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How to import and export WooCommerce Products

Last updated on March 23, 2022

Exporting and importing all your WooCommerce products individually can be dawdling. With the free version of WooCommerce Product Import Export plugin, you can export and import all your products from one store to another in an efficient and quick manner.

WooCommerce Mapping

Before proceeding with the import and export of products, you need to know how WooCommerce mapping works. 

For example, the post_title field gets mapped to the product name, and the regular_price field gets mapped to the regular price of your product. You have to map all the fields in the correct format if you want the plugin to work correctly. If there is any mistake in your import file, your product import may not work as expected.

The following table gives information on each column/tag header in WoCommerce, its explanation, and its accepted value or format.

Column/Tag HeaderExplanationAccepted value or format
post_titleIndicates the name of the product.Text (ex. High Heel Shoe)
post_nameIndicates slug name of the product.Text (ex. high-heel-shoe)
post_statusIndicates whether the product is in a draft or published mode.draft/publish
post_excerptIndicates a short description of the product.Text/HTML
post_contentIndicates description of the product.Text/HTML
post_parentIndicates parent of grouped and variable products.Parent ID
post_passwordFor including a password for a private post.Text
skuSKU(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_orderIt 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
downloadableAfter purchasing the product, whether the product can be downloaded or not.yes/no
virtualIt is not physically existing as such but made by software to appear to do so.yes/no
visibilityIndicates whether a product is available for purchase or not.visible/hidden
stockTotal 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_statusIt indicates whether the product is in stock or not.instock/outofstock/onbackorder
backordersIndicate 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_stockIt indicates whether the stock is managed by a store or not.yes/no
regular_priceIndicates the original price of the product.Numeric characters
sale_priceIt is the price of the product that is being offered at a discounted rate.Numeric characters
weightIndicates the weight of the product.Numeric characters
lengthIndicates the length of the product.Numeric characters
widthIndicates the width of the product.Numeric characters
heightIndicates the height of the product.Numeric characters
imagesIndicate image URL or image name. Supports multiple image URLs separated by ‘|’.URL   Eg: http://url/filename1.png
tax_statusIt indicates whether the product is taxable or not.taxable/none
tax_classIt indicates the tax option for the product.Standard rate/Reduced rate/Zero rate
tax:product_typeIndicates the type of product, such as simple, variable etc.Simple, Variable
tax:product_catIt 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_tagIt 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_brandIt indicates the brand of the product.Text
attribute:ColorIt indicates the available color of the product.
Ex: red|blue|orange etc 
Text
meta:attribute_colorEx: red or blue or orangeText
attribute_data:ColorIt indicates the metadata about the attribute color of the product.position|visible|variation (ex. 0|1|1)
attribute:SizeIt indicates the available size of the product.Ex. US7|US8|US9
meta:attribute_sizeIt specifies the attribute value of each variation.Ex. US7 or US8 or US9
attribute_data:SizeIt indicates the metadata about the attribute size of the product.position|visible|variation (ex. 1|1|1)
attribute:pa_unitThis lists out the unit options.Ex. 10 kg | 20 kg | 30 kg
meta:attribute_pa_unitIt indicates the metadata about the product unit.Ex. 10 kg
attribute_data:pa_unitIt defines the position, visibility and whether used for variation or not.position|visible|variation (ex. 4|1|1)
attribute_default:pa_unitThis is the default value of a unit attribute.Ex. 10 kg
Note: Attribute names with pa are global attributes and the ones without pa are called local attributes.

Exporting Products

To export WooCommerce products:

  • Click on WebToffee Import/Export(Basic) > Export.
The free plugin version supports only simple, external/affiliate and grouped products. Exporting variable products in this version will result to an empty CSV file.

Step 1: Select a post type

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

Step 2: Select an export method

Choose from the below options to continue with your export:

  • Quick export : exports the basic/standard fields.
  • Based on a pre-saved template : exports data as per the specifications(filters, selective column, mapping etc) from the previously saved file.

    Note: The template will be listed in the drop down only if you have saved it in previous exports, if you go through the Advanced export, at Step 5 you will get an option to save the template. Once you save that, next time when you want to export a pre-saved template, it will be populated within the drop down.

  •  Advanced export: Takes you through a detailed process of filtering/column selection/advanced options that may be required for your export.

    Note: You can also save this file as a template for future use.

Step 3: Filter data

Filter data that needs to be exported as per the below criteria.

  1. Total number of products to export: The actual number of products you want to export. e.g. Entering 500 with a skip count of 10 will export products from 11th to 510th position.
  2. Skip first n products: Specify the number of products to be skipped from the beginning. e.g. Enter 10 to skip the first 10 products from export.
  3. Products: Export specific products. Key in the product names to export multiple products.
  4. Exclude Products: Use this if you need to exclude a specific or multiple products from your export list.
  5. Product categories: Export products belonging to a particular or from multiple categories. Just select the respective categories.
  6. Product tags: Enter the product tags to export only the respective products that have been tagged accordingly.
  7. Product Status: Filter products by their status private/draft/pending/future.
  • Click on Step 4 to proceed further.

Step 4: Map and reorder export columns

The column names appearing in this section can be edited if required. The preferred names and choices that were last saved can be viewed on choosing a pre-saved template. One can also move the columns to reorder the arrangement. The mapping can be done under:

  1. Default fields
  2. Taxonomies(cat/tags/shipping-class)
  3. Attributes

Step 5: Advanced Options/Batch Export

On reaching Step 5, the following window will appear, from where one can export in batches.

  • Save the template file for future export as shown below(if needed).
  • Click on Export to export or schedule the export to finish.

Importing Products

Download Sample Product CSV.

To import WooCommerce products:

  • Click on WebToffee Import/Export(Basic) > Import.

Step 1: Select a post type

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

Step 2: Select import method

Choose from the below options to continue with your import:

  •  Quick import : Preferred if your input file was exported using the same plugin.
  •  Pre-saved template : Retains the previous filter parameters and other column specifications as per the chosen file and imports data accordingly.

    Note: The template will be listed in the drop down only if you have saved it in previous imports, if you go through the Advanced import, at Step 4 you will get an option to save the template. Once you save that, next time when you want to import a pre-saved template, it will be populated within the drop down.

  • Advanced import:Imports data after a detailed process of filtering/column selection/advanced options. This file can be saved for future use.
    Note: You can also save this file as a template for future use.

Step 3: Map import columns

The column names appearing in this section can be edited if required. The preferred names and choices that were last saved can be viewed on choosing a pre-saved template. The mapping can be done under:

  • Default fields
  • Taxonomies(cat/tags/shipping-class)
    To add multiple tags, use the pipe symbol ” |”. Example: attribute:pa_color could have values Black|blue|green and tax:product_cat could have values Clothes|T-Shirt.
  • Attributes

Evaluate field

Evaluate field can be used to append a value/expression to an existing item while importing. It basically selects/maps any column from the input file and computes the values with expressions and creates output.

  • Expression: Any of the operators +*/-()&@ or string constants can be used along with the attributes to manipulate the respective value. 
  • Input: Select the column from the dropdown which has to be modified.
  • Output: Sample value will be created based on the first record from the input file.

Note: Columns that have no values in the input file may cause syntax errors if used in an expression.

evaluate-field-product
  • Click on Step 4 to proceed.

Step 4: Advanced Options/Batch Import

On reaching Step 4, the following window will appear, from where one can import in batches. You can either Skip or Update the entry, If the product exists in the store. Other advanced options include, matching products by their ID or SKU. To skip the import of new products, choose “Yes” for the feature: Skip import of new products.

  • Save the template file for future imports as shown below(if needed).
  • Click on Import to finish.

For more insight, watch :

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Written 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.

Comments (10)

  1. A Abdallah

    October 20, 2022

    Hi
    I need to upload many Grouped Products into our website, can we do so with this plugin? If yes how to create the CSV file? Thanks

    Reply
    • Alan

      Alan

      November 1, 2022

      Hi,
      Yes, you can import grouped products using the plugin. Please export a sample grouped product from your site using the plugin and then you can use the exported CSV as a template to import data back.

      Reply
  2. Roman

    October 1, 2022

    I need to add external (affiliate) products. What should the import look like? What must it contain? Where should I put the link to the target website? Is this possible in the free version?
    Can you add a sample import? Thank you very much

    Reply
    • Alan

      Alan

      October 7, 2022

      Hi,
      Yes, you can import external/affiliate products using both the free and pro version plugins. Here is an article on how to import external products: https://www.webtoffee.com/how-to-import-external-affiliate-products-into-woocommerce/

      Reply
  3. Claudia

    September 20, 2022

    I have a strange behavior: after i’ve imported parent product i import its childs but attributes now is setted with “use for variation” active.

    Reply
    • Alan

      Alan

      September 22, 2022

      Hi,
      In order for the variations to be loaded the “use for variation” option has to be enabled in the attribute. Only then the variation values will be loaded from the attribute values.

      Reply
  4. Mercy Kabiria

    May 12, 2022

    How do you import products with multiple photos

    Reply
    • Alan

      Alan

      May 12, 2022

      Hi Mercy,
      To import products with multiple images, add the image names/URLs in the Images column of your CSV file as shown. Use pipe symbol ‘|’ to separate the values.
      During import, the first image will be added as Product image(also known as Featured image) and rest of the images will get added to the Product gallery.

      Reply
  5. Евгений Федь

    July 14, 2021

    How to export variational goods, why did they disappear in the new version?

    Reply
    • Mark

      Mark

      July 16, 2021

      Hi,

      Exporting and importing variable products is one of our premium features. Please make sure that you are having the pro version plugin for variable product support.

      Reply

Got any query? Please leave a comment or reach out to our support

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Product Import Export for WooCommerce

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On this page

  • WooCommerce Mapping
  • Exporting Products
  • Step 1: Select a post type
  • Step 2: Select an export method
  • Step 3: Filter data
  • Step 4: Map and reorder export columns
  • Step 5: Advanced Options/Batch Export
  • Importing Products
  • Step 1: Select a post type
  • Step 2: Select import method
  • Step 3: Map import columns
  • Step 4: Advanced Options/Batch Import

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