so make sure to include this field in your data feed file for each item.

  • Enter a name or title that's relevant and specific to each item. Include keywords such as brand names, product areas or attributes. For example, Blue yoga sweatshirt or 2020 Electric Car 4WD.
  • Don't enter titles in all capital letters. People tend to associate all capital letters with spam or misleading marketing.
  • Limit names and titles to 150 characters.
  • For products, include the condition in product titles whenever you can. For example, if you're selling a 32 GB refurbished phone, enter Generic Phone - Refurbished - 32 GB.
  • Don't forget to proofread names and titles for spelling and grammar.

• Your data feed file must contain certain required fields depending on your inventory type.

  • When you create your file, check that you've included all the required fields for your inventory type.
  • Make sure fields aren't too long. Check the character limits in our data feed specifications and remove excessive characters.
  • You may not be able to upload your file if it has errors or typos. Always check your titles and descriptions for spelling and grammar.
  • For products, you must include an availability column. Update your product availability as needed. You can schedule automatic feed uploads to keep your catalog updated.
  • For products, you must include either a brand (brand name), gtin (Global Trade Identification Number) or mpn (Manufacturer Part Number) field. You only need to include one of these fields, not all of them.

• If you host your file on another server like Dropbox or Google Drive and see an error message when you try to upload it, your file URL may not go to the correct file location.

  • Make sure the URL starts with http, https, ftp or sftp or your upload will fail.
  • Check that the URL links directly to your downloadable file. It can't link to a landing page on your website, a Facebook Page or somewhere else. Open a new tab in your browser, then copy and paste the link into the tab to test it.

• If you try to upload an item to your catalog that's already there, your upload may fail.

  • Delete any duplicate items from your file.
  • After you delete duplicate items, upload your file again to update your catalog.

• If you receive an error message about malicious links in your data feed file, please contact your Facebook representative or contact support.

• This error means that a line in your XML data feed file is too long and exceeds our size limit of 5,242,880 bytes or characters. Please reformat your XML into multiple lines with 1 field per line and upload your file again.

• Sometimes large files can slow down your file upload speed or stop it from uploading. If your file takes too long to upload:

  • Check the file size of your data feed. For a one-time upload, the size limit is 100MB. For scheduled feed uploads, the limit is 8GB.
  • Compress larger files. You can upload compressed data feed files up to 30GB. Compress your data feed file with ZIP or GZIP formats.
  • Split your data feed file to save time. It takes longer to upload one large feed than several smaller feeds. If you split your file, remember that each individual item can only be listed in one file.
  • Check your network for connectivity issues. If you can't connect to your network or you experience intermittent connectivity issues, contact your internet service provider or network administrator.

Common data feed warnings