Short answer. Commerce Manager shows “Line or row of text exceeds size limit” when a single line of the file exceeds 5,242,880 characters. For XML that means the whole feed was written on one line: reformat it with one field per line. For CSV or TSV a row carries enormous values, usually in link, image_link or additional_image_link: shorten them.
| Shown in Commerce Manager as | Line or row of text exceeds size limit |
|---|---|
| Effect | Whole feed blocked |
| Where to find it | Catalog → Products → a product’s Status and issues; feed-level errors under Catalog → Data sources → Download issue report |
| Free check | Not something a feed file shows; see below for what the check can tell you instead |
What Commerce Manager means by “Line or row of text exceeds size limit”
Meta reads a feed line by line, and its data feed troubleshooting page sets the limit at 5,242,880 characters per line or row. The page names the two ways to hit it: an XML file formatted on a single line, which should be reformatted with one field per line, and a CSV or TSV row with enormous values, usually in link, image_link or additional_image_link, which should be shortened.
The product data specification repeats the requirement for XML specifically: format the file into multiple lines with one field per line, each line under 5 MB.
Why it happens
- Minified XML: the generator strips all line breaks to save space.
- Dozens of very long image URLs in one row’s additional images.
- Base64 images or scripts embedded in a description.
- A CSV exported as one line with the wrong line ending, so the whole file is one row.
How to fix it
In Shopify
Feed apps that minify XML have a formatting option; turn pretty-printing on. If a description contains embedded images from a page builder, strip them; Meta wants plain text in description anyway.
In WooCommerce
Our free plugin writes one element per line. For other generators, look for a minify or compact option and disable it, and keep additional_image_link to Meta’s maximum of 20 images.
In a CSV or XML feed
Open the file in an editor that shows line numbers: a one-line XML file is the tell. Pretty-print it, one field per line. For CSV or TSV, find the row over the limit and cut the field that carries it, usually a long list of image URLs or an embedded image.
How long until Commerce Manager clears it
Immediately on the next upload of a file whose lines are all under the limit.
What FeedRobin does about it
The free feed check parses XML as a document rather than line by line, so a minified file passes the check and fails Meta; the check does not flag line length, and this page says so. The feeds we serve are formatted one element per line.
Questions merchants ask
Why would an XML feed be on one line?
Minification. Many generators strip whitespace to save bytes, which turns a 20 MB catalogue into one 20 MB line. Meta reads line by line, so the line limit is hit before the file limit.
Is 5 MB per line the same as the file limit?
No. The file limit is 100 MB for a one-time upload and 4 GB scheduled; the line limit is separate and applies to each line or row.
Can a CSV row really reach 5 MB?
Rarely, and then through additional_image_link holding dozens of very long URLs, or a description with embedded base64 images. Meta caps additional images at 20 and descriptions at 9,999 characters anyway.
Sources
- Troubleshoot data feed errors in your catalog — Meta Business Help Centre
- Product data specifications for catalogs in Commerce Manager — Meta Business Help Centre