Shopify Product CSV Template (2026): Free Download

Shopify's CSV import is powerful, but the format is particular. One wrong column name or a misplaced value and your import fails, often with unhelpful error messages. This guide breaks down every column so you know exactly what goes where, and gives you a working template to start from. If a CSV isn't the right fit for you, see the three ways to add products to Shopify.

Download a Shopify Product CSV Template

This is Shopify's official product template, the same file you get from the Download sample CSV link in the import window. It has the exact column headers Shopify expects, plus a couple of complete example products so you can see how a finished row looks before you edit it.

If your products come from supplier invoices, you don't have to fill any of this in by hand. Ohavah turns a supplier invoice into a ready-to-import CSV with the columns below already populated.

Required vs. Optional Columns

Shopify only strictly requires a few columns to create a product:

• Title - the product name, required on the first row for each product
• URL handle - the URL slug that groups all rows for one product; leave it blank and Shopify generates it from the title

Everything else is technically optional, but in practice you'll want to fill in most columns to create useful product listings.

Column-by-Column Reference

Shopify recently renamed several CSV columns. Handle is now URL handle, Body (HTML) is now Description, the variant columns dropped the "Variant" prefix (Variant Price is just Price), and Image Src is now Product image URL. The names below match the current template, so if an older guide shows different headers, that's why.

Product-Level Columns

These only need values on the first row for each product. Later variant rows leave them blank.

Column	Description
Title	Product display name shown to customers.
URL handle	URL-friendly identifier (e.g., classic-tee) that groups every row belonging to one product. Lowercase, hyphens instead of spaces, unique per product.
Description	Product description. Supports HTML tags for formatting.
Vendor	Brand or supplier name. Shows up in Shopify filters.
Product category	Shopify's standardized product taxonomy (e.g., "Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Shirts"). Used for tax and reporting.
Type	Your custom product type (e.g., "T-Shirts"). Used for filtering in admin and collections.
Tags	Comma-separated tags (e.g., summer, cotton, new-arrival). Used for automated collections and search.
Published on online store	TRUE or FALSE. Whether the product shows on your storefront.
Status	active, draft, or archived. Controls product state.

Variant-Level Columns

These appear on every row, including the first row and each additional variant row. If you sell in multiple sizes and colors, this is where most of your rows come from. For a deeper walkthrough, see how to create product variants in Shopify.

Column	Description
Option1 name	Name of the first option (e.g., "Size").
Option1 value	Value for this variant (e.g., "Medium").
Option2 name / Option2 value	Second option, such as "Color" / "Blue". Leave blank if unused.
Option3 name / Option3 value	Third option. Leave blank if unused.
SKU	Stock keeping unit, your internal identifier.
Barcode	UPC, ISBN, or other barcode.
Price	Selling price (e.g., 29.99). No currency symbol.
Compare-at price	Original/strikethrough price for sale items. Leave blank if not on sale.
Cost per item	What the item costs you. Optional, used for profit reporting.
Charge tax	TRUE or FALSE.
Inventory tracker	Usually shopify. Leave blank if you don't track inventory.
Inventory quantity	Starting stock quantity. Only used on the initial import.
Continue selling when out of stock	deny (stop selling at 0) or continue (allow overselling).
Weight value (grams)	Weight used for shipping calculations, paired with Weight unit for display.
Requires shipping	TRUE or FALSE.
Fulfillment service	Usually manual.

Image Columns

Column	Description
Product image URL	Full URL to the product image (must be publicly accessible).
Image position	Order of the image (1, 2, 3...).
Image alt text	Alt text for SEO and accessibility.
Variant image URL	Image tied to one variant, such as a color. Leave blank to use the main product images.

SEO Columns

Column	Description
SEO title	Custom title tag for the product page (max ~70 characters).
SEO description	Custom meta description (max ~320 characters).

The template also carries optional columns most boutiques can leave blank: Gift card, the unit-price measure fields, a Color metafield, and a block of Google Shopping columns for Google's shopping feed. Fill those in only if you specifically need them.

Row Structure Rules

This is where most mistakes happen:

1. First row for a product: fill in all product-level columns plus the first variant's details
2. Additional variant rows: same URL handle, leave product-level columns blank, fill in variant columns only
3. Image-only rows: same URL handle, only fill in Product image URL / Image position / Image alt text - used to add extra images without creating variants

Example with two sizes and two images:

Title,URL handle,Option1 name,Option1 value,Price,Product image URL
Classic Tee,classic-tee,Size,Small,29.99,https://example.com/tee-front.jpg
,classic-tee,Size,Medium,29.99,
,classic-tee,,,,https://example.com/tee-back.jpg

How to Import Your CSV Into Shopify (Step by Step)

Once your file matches the format above, the import itself takes a minute or two.

1. Open the import screen. From your Shopify admin, go to Products in the left menu, then click Import in the top right.

2. Choose your file. In the Import products window, drag your CSV into the upload box or click Upload file to pick it from your computer. The Download sample CSV link in this window gives you the official template from above.

3. Set the options and upload. Once the file is attached, leave Overwrite products with matching handles unchecked when you're adding brand-new products, so nothing you already have gets replaced by accident; check it only when you mean to update existing products. Then click Upload file.

4. Review the preview. Shopify reads the file and shows a preview before anything is saved, including how many products, SKUs, and images it found. If it says 0 images when your products should have photos, the Product image URL values aren't being read, so fix that now rather than after the import. Check the first product too, confirming the title, price, and variants landed where you expect, then click Import products.

5. Let it finish. Shopify imports in the background and tells you when it's done. You can close the dialog and keep working; larger catalogs take a few minutes.

Common import mistakes

A file that passes Shopify's format check can still import in ways you didn't expect. Two catch people out most often:

• Images don't load. The Product image URL column has to be a full, publicly reachable URL. If the image sits behind a login, on your desktop, or on a site that blocks hotlinking, Shopify can't fetch it and the product imports without a photo.
• Variants don't group. When sizes or colors of the same product show up as separate products instead of one product with options, the URL handle values don't match. Every variant row for a product needs the exact same URL handle, down to the spelling and hyphens.

Before a big import, it's worth copying your file down to just two or three products and importing that first. If those come through clean, the full file almost always will, and you've only risked a handful of rows instead of your whole catalog.

If you'd rather skip the formatting altogether, Ohavah builds the CSV from your supplier invoice with handles, variants, and image links already set up the way Shopify expects, so there's nothing to fix before you import.

Common Errors and Fixes

"Invalid CSV file" on upload - Your file might not be UTF-8 encoded. In Excel, use "Save As > CSV UTF-8". In Google Sheets, download as CSV (it's UTF-8 by default).

Products importing without variants - Check that your Option1 name and Option1 value columns are filled in. If they're blank, Shopify creates a "Default Title" variant.

Duplicate products instead of updates - When reimporting, check "Overwrite products with matching handles". If unchecked, Shopify creates new products even when the URL handle already exists.

Prices showing wrong - Don't include currency symbols or thousand separators. Use 29.99, not $29.99 or 1,299.99.