Importing multiple images from one field

Published September 16, 2026 · Last updated October 28, 2026

If your supplier puts all image URLs in one field, map that field to both Featured Image and Gallery Images. Super Speedy Imports accepts comma-separated image URLs, so you do not need a PHP function or a separate CSV column for every image.

Gallery imports require Super Speedy Imports Pro. Lite imports the featured image.

Map the same field twice

Suppose your feed has an Images field containing:

https://supplier.example/front.jpg,https://supplier.example/side.jpg,https://supplier.example/back.jpg

In the import’s Config tab:

Map Featured Image to Images.
Map Gallery Images to the same Images field.
Save the import, then preview and run it.

The first URL becomes the featured image. All three URLs populate the gallery in their source order. The first image can also appear in the gallery because WooCommerce stores the featured image and gallery separately. It is downloaded once and used in both places.

Common mistake

Mapping the field only to Featured Image imports the first image. It does not automatically fill the product gallery. Add the Gallery Images mapping to import the rest.

For the rest of the product setup, see the WooCommerce imports quick start guide.

Commas and pipes

There is no separator setting to enable for this case. Gallery parsing uses pipes (|) when the field contains them; otherwise it splits on commas. Spaces around URLs are trimmed.

Both of these lists work:

https://supplier.example/front.jpg, https://supplier.example/side.jpg
https://supplier.example/front.jpg|https://supplier.example/side.jpg

Keep one separator style within each list. A literal comma inside a URL can be mistaken for an image separator when the list has no pipes. A URL containing %2C does not have that ambiguity. If your feed uses literal commas inside its URLs, check the supplied URL format before treating every comma as a separator.

Using Delayed Image Import

If Delayed Image Import is active, leave Defer image downloads enabled in the import configuration. Super Speedy Imports stores the mapped URLs for background hydration instead of downloading them during the import.

Delayed Image Import applies the same separator rule: it uses pipes when the value contains a pipe and otherwise splits on commas. This combination requires Delayed Image Import 2.30 or later. Map the combined field to both Featured Image and Gallery Images exactly as described above; the first URL hydrates as the featured image and the remaining URLs hydrate as gallery images. Delayed Image Import excludes the featured image from the stored gallery to avoid showing it twice.

Note

If Delayed Image Import reports one failed URL containing several addresses joined together, update Delayed Image Import before retrying the failed images.

Keep the image list in one CSV cell

The comma between image URLs is separate from the delimiter between CSV columns. In a comma-delimited CSV, a cell containing several image URLs must be quoted:

SKU,Name,Images
ITEM-1,Example product,"https://supplier.example/front.jpg,https://supplier.example/side.jpg"

The mapping preview should show one Images field containing both URLs. If the URLs appear in separate columns, check the CSV quoting and file delimiter first.

Rerunning the import

You can keep these mappings when the supplier replaces the feed, provided its headers stay the same. Imported image URLs are reused on a repeat import. A full import updates mapped images. Use Only refresh images when you want to update images on matched products without creating unmatched products. There is no separate image-update switch.

If the gallery is still empty, check that Gallery Images is mapped and the selected import stages include images. Then check the completion screen: each image is tried up to three times in a run, and any that never downloaded are counted there (“3 images could not be downloaded”), with a link to Open this run in History, where every failed URL is listed with its reason. A featured image appearing successfully does not prove that the other supplier URLs are reachable.

Gallery image titles, captions and alt text

The paid edition can also set each gallery image’s alt text, title, caption and description from your file. Map columns to gallery_image_alts, gallery_image_titles, gallery_image_captions and gallery_image_descriptions. Each holds a pipe-separated list in the same order as the gallery URLs, so the second value belongs to the second image; a missing position is left blank.

These values are set when a gallery image is first imported, each from the first row of that image with a value. A re-import, or a later row naming the same image, does not change an existing image’s text, so edits made in the Media Library are kept.

These values are cleaned the same way as the featured image’s, whichever way the import runs (browser, schedule or WP-CLI): a title keeps only WordPress’s basic inline tags, a caption or description keeps the HTML WordPress allows in post content, and alt text is plain text. Scripts are removed. A bare & is stored as & and displays as &.

Related guides

A tour of the import mapping screen – Find the mapping controls and save your import.
Common questions – Check other feed-format and rerun questions.

Written for Super Speedy Imports 3.63.0.