When importing data with multiple rows per product (such as products with multiple variants or images), rows are grouped together to form complete product objects. The grouping and search hierarchy works as follows:

When your spreadsheet contains product-level fields (ID, Handle, or Title), the system groups rows using this priority order:

When your spreadsheet only contains variant-level identifiers (no product ID, handle, or title columns), the system uses variant fields to locate the parent product:

When updating existing products, variants within the product are matched using this priority:

Multiple media files, inventory levels, and other sub-data are also grouped under their parent product using this same hierarchy.

Download a sample spreadsheet to see the structure for importing product data.

The ID and Handle fields work together to group multiple rows into a single product object (for example, when importing multiple variants). If an ID is present, the app will first try to find an existing product using the ID. If no ID match is found, the app will attempt to locate the product using the Handle.

The handle creates the product's URL path and must be unique within your store. When no ID is provided or no product is found by ID, the Handle serves as the fallback identifier for locating existing products during import.

If you do not provide a handle Shopify will generate one for you based on the product title.

The main product title displayed to customers throughout your store.

Full product description supporting HTML formatting for rich content display.

The company or brand that manufactures or supplies the product.

Free-form text field for categorizing products within your store.

Tags help organize products and enable customer filtering and search functionality.

The date and time when the product was originally created in Shopify. This field is export-only and cannot be imported.

The most recent date and time the product was modified. This field changes any time a product or variant field is updated, including when inventory is adjusted. This field is export-only and cannot be imported.

When the product was or will be published. Future dates schedule publication.

ISO-formatted timestamps (e.g., 2024-03-16T10:00:00Z) are also supported. When no timezone is specified, your store's timezone is used.

Legacy field that determines where the product appears within your store's sales channels. Options are:

Allows using alternative Liquid templates for displaying this specific product.

The complete URL to the product page. This field is export-only and cannot be imported.

Sum of inventory quantities for all product variants. This field is export-only and cannot be imported.

Used when product data spans multiple spreadsheet rows (e.g., multiple variants or media files).

This field is used to identify the main product row in a multi-row import. If you have multiple variants, images, or other sub-data, you can quickly see unique products by filtering for TRUE in this column.

Product categories use Shopify's standardized product taxonomy to classify items consistently across your store and sales channels.

The unique identifier for the product's assigned category from Shopify's product taxonomy.

The display name of the product's category.

Complete hierarchical path showing the product's categorization.

Collections group products together to help customers browse and find related items. Manual collections require you to add products individually, while smart collections automatically include products based on rules you define.

Comma-separated list of manual collections where this product appears. Collections are identified by their handle.

Comma-separated list of smart collections that automatically include this product based on rules. Collections are identified by their handle.

Specifies the type of media file being uploaded or referenced.

URL to media file or filename of existing file already uploaded to your store.

You can provide multiple URLs separated by semicolons or commas to upload multiple files at once. Alternatively, use multiple Image Src columns for different media files.

Determines the order in which media files appear on the product page.

The width dimension of the media file. This field is export-only and cannot be imported.

The height dimension of the media file. This field is export-only and cannot be imported.

Descriptive text for screen readers and SEO purposes when images cannot be displayed.

Internal Shopify identifier for the variant's inventory item. This field is export-only and cannot be imported.

Shopify's unique identifier for the specific product variant. When no product-level identifiers (ID, Handle, Title) are provided, the system can use Variant ID to locate the parent product. When updating existing products, Variant ID takes priority over other variant matching methods.

The name of the first product option (e.g., Size, Color, Material).

The specific value for the first option that defines this variant.

The name of the second product option.

The specific value for the second option that defines this variant.

The name of the third product option.

The specific value for the third option that defines this variant.

Determines the order in which variants appear when customers view options.

Unique identifier for inventory tracking and management purposes. When no product-level identifiers are provided, SKU can be used to locate the parent product. When updating existing products, SKU is used as a fallback method for matching variants when Variant ID is not available.

UPC, EAN, or other barcode identifier for the variant. When no product-level identifiers, Variant ID, or SKU columns are provided, Barcode can be used as a final fallback to locate the parent product.

URL of the image that represents this specific variant.

Numeric weight value for shipping calculations.

The standard price customers pay for this variant. Use decimal format only (no commas or currency symbols), with period as the decimal separator.

The original or MSRP price shown crossed out to indicate savings. Use decimal format only (no commas or currency symbols), with period as the decimal separator.

Note: Gift card products are automatically set to non-taxable regardless of this field value.

Code used for tax calculation purposes in different jurisdictions.

When creating new variants without inventory quantity data, tracking is automatically disabled.

Specifies which service handles fulfillment for this variant. During export, this is automatically set to manual for regular products and gift_card for gift card products.

The available quantity for this variant in your default location.

Relative change to current inventory (use - for decrease).

The cost you pay for each unit of this variant, used for profit calculations. Use decimal format only (no commas or currency symbols), with period as the decimal separator.

International trade classification code for customs and tariff purposes.

Two-letter ISO country code indicating where the product was manufactured.

Province or state where the product was manufactured within the country of origin.

JSON object containing unit pricing measurement information for regulatory compliance.

The Variant Unit Price field requires a JSON object with this structure:

Valid Units: CL, CM, FLOZ, FT, FT2, G, GAL, IN, ITEM, KG, L, LB, M, M2, M3, MG, ML, MM, OZ, PT, QT, YD

Field Requirements:

For each location, use column names like Inventory Available: My Custom Location and Inventory Available Adjust: My Custom Location where "My Custom Location" is replaced with your actual location name.

The available inventory quantity at the location.

Specifying relative inventory change at the location (use - to indicate direction).

Use column names with market names in the format Included / Belgium, Price / Belgium, Compare At Price / Belgium where "Belgium" is replaced with your specific market name.

Use market names in column headers like Included / US or Included / Canada.

Price for the variant in the specified market's currency.

Use market names in column headers like Price / US or Price / Canada.

Original or MSRP price for the variant in the specified market's currency.

Use market names in column headers like Compare At Price / US or Compare At Price / Canada.

When setting a compare-at price for a market, you must also provide the regular price for that same market. Markets without catalogs will have them created automatically during import.

Metafields can be imported and exported with products to store custom data, SEO information, and additional attributes. This includes the title_tag and description_tag fields for SEO meta titles and descriptions.

For rich text metafields (type rich_text_field), you can provide HTML content that will automatically convert to Shopify's JSON format during import.

For detailed information about working with metafields, see our Metafields guide.

You can use these filters to limit which products are exported: