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Update Product Stock in WooCommerce with CSV Import

Last updated on November 7, 2023

When you are moving your store and importing products, updating product stocks can be troublesome. A major worry is when you have to update stock of hundreds or even thousands of products. The  Product Import Export Plugin For WooCommerce provides a simple and effective process for updating product stocks in CSV/XML/Excel file formats. To update products stocks with CSV file:

  1. Enable inventory management at the product level.
  2. Update stocks in the CSV file.
  3. Import the CSV file.

Let us have a detailed look at the steps to update product stocks before importing a CSV file.

1. Enable Inventory Management at the Product level

WooCommerce product stock management

The first step is to know the current stock of products. To do this, check the Manage stock? option in the product data meta-box of all the products which you need to update stock. Further settings will reveal current product stock and backorder option.

2. Update stocks in the CSV file

The next step is to update the stock in the CSV file. In the CSV column header for product stock, update the stock value for products that are to be updated. If you do not have a column header for product stock in the CSV file, create one and name it as stock, and update the product stock values.

Our Product Import Export Plugin for WooCommerce facilitates three types of values that will help you update the product stock:

  1. Replacing stock value: If the existing product stock value is 10, and you replace the stock value with 20, then the updated product stock after importing will result in 20.
  2. Adding value to existing stock: You can use (+) sign prefix to the stock value to update the product stock.
    If the existing product stock value is 10, replace the value with (+)5, then the updated product stock after importing will result in 15.
  3. Reducing value of existing stock: You can use (-) sign prefix to the stock value to update the product stock.
    If the existing product stock value is 10, replace the value with (-)5, then the updated product stock after importing will result in 5.
Product Import export csv with stock update
Updated product stock values in a sample CSV file

Once the product stock values are updated, save the CSV file.

3. Import the CSV file

Once the Product Import Export Plugin For WooCommerce is activated, the WebToffee Import Export (Pro) > Import menu appears in the WordPress admin panel.

On reaching Step 4, select Update for the option: If product exists in the store to update stocks of existing products on your store.

Updating existing product
Updating existing product

Next, click Import to start importing the products.

You can check the updated stock in the product data meta-box of the product edit settings of the updated product. A screenshot of the updated stock of a product is as shown below:

Stock updated on edit product page
Updated stock quantity ( 5 reduced from the existing quantity using (-)5)

These settings will help you update product stocks while importing the CSV file.