Why is my automatic feed upload via FTP no longer working?

An automatic feed upload via FTP usually stops working because Google no longer supports plain FTP for Merchant Center; uploads now have to use SFTP or Google Cloud Storage. If you already use SFTP, the cause is usually an inactive or reset password, a wrong server or port, a file name that does not match the data source, or a file that Merchant Center cannot process.

Many shop systems and feed plugins were set up years ago with FTP and were never switched over. The upload script then fails silently, and Merchant Center keeps working with the last successfully processed file until products expire or no longer match the shop.

What does an SFTP upload need today?

• A file-based data source. In Merchant Center you need a product data source that is set up for file uploads. The SFTP account belongs to the Merchant Center account but has to be activated.
• An SFTP password. Under Settings → Data sources in the tab SFTP and Google Cloud Storage you create the password. It is shown only once and is different from your Google login. Google notes that a new password can take several hours to work.
• The correct server. The host is partnerupload.google.com with port 19321. The username is shown in the details of your file-based data source.
• A matching file name. The uploaded file must have exactly the file name registered in the data source, otherwise Merchant Center does not assign it.

How do I find the cause?

1. Check the protocol. Look at the upload settings in your shop system or feed tool. If it still uses FTP, switch it to SFTP with the server details above.
2. Test the connection manually. Connect with an SFTP client such as FileZilla or on the command line with sftp -P 19321 [email protected]. If login fails, reset the password in Merchant Center and enter the new one in your upload tool.
3. Check the file name. Compare the name of the uploaded file character by character with the file name in the data source, including the file extension.
4. Check processing. Open the data source in Merchant Center and check when the last file was processed and whether there are processing errors, for example due to encoding or missing columns.
5. Check the size. Google accepts files under 4 GB. Larger files must be split into several smaller files.

Are there alternatives to file upload?

• Scheduled fetch. Instead of pushing a file, you can enter the URL of your feed file in the data source and let Google fetch it on a schedule. The file must be publicly reachable or protected with credentials that you store in the data source.
• Google Cloud Storage. Suitable if your data already lives in Google Cloud.
• Shop integration or API. Many shop systems offer a direct connection to Merchant Center. For custom systems, the Merchant API is the programmatic route.

Switch any remaining FTP uploads to SFTP, create a new SFTP password in Merchant Center and test the login manually before you connect the shop. Afterwards, check in the data source that the next file has actually been processed.

Sources

• Merchant Center Help: How to submit product data sources using SFTP
• Merchant Center Help: Product data specification
• Merchant Center Help: Issues in Merchant Center

Has your product feed stopped updating? We switch the upload to a supported method, test the connection and check that every product arrives correctly. Book a free intro call or read more about our Google Ads and Shopping services.