How to Bulk Edit Products in Shopify

TL;DR

Shopify offers a built-in bulk editor for quick changes, and CSV export/re-import for larger updates. If you need to add entirely new products from supplier invoices, Ohavah generates the CSV for you - so you can skip hours of manual product entry.

Editing products one at a time works fine when you have a dozen listings. But when you need to update prices across 200 products, change a vendor name, or adjust inventory for the new season, you need bulk editing. Shopify gives you a few ways to do this.

Method 1: Shopify's Built-In Bulk Editor

This is the fastest option for small-to-medium edits directly in your browser.

How to access it

1. Go to Products in your Shopify admin
2. Select the products you want to edit using the checkboxes
3. Click "Edit products" in the bar that appears at the top

This opens a spreadsheet-like interface where you can edit fields inline across all selected products.

What you can edit

The bulk editor lets you modify:

• Prices (price and compare-at price)
• Inventory quantities (per location)
• SKUs and barcodes
• Weight and shipping details
• Tags
• Product status (active, draft, archived)
• Vendor and product type

You can add or remove columns using the "Columns" button to customize which fields are visible.

Limitations

• You can only select products on the current page (up to 50 at a time by default)
• Complex changes like restructuring variants or adding new options aren't supported
• It can be slow with very large selections

Method 2: CSV Export and Re-Import

For larger-scale changes, export your products as a CSV, edit in a spreadsheet, and re-import.

Step by step

1. Go to Products > Export
2. Choose what to export: all products, selected products, or products matching a filter
3. Select "CSV for Excel, Numbers, or other spreadsheet programs" (or the plain CSV option)
4. Shopify emails you a download link

Now open the CSV in your spreadsheet app, make your changes, and re-import:

1. Go to Products > Import
2. Upload the modified CSV
3. Check "Overwrite existing products that have the same handle"
4. Review and confirm

When to use this method

• Updating prices across hundreds of products
• Changing vendor names after a rebrand
• Adding tags in bulk for a new collection
• Adjusting compare-at prices for a store-wide sale

Watch out for

• Don't change handles unless you want to create new products (changing a handle breaks the link to the existing product)
• Save as UTF-8 CSV - Excel's default CSV encoding can corrupt special characters
• Don't delete columns - Shopify expects all columns to be present in the reimport, even if they're empty

Method 3: Shopify Flow and Bulk Actions

If you're on Shopify Plus or have access to Shopify Flow, you can automate repetitive bulk edits:

• Automatically tag products when they're created by a certain vendor
• Change product status based on inventory levels
• Apply price adjustments on a schedule

For stores on standard plans, you can use the built-in bulk actions from the product list:

1. Select products with checkboxes
2. Use "More actions" to:
   • Add or remove tags
   • Add to or remove from sales channels
   • Add to or remove from collections
   • Archive or delete products

Tips for Efficient Bulk Editing

Use filters first. Before selecting products, filter by vendor, product type, tag, or status. This narrows down your list so you're only editing what you need.

Work in batches. If you're updating 500 products via CSV, consider splitting into smaller files (100-200 products each). It's easier to catch errors and Shopify processes smaller files faster.

Keep a backup. Always export your current products before making bulk changes. If something goes wrong, you can re-import the original file to roll back.

Test with a small batch. Before applying changes to your entire catalog, test with 5-10 products first to make sure the format is correct.