Where do you start the CSV import?
WooCommerce already includes the product importer. You do not install a separate product import export plugin for a normal catalog. In wp-admin open Products, then All Products. Import and Export sit beside Add new product.
Use Import to add rows, or to update rows that already have an ID or a SKU. Export first when this store already has products you must keep. A new shop on e-commerce hosting still uses those same two buttons.
- Import adds products, or updates a matching ID or SKU when you tick the update option.
- Export writes the current catalog to a CSV you can store before you change prices or names.
- A free plugin download is a different job. The importer is already in WooCommerce.
How should the product CSV be saved?
Save the file as CSV in UTF-8. Spreadsheet apps often change the encoding or add a currency sign. Open the saved file in a plain text editor and check that the header is still comma-separated text.
Put dates in the store's timezone. Use 1 for yes and 0 for no. Leave a new product's ID blank. WooCommerce gives it the next ID, and you cannot force a chosen ID onto a new row. To point at a product that already exists, write id:100, or write the SKU with no prefix.
If a category name itself contains a comma, escape that comma so it is not read as a new field. Nested categories use a greater-than sign between parent and child, such as Clothing > Men. Separate two categories with a comma.
Which columns do you map?
After you choose the file and select Continue, WooCommerce shows a mapping screen. Headers it recognizes map themselves. Set any column you do not want to Do not import. A column it does not recognize is skipped until you map it.
Prices are plain numbers. Write 499, not a rupee sign and not a thousands separator. The first image address is the featured image. Later addresses in that cell, separated by commas, become the gallery. Each address must be a file WooCommerce can download, or the filename of a picture already in the Media Library. This importer does not write image alt text.
On a current WooCommerce, leave ID and SKU blank only when you want a GTIN, UPC, EAN, or ISBN to find the product. If either ID or SKU is filled in, that value is used and a miss does not fall through to the GTIN.
Catalog visibility is a column on this file, not a theme setting. The values visible, catalog, search, and hidden decide whether the product is in the shop, in search, in both, or in neither. Columns per row, zoom, and the gallery layout are product display options in the theme. They are not set by this CSV.
| Column | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Type | simple, variable, grouped, external, or variation | simple |
| SKU | A unique key for a later update | SHIRT-01 |
| Regular price | A number, with no currency sign | 499 |
| Published | 1 published, 0 private, -1 draft, 2 pending | 1 |
| Categories | Parent, then a greater-than sign, then the child | Clothing > Men |
| Images | Featured image first, then gallery files | full https URL of the jpg |
| Visibility in catalog | visible, catalog, search, or hidden | visible |
How do you run the import and know it worked?
Run the import once, on a staging copy if you have one. Change the CSV between attempts. Do not upload the same file again while the first run is still open.
- Export the current products if the store is not empty, and keep that file.
- Open Products, then All Products, then Import.
- Choose the UTF-8 CSV. Tick Update existing products only when the file should change rows that match an ID or a SKU.
- Select Continue. Fix any column that mapped to the wrong field, and set the rest to Do not import.
- Select Run the importer. Do not refresh, and do not leave the screen.
- When it finishes, open All Products and check the name, SKU, regular price, and featured image on one new row.
- Open that product on the shop. If the image or the price is wrong, fix the CSV and run the update again. Do not add a second copy.
If WordPress says the file type is not allowed, the CSV may contain HTML. Upload it to the site uploads folder with the host file manager, then use the importer's option for a file already on the server. If that path fails too, email support@webji.services the exact message and the file size. The office number is not a support line.
How do variable products and categories go in?
A variable product is one parent row plus one row for each variation. Set the parent Type to variable and list every option in the attribute cell, such as S, M. Each variation row uses Type variation, its own SKU, a blank ID, and Parent set to the parent SKU. Put only that variation's option in its attribute cell.
On a current WooCommerce, an update import can create those variation rows when the parent row sits above them and Update existing products is ticked. On an older store, import the parent first. Then import only the variation rows with the update box off, so an existing SKU is not skipped.
Categories do not have to exist beforehand. The Categories cell creates them, including a parent and child joined by a greater-than sign. After the import, open the parent and check the Variations tab. The dropdown, price, and stock should match the file. Making one variation in the editor is a separate job, covered when you create a variable product.
What if the file is too large?
The maximum size on the import screen is a server limit, not a WooCommerce limit. A few thousand rows can exceed memory, the upload cap, or the time one request may run. Split the CSV into smaller files and import them one after another. Try three products before the full set.
A wrong column on three rows is easy to fix. The same mistake across the full file is not. Ask the host to raise the limit only after a small file succeeds. Email the maximum size shown on the upload screen and the size of the CSV.
What the plan can hold is listed with the WooCommerce hosting requirements. Stop if a run dies halfway. A partial import can leave products with no images.
A separate importer is optional when a supplier file uses headers this mapper will not accept. Clean that file and test a small batch before you trust it. You still do not need a free plugin download for a standard WooCommerce CSV.
How do you export a copy first?
Export is a copy of product fields, not a full site backup. Open Products, then All Products, then Export, and keep that CSV before you import an update. If an update is wrong, you still have the names, prices, and SKUs from before the change.
Moving the whole shop to another server is not this CSV. Images in the Media Library and past orders do not ride along in a product export. A host move is a site migration, and a free migration is subject to terms and approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I import products into WooCommerce from a CSV?
Open Products, then All Products, then Import. Choose the UTF-8 CSV, map the columns, and select Run the importer. Stay on the screen. It worked when the new products show under All Products with the right price and image.
What file settings does the WooCommerce product CSV need?
Save as CSV in UTF-8. Use 1 and 0 for yes and no. Write prices as numbers with no currency sign. Put dates in the store timezone. Quote a value that contains a comma, and use a greater-than sign between a parent category and a child.
How do product images get in from the CSV?
Put a direct https address in the Images column, or the filename if that picture is already in the Media Library. The first address is the featured image. Extra addresses, separated by commas, are the gallery. The core importer does not set alt text. If a picture is missing, the host may have blocked the download. Upload that file to the Media Library and use its filename.
Can a CSV add variations to a variable product?
Yes. The parent row uses Type variable and lists every option. Each variation is its own row with Type variation, a unique SKU, an empty ID, and Parent set to the parent SKU. On a current WooCommerce, tick Update existing products and keep the parent row above the variations. Then open the Variations tab and confirm the price and stock.
Why does a WooCommerce CSV import skip rows?
A row is skipped when its SKU or ID already exists and Update existing products was not ticked, or when a value does not match the expected column. An unmatched ID is skipped. Read the import report for that row, fix the CSV, and run it again. Do not upload the same broken file a second time.
What limits how many products one import can take?
The upload screen shows a maximum size set by the server. Memory and how long one request may run also cap a large file. Split the catalog into smaller CSVs and import them in order. Test three rows first. To raise the limit, email support@webji.services the size shown on that screen and the size of your file. Do not call the office number for this.