Google Merchant Center reports Product ID too long when a product's id is longer than 50 characters, the maximum Google allows (Google Merchant Center Help, How to fix: Product ID too long). Every product needs its own id, and Google recommends using your product SKU (Google Merchant Center Help, ID [id]). Shorten long IDs at the source, keep them stable afterwards, and make sure no two products share one.
Google's rules for the id attribute
As of October 2026, the id attribute is (Google Merchant Center Help, ID [id]):
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Required | For each product |
| Length | 1–50 characters |
| Characters | Unicode, with ASCII recommended: letters, numbers, underscores and dashes |
| Unique | Submit a unique ID for each different product; each variant is a unique product with its own ID |
| Stable | Once you've assigned an ID to a product, don't change it |
| Case | IDs are case-sensitive in Merchant Center |
| Whitespace | Leading, trailing and repeated spaces are removed automatically |
Google recommends using your product SKU as the id (same source).
How to fix Product ID too long
Shorten every ID over 50 characters. For a few products, open Products > Needs attention, select Edit product, enter an ID of 50 characters or fewer and save; for many, download the .csv list of affected products, shorten the IDs in your product data and upload it again (Google Merchant Center Help, How to fix: Product ID too long). Changes may take 24–72 hours to show on the Needs attention page (same source).
Long IDs usually come from a store that builds the ID from the product name or a URL slug. Choose a short, permanent key instead, such as the SKU, and make the change once, because Google asks you not to change an ID after it is assigned (Google Merchant Center Help, ID [id]). In Product Feed Master the source column mapped to id is set in the field mapping; map the SKU column there rather than rewriting IDs with rules.
Duplicate identifier is about GTIN, MPN and brand
Duplicate identifier sounds like a duplicate id, but Google's page describes products in your data that share the same identifiers, such as the same GTIN, MPN or brand (Google Merchant Center Help, How to fix: Duplicate identifier). It is either a true duplicate listing of one product, or one identifier used for different products. The fix is to delete the duplicate or give each offer its correct, unique identifiers, then upload the data again (same source). See GTIN, MPN and identifier_exists explained for which identifiers each product needs.
Duplicate id values are a separate data problem: Google requires a unique ID for each different product (Google Merchant Center Help, ID [id]). Feeds that use a parent product's ID for every variant break this rule; give each variant its own ID, such as the variant SKU.
Check IDs before you upload
The free feed checker flags products with no id, IDs longer than 50 characters and IDs used by more than one product in the same file. Product Feed Master stores one product per ID in each feed, so a duplicate ID in your source updates the same product instead of creating two.
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum length of a Google Shopping product ID?
50 characters. Google flags longer IDs with the Product ID too long issue.
Can I change a product's ID in Merchant Center?
Google asks you not to change an ID once it is assigned. Choose a short, stable key such as the SKU and keep it.
Should variants share the same ID?
No. Google treats each variant as a unique product that needs its own ID.