What file format does Shopify use for imports?

CSV for products and customers, with downloadable templates; larger or recurring imports use the Admin API.

Can I import orders from another platform?

Orders are usually migrated with a migration app or custom script rather than a plain CSV import.

How do I import products from Magento or WooCommerce?

Use a migration app or a custom script that maps your old platform's data to Shopify's CSV format.

Why did my product import create broken variants?

Usually a CSV formatting issue — check the variant columns, headers, and option names against Shopify's template.

Can I schedule recurring imports?

Not natively — use the Admin API or an integration app for scheduled syncs from an ERP or POS.

Glossary Term

D

Data Import

Bringing products, customers, and orders into Shopify from a spreadsheet, another platform, or a migration.

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Key Takeaways
Data Import brings products, customers, inventory, or orders into Shopify from CSV, another platform, or an API.
Shopify supports native CSV imports for products and customers with downloadable templates.
Platform migrations (Magento, WooCommerce, Wix) use migration apps or custom scripts.
Recurring or large imports are more reliable through the Admin API.
Most import failures come from messy data, not Shopify — clean your CSV first.

Overview

Data Import is the process of bringing external data into Shopify — products, customers, inventory, or orders — typically from a CSV file, another platform during a migration, or an ERP/POS system via the Shopify API.

Shopify supports CSV imports for products and customers natively (with downloadable templates), and migrations from platforms like Magento, WooCommerce, Wix, and BigCommerce are handled with migration apps or custom scripts. Larger or recurring imports usually go through the Admin API for reliability.

Clean data is the whole game. The most common import problems — broken variants, missing images, wrong pricing, duplicate customers — come from a messy CSV, not from Shopify. A disciplined import (clean columns, correct headers, a test batch) is why professional migrations and store setup beat a rushed manual upload every time.

1

Why Data Import Matters for Shopify Merchants

1
Platform Migration
Move catalogs, customers, and orders from another platform into Shopify.
2
Bulk Catalog Updates
Update pricing, inventory, and details across many products at once.
3
ERP and POS Sync
Push product and inventory data from backend systems into Shopify.
4
Customer List Onboarding
Import existing customers when migrating or consolidating stores.
5
Seasonal Reloads
Refresh seasonal catalogs and pricing in bulk instead of one by one.

2

Importing Without Breaking Your Store

1
Start with the template
Download Shopify's CSV template and match your columns exactly before importing.
2
Clean the data first
Fix duplicates, missing fields, and broken variants in the source file — not after import.
3
Run a test batch
Import 10–20 rows first, verify variants and images, then import the rest.
4
Handle images separately
Image URLs must be publicly accessible; migrate images to Shopify's CDN for reliability.
5
Use the API for scale
For recurring or large imports, the Admin API is more reliable than a manual CSV upload.