Exporting Digital Products: A Quick Guide for WooCommerce Sellers

Digital products like e-books, online courses, software, and music are booming in the eCommerce world, and WooCommerce makes it easy to sell and manage them. Unlike physical goods, digital products don’t require shipping, making them a low-maintenance and high-profit option for many online sellers.

However, as your store grows, keeping your digital product data organized becomes crucial. Whether you need to back up your product listings, migrate to a new platform, or sell on multiple marketplaces, exporting your digital products helps ensure everything stays intact and up to date. A well-structured export file can save you hours of manual work, prevent data loss, and make it easier to manage products across different platforms.

Thankfully, WooCommerce provides built-in export tools to help you download product data quickly. And if you need more advanced features like customized exports, scheduled backups, or multi-platform integration, there are third-party plugins that can make the process even smoother.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the easiest ways to export digital products from WooCommerce so you can manage your store efficiently and keep your data safe.

Let’s dive in!

Exporting your digital products isn’t just about convenience – it’s a must-have practice to keep your store running smoothly. Whether you’re protecting your data, expanding to new platforms, or making bulk changes, having a well-structured export file can save you time and prevent headaches.

Here’s why it matters:

Data Backup & Security – Protect Your Product Listings

Imagine spending hours creating and fine-tuning your digital products only to lose them due to a technical issue or accidental deletion. Without a backup, you’d have to rebuild everything from scratch, costing you time and potential sales.

Example: Let’s say you sell stock photos and design templates. If your WooCommerce site crashes or a plugin update causes a data loss, having an exported CSV file of your product listings means you can quickly restore them instead of starting over.

Platform Migration – Move Your Digital Products Easily

Switching from one WooCommerce store to another? Upgrading to a different eCommerce platform? Exporting your digital products ensures you don’t lose valuable product details during migration.

Example: Suppose you started selling online courses on WooCommerce but now want to expand to a Learning Management System (LMS) like Teachable or Thinkific. Exporting your course descriptions, pricing, and file download links allows you to easily import them into your new platform instead of manually copying and pasting.

Selling on Multiple Marketplaces – Expand Your Reach

If you’re only selling on WooCommerce, you might miss out on more customers. Many sellers export their product data to sell on multiple platforms like Amazon, Etsy, and Shopify, increasing their visibility and sales potential.

Example: If you sell digital planners, you can export your WooCommerce product listings and upload them to Etsy, a popular marketplace for digital downloads. Instead of manually entering product details, you can upload your CSV file and get your listings live quickly.

Bulk Editing & Updates – Save Time on Product Changes

Manually updating multiple products in WooCommerce can be time-consuming, especially if you need to change pricing, descriptions, or file download links. Exporting your digital products into a spreadsheet (CSV format) allows you to edit them in bulk and re-import them with just a few clicks.

Example: You sell audio loops and music tracks and want to update pricing for all products due to a new pricing strategy. Instead of opening each product page manually, you can:

1. Export all digital products to a CSV file.
2. Open the file in Excel or Google Sheets and adjust the prices.
3. Import the updated CSV file back into WooCommerce—updating all products instantly.

When exporting data, you want to make sure you’re keeping all the important details while making it easy to use later. Here’s what you can export and why it matters:

1. Product Name & Description

Think of this as the heart of your product listings. You’ll want to keep product names and descriptions intact so customers can easily recognize what they’re buying. No one wants to rewrite everything from scratch when moving to a new system.

2. Pricing & Download Links

If you’re selling digital products, pricing and download links are crucial. You want to maintain your pricing structure so customers see the same cost, and keeping your digital file URLs secure ensures buyers can access their purchases without any hiccups.

3. Product Categories & Tags

Organizing your products properly makes searching and importing easier. Categories and tags help keep everything neat and structured, whether you’re switching platforms or just backing up your data.

4. Customer Purchase Data (Optional)

Want to track past sales? Exporting order history lets you see who bought what, when, and for how much. This is super helpful for customer service, marketing, and reporting purposes. If you don’t need this info, skip it to keep things simple.

Exporting your digital products from WooCommerce is easy! Just follow these simple steps to get your data in a downloadable format.

Step1: Navigate to the Export Option

First, log in to your WordPress dashboard, and then

• Go to WooCommerce > Products and click on the Export button. 

This is where you’ll find the built-in export tool that helps you download your product data.

Step 2: Choose What to Export

You have full control over what data gets exported. You can select specific columns, product types, and categories to include in the export. Additionally, you can include custom metadata for each product, ensuring you capture all the essential details.

4. Download & Review the File

Click the Generate CSV button to download the file to your computer.

WooCommerce exports data in CSV format, a common file type that works with spreadsheets and other platforms. Once saved, open it in a spreadsheet program (like Excel or Google Sheets) to review your exported data and ensure everything looks right.

And that’s it! Your digital products are now safely exported and ready for backups, migrations, or further edits.

If you need more control over your product exports, using a plugin is the way to go! While WooCommerce’s built-in export tool works well for basic exports, plugins offer extra features like automation, advanced filtering, and additional file formats.

Why Use Plugins?

WooCommerce’s default export tool has limitations. It provides only basic options and little flexibility. Plugins, on the other hand, let you:

• Filter products more precisely (e.g., export only digital products)
• Schedule automatic exports so you don’t have to do it manually
• Choose different file formats like CSV, XML, or JSON
• Include custom fields and metadata for more detailed reports

To export digital products, we’ll be using the free version of the WebToffee WooCommerce Product Import plugin. Here’s how you can do it:

Step 1: Install and Activate WooCommerce Product Import Export Plugin

From your WordPress Dashboard:

• Go to Plugins > Add New Plugin
• Search for the “WebToffee Product Import Export” plugin in the search box. 
• Click Install, then Activate the plugin. 

Step 2: Select Product as Post Type to Export

Once the plugin is installed and activated,

• Go to WebToffee Import Export (Basic) > Export.
• Select Product as the post type.

Proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Select Advanced Export Method

You can select the Advanced Export option to take full advantage of the plugin, allowing for detailed filtering and customized column selection.

Step 4: Filter Digital Products for Export

This step allows you to export only digital products by applying filters.

• Enter the product name in the Products field. This should be the digital product you want to export.
• Select the appropriate category that your chosen digital product belongs to.
• Exclude all other products by setting specific criteria in the filter options to refine the export.

Step 5: Map and Reorder Product Export Columns

Here, you can customize which product data is included in the export, rename CSV headers, and easily arrange product columns in the output file using a simple drag-and-drop feature.

Step 6: Configure Advanced Export/Batch Export

In this final step, you can set the batch export count, which determines how many products the server processes per cycle within the timeout interval.

• If you know your server’s capacity, adjust this number accordingly.
• If unsure, stick with the default value.

Next, choose a delimiter for separating columns in the CSV file (e.g., commas, semicolons, or tabs).

Finally, click the Export button to generate and download the file containing your exported digital products.

The digital products that you have selected will then be exported into a CSV file as shown below:

The free version of the plugin is ideal for handling basic digital product exports, allowing you to quickly transfer essential product data with ease.

However, if you need more advanced export capabilities, the premium version of this WooCommerce Product Import Export plugin offers powerful features tailored for complex digital product management. It supports variable, subscription, and custom product types, making it perfect for exporting digital bundles, memberships, and other specialized offerings.

Exporting digital product data isn’t just about moving files. It’s about keeping everything secure, organized, and easily accessible. Here are some best practices to follow:

1. Ensure Secure Download Links 

If your export includes download URLs for digital products, make sure they remain protected. Use expiring links or password-protected downloads to prevent unauthorized access to your files.

2. Use Proper File Naming Conventions 

Naming your export files correctly helps keep things organized and easy to find.

For example, instead of “export.csv,” use something clear like – “Digital_Products_March2025.csv” to avoid confusion.

3. Automate Exports

Manually exporting data can be time-consuming. If you update your digital products frequently, schedule exports to run daily, weekly, or monthly. This helps you keep track of changes without extra effort.

Following these simple steps, you can export and manage your digital product data efficiently, ensuring security, accuracy, and convenience.

Exporting your digital products doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you’re using WooCommerce’s built-in tools or a feature-rich plugin, having a well-organized export system can save you time, reduce errors, and keep your store running smoothly.

By following best practices like keeping backups, securing download links, and automating exports, you can ensure your product data is always up to date and easily accessible.

So, take control of your digital products today and make managing your WooCommerce store easier than ever!