How to format a Shopify product CSV for import

Steps

1. Export a last-good copy

   Download the current products CSV from Shopify if the store already has SKUs. Work on a copy. Do not mix customer exports into this file.

2. Align column names

   Open CSV Formatter and check Handle, Title, Variant SKU, Variant Price and Image Src. Rename unofficial headers to the Shopify names you are using.

3. Fix variants and images

   Each variant row should share the product Handle. Image URLs must be reachable. Blank prices on sellable variants will fail or publish as zero.

4. Import a test slice, then the rest

   Upload ten rows. Confirm the product page. Then import the remainder and spot-check Handles that had merges.

Shopify maps rows, not vibes

The importer looks for column names it knows. Handle ties variants to one product. Title is what shoppers see. Variant SKU and price sit on the variant row. Image Src is a URL Shopify can fetch. CrossKit CSV Formatter helps you inspect and tidy columns in the browser. It does not push the file into your store.

One product, one Handle

Duplicate Handles on unrelated products collide. Empty Handles make Shopify invent one. Keep Handle stable when you re-import. Do not put customer emails or order notes in a product CSV.

Test ten rows first

A 2,000-row failure is expensive to debug. Import a slice, check variants, images and inventory in admin, then import the rest. Keep a last-good export as rollback.

Encoding and line breaks

Save UTF-8. Chinese and accented titles break in legacy ANSI. Quoted fields with commas belong in quotes. If Excel rewrote separators, inspect the file in a text editor before upload.