Google Merchant Center & store fixes

Merchant Center statuses explained: warnings, disapprovals, limited and pending

By Kai · Updated Oct 19, 2026 · 2 min read

Short answer

Warnings keep a product showing but may limit its performance. Disapprovals stop it showing until you fix the issue and Google re-approves it. New data sources start as Pending. Open Products, then Needs attention, to see every product-level issue.

The statuses, in plain words

Warning: the product still shows across Google, but performance may be limited. If a warning stays unresolved it can turn into a disapproval.
Disapproval: the product stops showing until the issue is fixed and the product is approved again.
Pending: a new data source is in its first review, so its products sit in Pending for a while.

In the Merchant Center status chart you will also see the labels Approved, Limited, Not approved and Under review. They are the same idea: Limited is the warning side, Not approved is the disapproval side.

Product-level and account-level issues

A product-level issue affects one product. The causes are usually data that does not match your website, a specification problem, or a Shopping policy violation. An account-level issue affects every product. At account level Google first sends a warning with a warning period, and if the problem is still there when it ends, the account can be suspended and products stop showing. Serious violations can lead to an immediate suspension.

Where to look

Go to Products, then Needs attention. It lists every product-level issue, and you can filter by impact, status or issue and download a CSV.
Open one product to see its own Needs attention section.
For account-level problems use the banner at the top of the account, or View setup and policy issues.
Open an issue to see its business impact, example products and the steps Google gives to resolve it.

Which to fix first

Start with account-level issues, because they can remove every product. Then take the product-level issues that affect the most products. The Prioritized fixes toggle on Needs attention filters the list to medium and high impact issues, which is a good first pass. Turn it off to see everything.

A disapproval is a symptom. The cause is almost always in the store: the feed, the product page, the images or the policy pages. Fixing only the feed row often brings the issue back on the next update.

Sources

Google Merchant Center Help: issues in Merchant Center

Questions people ask

What is the difference between Limited and Not approved?

Limited (a warning) keeps the product showing with possibly reduced performance. Not approved (a disapproval) stops the product from showing until it is fixed and re-approved.

Where do I see all my product issues?

In Merchant Center go to Products, then Needs attention. You can filter and download the list as a CSV.

Get a free mini-audit

Free first step, no obligation. Work and payment stay on the platform you found me on.

Get a free mini-audit →