How to Create a WooCommerce Product Import CSV

3 min read by Mohammad Shoeb

How to Create a WooCommerce Product Import CSV

To bulk-add your real catalog, you need a WooCommerce product CSV: a spreadsheet where each row is a product and each column maps to a WooCommerce field. Get the columns and formatting right and the built-in importer loads everything in one pass. Here is how to build that file with your own products and import it correctly.

The columns the WooCommerce importer reads

The importer matches your header row to product fields. The ones that matter most:

  • Type: simple, variable, or variation. Most products are simple.
  • SKU: your unique stock code. Keep it unique across the catalog.
  • Name: the product title.
  • Published: 1 for live, 0 for draft, -1 for pending.
  • Is featured?: 1 or 0.
  • Visibility in catalog: visible, catalog, search, or hidden.
  • Short description and Description: the summary and the full body. HTML is allowed.
  • Regular price and Sale price: the list price and any discounted price.
  • Categories and Tags: how the product is grouped and filtered.
  • Images: full image URLs.
  • Stock and In stock?: quantity and a 1/0 flag.
  • Weight (kg), Length (cm), Width (cm), Height (cm): for shipping.

You do not need every column. Include only the fields you use, and the importer ignores the rest.

Formatting rules that trip people up

A few rules cause most failed imports:

  • Prices are plain decimals. Write 19.99, not $19.99 or 19,99. No currency symbol, no thousands separator.
  • Categories use > for hierarchy. Clothing > Shirts creates the child under the parent. Separate multiple categories with commas: Clothing > Shirts, Sale.
  • Tags are comma-separated: summer, cotton.
  • Images are public URLs. The importer sideloads each image from its URL, so the address must be reachable. Separate multiple images with commas; the first becomes the featured image.
  • Variations reference their parent by SKU and carry their own attribute values, with Type set to variation.

If a value contains a comma (like a description), wrap the whole cell in double quotes. To include a literal double quote inside a quoted cell, double it: "". Any spreadsheet handles this automatically when you save as CSV, which is why exporting from a real spreadsheet beats hand-typing commas.

Build the file in a few steps

The fastest way to get a valid, correctly quoted file is the WooCommerce Product CSV Generator. It runs entirely in your browser, so your catalog never leaves your device.

  1. Open the WooCommerce Product CSV Generator.
  2. Add a row per product and fill in Name, SKU, Type, and Regular price.
  3. Set categories using Parent > Child syntax and add tags and image URLs.
  4. Fill stock, weight, and dimensions for anything you ship.
  5. Download the CSV. Quoting and escaping are handled for you.

Import into WooCommerce

In wp-admin, go to WooCommerce > Products > Import and upload your file. On the column-mapping screen, confirm each header lines up with the right WooCommerce field, then run the importer. Tick “Update existing products” only if you are re-importing to change rows that already exist, matched by SKU or ID. When it finishes, spot-check a product to confirm prices, categories, and images came through.

Map your columns once, format prices and categories correctly, and your whole catalog lands in a single upload.

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