How to Import WooCommerce Products Using Import Export Suite

Last updated on July 13, 2026

Migrating or bulk updating products in WooCommerce requires a structured import process. The Import Export Suite for WooCommerce plugin allows products to be imported by selecting Product as the post type, choosing an import method, mapping the required fields, and configuring advanced options such as batch processing or scheduling. Product data can be imported using a CSV or XML file, including taxonomies, attributes, meta fields, and SEO data.

This guide explains how to import WooCommerce products step by step.

Download Sample Product CSV.

WooCommerce Mapping Fields

Before running a product import or export, it helps to know how field mapping works.

Every column in your file feeds a specific WooCommerce field — post_title carries the product’s name, while regular_price carries its standard price. The plugin can only process your data correctly when each field is mapped in the right format; a mistake in the input file can cause the import to behave unexpectedly.

The details of WooCommerce mapping fields are given below:

Column/Tag Header	Explanation	Accepted value or format
post_title	Indicates the name of the product.	Text (ex. High Heel Shoe)
post_name	Indicates slug name of the product.	Text (ex. high-heel-shoe)
post_status	Indicates whether the product is in a draft or published mode.	draft/publish
post_excerpt	Indicates a short description of the product.	Text/HTML
post_content	Indicates description of the product.	Text/HTML
post_parent	Indicates parent of grouped and variable products.	Parent ID
post_password	For including a password for a private post.	Text
sku	SKU(stock keeping unit) is an identification, usually alphanumeric, of a particular product that allows it to be tracked for inventory purposes.	Alpha-numeric characters
menu_order	It decides the order of displaying the products in the shop. Items with menu order = 0 are displayed 1, 2, 3, etc. Products with the same menu order number are then listed alphabetically. When you create a new product it defaults to menu_order = 0.	Numeric characters
downloadable	After purchasing the product, whether the product can be downloaded or not.	yes/no
virtual	It is not physically existing as such but made by software to appear to do so.	yes/no
visibility	Indicates whether a product is available for purchase or not.	visible/hidden
stock	Total number of products available in stock. You can use (+) or (-) signs with parenthesis to add or subtract the number of products to the stock.	Numeric characters
stock_status	It indicates whether the product is in stock or not.	instock/outofstock/onbackorder
backorders	Indicate orders for out-of-stock products that cannot be currently fulfilled or shipped, but is requested nonetheless for when the product becomes available again.	yes/no
manage_stock	It indicates whether the stock is managed by a store or not.	yes/no
regular_price	Indicates the original price of the product.	Numeric characters
sale_price	It is the price of the product that is being offered at a discounted rate.	Numeric characters
weight	Indicates the weight of the product.	Numeric characters
length	Indicates the length of the product.	Numeric characters
width	Indicates the width of the product.	Numeric characters
height	Indicates the height of the product.	Numeric characters
images	Indicate image URL or image name. Supports multiple image URLs separated by ‘\|’.	URL Eg: http://url/filename1.png
tax_status	It indicates whether the product is taxable or not.	taxable/none
tax_class	It indicates the tax option for the product.	Standard rate/Reduced rate/Zero rate
tax:product_type	Indicates the type of product, such as simple, variable etc.	Simple, Variable
tax:product_cat	It is used during importing the product which indicates the category of product. Use the pipe symbol to import multiple categories and the greater than symbol (>) to import category hierarchy.	Text
tax:product_tag	It is used during importing the product which indicates tag(s) used for the product. Use the pipe symbol to add multiple tags	Text
tax:product_brand	It indicates the brand of the product.	Text
attribute:Color	It indicates the available color of the product. Ex: red\|blue\|orange etc	Text
meta:attribute_color	Ex: red or blue or orange	Text
attribute_data:Color	It indicates the metadata about the attribute color of the product.	position\|visible\|variation (ex. 0\|1\|1)
attribute:Size	It indicates the available size of the product.	Ex. US7\|US8\|US9
meta:attribute_size	It specifies the attribute value of each variation.	Ex. US7 or US8 or US9
attribute_data:Size	It indicates the metadata about the attribute size of the product.	position\|visible\|variation (ex. 1\|1\|1)
attribute:pa_unit	This lists out the unit options.	Ex. 10 kg \| 20 kg \| 30 kg
meta:attribute_pa_unit	It indicates the metadata about the product unit.	Ex. 10 kg
attribute_data:pa_unit	It defines the position, visibility and whether used for variation or not.	position\|visible\|variation (ex. 4\|1\|1)
attribute_default:pa_unit	This is the default value of a unit attribute.	Ex. 10 kg

Note: Attribute names with pa are global attributes and those without pa are treated as local attributes.

Mapping fields supported by Yoast SEO:

meta:_yoast_wpseo_focuskw
meta:_yoast_wpseo_title
meta:_yoast_wpseo_metadesc
meta:_yoast_wpseo_metakeywords

Import Products

To import WooCommerce products:

Click on WebToffee Import/Export(Pro) > Import.

Step 1: Select post type

As a first step, you need to choose the post type as Product.

Step 2: Select import method

Pick one of the following methods to proceed with the import:

Quick import
Based on a pre-saved template
Advanced import

Here is what each method does:

Quick Import

Brings in the standard fields of the selected post type.
Best suited when the input file was generated by this same plugin.
Files can be sourced from: Local, URL, Existing files, FTP
Select Import to run it right away, or continue to Step 3 for advanced options.
See Step 4 for details on advanced options, batch imports, and scheduling.

Pre-saved template

Applies the filter criteria and column settings saved during an earlier run to the chosen file.
Choosing this option lets you pick an existing template from the Import template drop-down.

Note: Templates appear in this drop-down only after you have saved one. The save option becomes available at Step 4 of an Advanced import — any template saved there is selectable here on your next run.

Select Import to finish, or continue to Step 3 to adjust and reorder columns.
See Step 3 for details on mapping and reordering import columns.

Advanced Import

This option walks you through the complete set of filtering, column-selection, and advanced settings your import may call for.

Note: The configuration can also be saved as a template for reuse.

Step 3: Map import columns

The import columns can be mapped under five groups:

Default fields
Taxonomies
Meta(Custom fields)
Attributes
Hidden meta

Note: Automatic mapping happens only where a header in the input file matches a known field name; unmatched columns stay blank. If your file’s headers differ, or an existing mapping needs correcting, click the value field on the relevant row to edit it. Expressions can also be built from the file’s existing columns.

Evaluate field

Use this to compute or append a value while the import runs. It takes a column from the input file, applies an expression to it, and writes the calculated result.

Expression: combine the operators +*/-()&@ or string constants with attributes to shape the resulting value.
Input: the drop-down column the expression should act on.
Output: a preview generated from the first record of the input file.

Note: Referencing a column that has no values in the file can trigger syntax errors in an expression.

Click on Step 4 to proceed.

Step 4: Advanced Options/Batch Export/Scheduling

The final step presents the following controls:

If product exists in the store: choose to skip the entry or update it.
Match products by their: ID, SKU
Skip import of new products: Yes limits the run to updating existing products only; No brings new products in from the input file as well.
If conflict with an existing Post ID: One can either Skip item or Import as new item.
Link up-sells, cross-sells and grouped products via SKU.
Delete non-matching products from the store.

Note: Expanding Advanced options lets you set how many records the server handles per cycle within the configured timeout. If a timeout causes the import to fail, reduce this count and retry. The Block third party plugin hooks option is also available here.

Save the template file for future export (if needed).

advanced options during import of products

Select Import/Schedule to complete the process.

Products can be brought into the store immediately, or the import can be scheduled through FTP.

To schedule the import:

Choose the Schedule option; the cron configuration window shown below opens.

Two schedule types are available:

WordPress Cron: runs pending jobs whenever the site receives a visit — any event whose scheduled time has already passed is fired on that visit. It triggers jobs at the set time but relies on visitor traffic to do so.
Server Cron: generates a unique URL that can be registered with your own system to trigger the scheduled events — the right choice when a separate scheduler is in place. Large data volumes may require the URL to be triggered as often as every minute.

Schedules can run on a daily, weekly, monthly, or custom basis, with a configurable start time for the import.

To directly import:

Hit on the Import option

When the run finishes, a status pop-up summarises the outcome, listing how many records were imported successfully and how many failed (if any).

Article by Vineetha

Vineetha is a technical content writer with a knack of simplifying complex information into readable content. She focuses on writing content in a conveyable and clear format.

Julien

November 24, 2024

Hello there,
I’m a new user of the pro version. Imports and exports work great except when I try to update my product data with the GTIN. I filled up the datafield meta:_wpm_gtin_code but the values are not imported for all SKUs.

Do you have any idea why?

Thanks for your help

Reply
- Hema
  
  November 25, 2024
  
  Hello Julien,
  
  Thanks for reaching out. It seems that the technical needs to look into your CSV file to help further. Can you kindly contact customer care for more help.
  
  Reply
FREDERIC ASSEMAT

November 23, 2023

Hi, I have a product import with images. What is the behavior of the plugin when the name of the images of a product is the same but the image is different in content?

Reply
Matt

November 5, 2023

hi,

When I run this importer to add new products, it is creating new categories instead of placing the products in the existing category. Are you able to tell me what I’m doing wrong please?

thanks.

Reply
- Vineetha
  
  November 7, 2023
  
  Hi Matt,
  Thank you for reaching out to us. Suppose you haven’t used the correct category slug in the CSV, then, the categories will be duplicated. This issue can also occur if you have given a custom slug.
  
  Reply

How to Import WooCommerce Products Using Import Export Suite

WooCommerce Mapping Fields

Import Products

Step 1: Select post type