Shopify CSV import not working? Check and fix the product file

The usual causes are wrong column headers, a file not saved as UTF-8, values Shopify does not accept, and image links it cannot download. Here is what each Shopify error means:

• Invalid CSV header: missing headers: a header is misspelled or has a space at the end.
• Illegal quoting on line: the file is not UTF-8, or a quote mark is out of place.
• Missing or stray quote on line: curly quotes from Excel, or an extra quote in a cell.
• Ignored line #-## because it did not contain product data: a product’s first row has a handle but no title.
• Ignored line #-## because handle already exists: two products use the same handle. Each product needs its own.
• Validation failed: options are not unique: two variants of one product have the same options.
• Fulfillment service can’t be blank: use manual if you ship orders yourself.

The checker reads both the current column names (URL handle, Price) and the older ones (Handle, Variant Price). Shopify still accepts both.

A cell in Variant Inventory Policy holds something other than deny or continue. In the current template the column is called Continue selling when out of stock.

• deny stops sales at zero stock. It is the default when the cell is blank.
• continue keeps selling after zero and shows negative stock.

Example: a supplier file has “Yes” and “Deny” in that column. The checker changes them to continue and deny and lists each row it changed.

A UTF-8 file with commas between values, LF line breaks and Shopify’s column names on the first line. The checker’s blank template has the current names.

• Title is the only required column for new products. Add URL handle when a product has variants.
• One row per variant. Variant rows repeat the handle and leave Title, Description, Vendor and Tags blank.
• Prices are numbers only, like 9.99, with no currency symbol.
• Weight is whole grams with no unit: 4 pounds is 1814.
• Up to 3 options, 2,048 variants, 250 images and 250 tags per product.
• Collection is the only column you can add beyond Shopify’s own.

To raise prices across the catalog after the import, use the bulk price increase tool or our field guide on bulk editing Shopify prices.

Give each extra image its own row under the product, with only the handle and the image URL filled in. If a supplier file has several URLs in one cell, the checker splits them into rows for you.

Example:

URL handle,Title,Product image URL
canvas-tote,Canvas Tote,https://cdn.example.com/tote-front.jpg
canvas-tote,,https://cdn.example.com/tote-back.jpg

Each URL must be public, start with https:// and link straight to the image file, with no password. Shopify asks that file names not end in _thumb, _small or _medium.

Shopify takes product files up to 15 MB and suggests splitting a file that times out. The checker splits the fixed file at a size you choose and keeps all of a product’s rows in the same file.

Example: a 40 MB catalog export split at 14 MB comes out as three files. Each has the header row, and no product is cut in half.

Import the files one at a time. To update existing products, tick Overwrite products with matching handles on each import.