# max-image-preview

Category: [Technical SEO](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/technical-seo/) › [HTML, mobile & accessibility](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/technical-seo/html-mobile-accessibility/)

**max-image-preview** is a robots rule that sets the largest size in which Google may show an image from a page as a preview. It is set in the robots meta tag or the `X-Robots-Tag` header and applies to Google Search, Google Images, Discover, and Assistant.

## What values does max-image-preview accept?
- `none`: no image preview.
- `standard`: a default-size preview may be shown.
- `large`: a larger preview, up to the width of the viewport, may be shown.

Without the rule, Google may show a preview of the default size. The rule applies to the whole page and cannot be set for single images. It does not apply where a publisher has separately granted Google permission to use the content, for example through a licensing agreement.

## Why does it matter for Discover?
Google's Discover documentation lists `max-image-preview:large` (or AMP) as the way to allow large images and recommends images at least 1,200 px wide. A page that sets `none` or `standard` limits the size Google may show there.

WordPress has added `max-image-preview:large` to the robots tag by default since version 5.7. A filter removes it.

## Example
```html
<meta name="robots" content="max-image-preview:large">
```
Several rules can be combined in one tag:
```html
<meta name="robots" content="index, follow, max-image-preview:large">
```

## Common mistakes
- Setting `none` on a template and then wondering why no image appears for the page in Discover.
- Assuming the rule picks the image. Google chooses it automatically; the rule only caps the size.

## At a glance

- **Type:** Google robots rule (meta tag, X-Robots-Tag)
- **Affects:** size of the image preview for a page
- **Values:** none, standard, large
- **Docs:** [Google: Robots meta tag specifications](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots-meta-tag)

Last checked: October 8, 2026

## Snippet and preview rules compared

| Rule | Where it's set | What it controls in Google Search | Effect on AI Overviews and AI Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| nosnippet | whole page (robots meta tag or X-Robots-Tag) | no text snippet or video preview; a static image thumbnail may still appear | content isn't used as direct input for AI Overviews and AI Mode |
| max-snippet:[number] | whole page | caps the text snippet at that many characters; 0 equals nosnippet, -1 lets Google choose the length | limits how much content may be used as direct input for AI Overviews and AI Mode |
| data-nosnippet | single text section (attribute on span, div or section) | the marked text isn't used in the snippet | listed by Google as a control for limiting content in AI features in Search |
| max-image-preview:[none/standard/large] | whole page | maximum size of the image preview; without it, a default-size preview may be shown | Google only lists web search, Google Images, Discover and Assistant here, no AI features |
| noimageindex | whole page | images on this page aren't indexed | no statement from Google |
| unavailable_after: [date] | whole page | the page stops appearing in search results after that date; Googlebot then crawls the URL much less often | no separate statement from Google |
| indexifembedded | whole page, only together with noindex | content may be indexed when embedded in another page through an iframe or similar tag | no statement from Google |
| noindex (for comparison) | whole page | page doesn't appear in search results | listed by Google as a control for AI features; a link in AI Overviews or AI Mode requires an indexed page |
| noarchive | whole page | no longer used by Google and ignored; the cached link it controlled no longer exists | none (Google ignores the rule) |

Sources: [Google Search Central: Robots meta tag, data-nosnippet, and X-Robots-Tag specifications (last updated 2026-03-24)](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots-meta-tag); [Google Search Central: AI features and your website (last updated 2025-12-10)](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features). Last checked: October 8, 2026

## Related terms

- [max-snippet](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/max-snippet/index.md)
- [nosnippet](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/nosnippet/index.md)
- [Meta robots tag](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/meta-robots-tag/index.md)
- [Google Discover](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/google-discover/index.md)
- [Image SEO](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/image-seo/index.md)
- [Google Images](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/google-images/index.md)
- [Image sitemap](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/image-sitemap/index.md)

## Sources

- [Robots meta tag, data-nosnippet, and X-Robots-Tag specifications – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots-meta-tag)
- [Get on Google Discover – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/google-discover)
- [Robots API and max-image-preview in WordPress 5.7 – WordPress Core](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/02/19/robots-api-and-max-image-preview-directive-in-wordpress-5-7/)

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Last updated: October 8, 2026
URL: https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/max-image-preview/