What product fields does Shopify require for import/export?

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

Core Question:
A user wants to migrate products from an existing website to Shopify and needs to know which CSV fields are required for import.

Official Requirements:

  • For new products: Only “Title” is required. If adding variants, “Handle” is also needed.
  • For updating products: Both “Handle” and “Title” are required.
  • The “Handle” column must be present but can be left empty—Shopify auto-generates it from the product title (e.g., “Apple Bottom Jeans” becomes “apple-bottom-jeans”).

Key Resources:

  • Shopify provides a CSV template and detailed field documentation in their Help Center.
  • The Store Importer app may work for supported platforms.
  • CSV imports cannot be cancelled or reversed, so keeping backup files is strongly recommended.

Variant Update Discovery:
A user tested extensively and found that to update prices only for products with variants:

  • Required columns are: Handle, Title, Option1 Value, and Price
  • Child variant rows inherit the parent’s title and don’t need their own title column
  • This contradicts the initial guidance that both Handle and Title are always required for updates

The discussion remains somewhat unresolved regarding the exact minimum fields for variant-specific updates.

Summarized with AI on October 31. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
12

Ok I’ve nailed it down. To update prices ONLY where you have parent and child rows where the parent row has all the product information and Option1 Name is Variant, Option1 Value is X and price is Y and the child row has no title or Option1 Name (inherited from parent row) the only columns we MUST have in the import to update prices are

Handle, Title, Option1 Value and Price.

I have tested this extensively. You can’t do it in less rows which makes sense when you think about it. This is the minimum information shopify would need to be able to differentiate between different items and update things.