Platform support

Import a Square item library file

Square’s item import adds or updates the item library from a spreadsheet you export in Dashboard. A new library starts from Blank import library, which downloads an Excel file named like template-YYYY-MM-DD-XXXX.xlsx. An update starts from an export of the items you are currently viewing. Square says bulk import is not the same task as bulk edit.

Documentation checked 1 November 2026 · English

Which columns does a Square import require?

Square’s upload steps require Item Name, Variation Name, Description, and SKU on both the Excel file and the CSV. If the account has more than one location, Enabled [Location Name] is also required. A tax column heading includes the percentage in parentheses. Square’s example is Tax - Sales (7%). If you did not rename the columns Square exported, Dashboard matches them on import.

What does Square change if a cell is blank or a column moves?

Do not change values in the Token column, and do not reorder or delete columns. Square’s troubleshooting article also says not to delete empty columns, not to rename the downloaded file, and to save only as .xlsx or .csv. The import does not accept .xls or .xlsm. An item and its variations need the same category and description, and item names need to be unique. Images cannot be uploaded with this tool.

A blank Category on a new item shows as Uncategorized. Re-importing an existing item with Category left blank does not remove the category it already has. A new Category value creates a category. A blank Price, or the word Variable, creates a variable-priced item. New Quantity replaces the quantity at that location, and a zero sets that inventory to zero. A blank Item Type imports as Standard. Square also lists Prepared food and beverage, Physical good, Event, Digital, Other, Bundle, Service, and Donation. A blank modifier cell defaults the modifier to Off. Y applies that modifier. Several categories in one cell are separated with a comma. A subcategory path uses a greater-than sign. A comma or greater-than sign that belongs in the category name is escaped with a backslash. If Categories has values and Reporting Category is blank, Square does not choose a reporting category for you.

On a CSV, you cannot create or update a unit or its precision. Type the full unit name. Square says not to open a SKU CSV directly in a spreadsheet editor, because the editor can drop a leading zero or show a long SKU as scientific notation such as 1.2346E+10. Its troubleshooting page also says a GTIN must be 8, 12, 13, or 14 digits and only the digits 0 to 9. To copy items into a different Square account, blank the token cells and keep the Token header. Match location names in the headers to the destination account. Extra location columns are ignored. If the destination has more locations, add the missing location columns. Square says every location needs an Enabled Location column.

Item Name,Variation Name,Description,SKU
Travel mug,Red,Insulated mug,0012345

How do you map a supplier catalog into the Square file?

Export a blank library or the items you mean to update. Square recommends the Excel file when you are updating. Keep a separate copy of the export before you edit.
In Golanto, choose Square and record the account and the date in the file name.
Map supplier fields onto Item Name, Variation Name, Description, and SKU. Do not drop the Token column from an export of existing items.
Remove commas from text you are importing. Square says you can put them back on names and descriptions after the import.
Import from Item library, Actions, Import library, and confirm the column match. If Square returns an error report, correct the spreadsheet you will upload again.

Worked example

A leading zero in a SKU is part of the identifier

Inspect this record

sku,name,variation,price
0012345,Travel mug,Red,18.00

Square’s required columns are Item Name, Variation Name, Description, and SKU. Opening this CSV in a spreadsheet can turn 0012345 into 12345. Use the Excel template, or import the CSV with SKU set to text. Leave Token as Square exported it unless you are moving the item to another Square account, in which case the token cells are blank and the column stays.

What this check cannot establish

Golanto does not import into Square Dashboard, create tax rates, or upload item images. Square says nested modifier sets can be imported, and that the nesting itself is set in Dashboard afterward. This page uses Square’s US bulk-import article and the US troubleshooting article, reviewed on 1 November 2026. Dashboard labels in other countries can differ. Square may offer to auto-resolve some errors, or import the valid rows and provide an error report. Fix the file you will upload. Golanto cannot see Dashboard’s result.

Check your file

Start with a copy. Review changes before downloading your import file.

Open the template mapper

Official references

Schema review: square-item-library-us-2026-11-01. Examples are synthetic. Store-specific and unpublished requirements are outside these checks.

Common questions

Can I delete the Square Token column?

No. Square says not to change information in the Token column. When you copy items to a different Square account, blank the token cells and keep the Token header. Do not delete the column.

Why did a Square SKU lose its leading zeros?

Square says opening a CSV directly in a spreadsheet editor can drop leading zeros or show a long SKU in scientific notation. Use the Excel template, or import the CSV with the SKU column set to text. That warning is for a CSV, not for an Excel file.