Shopify's Media Editor: Edit and Organize Files in Admin

Illustration of two admin windows: a Content, Files list of image thumbnails linked by a dashed line to a media editor showing a blue mug inside a crop frame, with a toolbar of crop, draw, resize and alt text tools and a Save button with a green check

Updated September 2026

In August 2024 Shopify brought its file editing into one place: the same editor now opens whether you're on a product, in the theme editor, in Shopify's email tool, or on the Files page. You can crop a product photo, fix its alt text or resize a banner without downloading it, editing it elsewhere and uploading it again.

Shopify now calls this the media editor. Here's what it does, where to find it, and how to keep the Files page itself organized.

What the media editor does

It edits images, videos and 3D models, and it's the same tool wherever you open it:

  • Crop and transform. Crop freeform, to the original aspect ratio, or to a square, and rotate, flip or tilt the image.
  • Resize. Change the actual pixel size, with Lock aspect ratio on by default so nothing gets stretched.
  • Draw. Add a line, highlight or mark in the color and brush size you choose.
  • Backgrounds. Remove or replace an image's background with Shopify Magic.
  • Alt text. Write it, or accept an AI suggestion when the image doesn't have any.
  • Video and 3D. Replace a video's thumbnail, or adjust a 3D model's environment, background and camera position.
Simplified mockup of Shopify's media editor: an image with a crop frame, and tools for Crop and transform, Draw and Resize, an Alt text field, and a Save button. Opens from product media, the theme editor, Shopify Messaging emails and Content, Files Crop and transform Draw Resize Alt text Blue ceramic mug Save OPENS FROM Product media Theme editor Shopify Messaging emails Content › Files
The media editor, simplified. It opens wherever you see the edit icon on your media.

It opens from product media, the online store editor, Shopify Messaging emails and Content → Files. It doesn't work inside the rich text editor, the one you use for descriptions and blog posts. On mobile, only images can be edited.

Worth knowingOn desktop, edits change the original file, so a crop shows up everywhere that image is used. You can revert an image to its original even after saving, but a revert can't be undone. On mobile, saving a crop makes a new copy instead.

Crop for the shape your theme uses

The most useful thing the editor does is also the least exciting: getting images to the same aspect ratio. Product images of different shapes sit unevenly in a collection grid, and sections such as slideshows and image banners crop your image to fit their own shape. Crop product photos to one ratio (square is the safe default for most themes) and your grid lines up without touching the theme.

If an image appears rotated after upload, that's usually orientation data in the file. Rotating it in the media editor fixes it for good, because it rearranges the actual pixels.

Keeping Content → Files organized

Everything you upload through any file picker in your admin, from product media to theme images and metafield files, lands on Content → Files. After a few years, that's a lot of files. A few habits help:

  • Filter instead of scrolling. Search by name or type, and filter by File size, File type, Used in (where a file is referenced) and Alt text. Filtering for images with no alt text is a quick accessibility and SEO win.
  • Sort by size to find the heavy images that slow pages down, and by date or file name to find what you uploaded last.
  • Name files before you upload them. blue-ceramic-mug-front.jpg is findable; IMG_4471.jpg isn't. Avoid names ending in words like small, medium, large or thumb: Shopify's image CDN can mistake them for resize requests and will rename the file.
  • Replace, don't re-upload. Replacing a file keeps its name and handle, and updates it everywhere it's used. It has to be the same format, such as JPG for JPG.
  • Check before you delete. Use Used in to confirm a file isn't on a live page first.

Images can be up to 20 MB and 25 megapixels, in JPEG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC or GIF. Videos can be up to 1 GB and 10 minutes long. And follow Shopify's own advice: only upload files meant for public access on your store, never documents with confidential or customer information.

Common questions

Can the file editor edit theme code or email templates?

No. It's for media: images, videos and 3D models. Theme code is edited in the theme's code editor, and email content in the email app itself.

Can I download the original after editing?

Yes. On the Files page, open the file and use the download button to get the original, unoptimized version.

Does cropping on the Files page change the image on my product?

Yes, on desktop. Edits apply everywhere the file is used, which is why reverting is there if you change your mind.

For better images in the first place, see how to edit your product images and marketing photography. For finding things faster across the admin, read Shopify's improved admin search and filters, and if your collection pages need more than one image per product, here's how to get there.