Import and export products
Instead of adding or editing products one by one, you can fill in a spreadsheet and import it, or export your catalog to review it outside the dashboard. Both start from the ⋮ menu in Products > All products.
Staff members need the import permission to import products and the export permission to export them. Some import types and the quantities export depend on your plan.
Import products
Go to Products > All products, open the ⋮ menu at the top of the page and select Import products.
Sample data from a demo store. 
The green boxes mark the path in the sidebar. The ⋮ menu is next to Create at the top of the page.Sample data from a demo store. Under Select import type, choose one of the import types described below.
Under Prepare import file, select Download to get the matching template, then fill it in.
Under Upload import file, select Upload and choose your filled file. Only
.csvand.xlsxfiles are accepted.Select Import.
While the import runs, the dialog shows Importing products on going with its progress. When it finishes, Imported and saved successfully appears. If some rows fail, Failed to import products lists the errors, such as the SKU and the problem, so you can fix the file and import it again.
If the import takes longer than about five minutes, the dialog tells you it may still be processing. Check your products later.
Check the last import
The import keeps running if you close the dialog. When you open Import products again while it runs, the dialog picks up its progress.
For three hours after an import ends, the dialog opens with an alert on how it went: Last products import succeeded or Last products import failed for products, and Last stocks import succeeded or Last stocks import failed for stock quantities, followed by how long ago it ended. A failed import lists its errors, or Something went wrong. Please try again. when none were returned. Close the alert to hide it.
Import types
| Import type | What it does | Template |
|---|---|---|
| Import new products | Adds the products in your file to your catalog. This is the default. | Two templates: one for essential product information and one for all product information. |
| Update existing products | Updates the products in your file with the values you choose. See below. | One update template. |
| Delete existing products and replace with new ones | Deletes all your current products and quantities and replaces them with the products in your file. Depends on your plan. | The same templates as Import new products. |
| Update the current product quantities (only) | Updates only stock quantities. Depends on your plan. | Select Export under Export products quantities to get a file of your current quantities, edit it and upload it. |
Fill in the template
The template has one row per product, and its columns follow the product page: names, SKU, prices and cost, weight, quantity, categories, publishing, images, tax, shipping, order limits, descriptions, keywords, search engine fields, options, customization fields and filters. Use the template for essential information when you only need the basics.
The template comes with example products that show how to fill in each column. Delete them before you import.
Give every product its own SKU.
The file holds links to images, not the images themselves. Upload your images first to a file hosting service, such as Google Drive or Dropbox, or to your own website. Set each image so that anyone with the link can open it without signing in, then paste its link in the images column.
The columns fall into the groups below. The Arabic name, price, quantity, publishing, tax exemption, shipping and has-options columns are required for every new product; the rest are optional.
| Group | What you enter |
|---|---|
| Basic information | The SKU (letters and numbers, different for every product), the name in Arabic and in English, the weight and its unit (kg, g or lb), the price, the sale price when the product is discounted, the cost (customers never see it), the quantity, the categories, whether the product is published, image links and the text that describes the images, whether the product is exempt from tax, the minimum and maximum quantity per order, and whether it requires shipping. |
| Product description | Keywords, the description and the short description, each in Arabic and in English. |
| Search engines | The product page title, the page description and the page link. |
| Product options | Whether the product has options and, if it does, each option's name and value in Arabic and in English, for example the option "Color" with the value "Black". See Product options and variants. |
| Product additions | Fields the customer fills in when ordering: dropdown, text input, numerical input, multiple options, date, time, image upload and file upload. For each one, enter whether the product has it and whether it's required, its name in Arabic and in English and, where it applies, its choices and their prices. See Product customization. |
| Filters | Each filter's name, value and type, in Arabic and in English. See Storefront filters. |
When you fill in the columns:
Answer the yes-or-no columns, such as publishing, tax exemption, shipping, options and each product addition, with yes or no.
Write quantities as whole numbers. For a product with unlimited stock, write infinite in the quantity column.
Separate several categories, or several keywords, with commas, for example "Bags, School bags".
Enter weights, prices and order limits as numbers only, without units or currency.
Update existing products
When you choose Update existing products, choose which fields the file updates:
Under Choose which fields to update:, tick the fields, or Select all. Select See more to show the rest of the list. At least one field is required.
Under How should empty fields be handled during import?, choose:
Ignore empty fields (default): an empty cell leaves the product's current value unchanged.
Delete existing values: an empty cell clears the product's current value.
The fields you can update are:
| Group | Fields |
|---|---|
| Product information | Name, Price, Sale price, Cost, Weight, Published, Barcode, SKU, Categories, Short description, Description, Images |
| Tax, shipping and limits | VAT, Shipping required, Minimum quantity per order, Maximum quantity per order |
| Search engines | Keywords, SEO page title, SEO page description, SEO page URL |
| Customization fields | Dropdown, Text input, Numerical input, Multiple options, Date input, Time input, Image upload, File upload |
| Filters | Filters |
Replace all products
Delete existing products and replace with new ones permanently deletes all your current products and quantities and replaces them with the products in your file. If the file contains an error, your products and quantities are still deleted. The dashboard asks you to confirm before it starts.
Update stock quantities only
Choose Update the current product quantities (only).
Under Export products quantities, select Export. The export is queued and you're taken to Export requests, where you download the file when it's ready. Only single products are included.
Change the quantities in the file.
Open Import products again, choose the same import type, upload the file and select Import.
The message Stock import started. You can track the progress in this dialog. confirms the start. You can close the dialog; the stock import continues in the background.
Export products
Go to Products > All products, open the ⋮ menu at the top of the page and select Export products.
Sample data from a demo store. Choose what to export:
Option What you get Limit Export all product details Your products and their details. 20,000 products Export all product quantities Stock quantities of your single products. Depends on your plan. 20,000 products Export all product metafields The values of your products' custom fields. 5,000 products If a search, tab or filter is active on the list, Apply current filters is ticked so only the filtered products are exported. Clear it to export all products.
Select Export.
The export is queued, and you're taken to Export requests in your settings, where you download the file when it's ready. See Export requests.
If an option has more products than its limit, it's disabled. Select filters in its message to narrow down the list first.
Export selected products
To export only some products, tick them in the list, open Actions and choose Export selected product details, Export selected product metafields or Export selected product quantities. See Manage products.
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