Platform support

Build a WooCommerce product CSV

WooCommerce’s built-in importer reads a documented product CSV. The Name column is required. An ID updates a product that already has that ID. If the ID does not exist, WooCommerce skips the row. It does not let the file choose the ID of a new product.

Documentation checked 1 November 2026 · English

Which columns does the built-in importer recognize?

The reviewed schema includes Type, SKU, Name, Published, prices, stock, categories, images, and Parent. Type can be simple, variable, grouped, external, variation, virtual, or downloadable. This is not the older Product CSV Import Suite, which uses different headers such as post_title. Export a sample from the store you are importing into before you rename columns.

How does a variation row point at its parent?

WooCommerce says a variation row uses Parent. That value is the parent product ID prefixed with id:, or the parent SKU. Give each new variation its own SKU, or leave SKU blank only when the documented Global Unique ID path applies. A variation should contain one value for an attribute. If several values are present, WooCommerce uses the first.

Type,SKU,Name,Parent
variable,MUG,Travel mug,
variation,MUG-RED,Travel mug,MUG

How do you map a supplier file?

Export one product from WooCommerce, or copy the column names from the current importer schema.
In Golanto, choose WooCommerce and record the store and the date of that schema.
Map supplier fields onto Name, SKU, Type, and Parent. Do not invent an ID for a product the store has never saved.
Import a small file first. WooCommerce’s mapping screen can rename columns, but a wrong Type still creates the wrong product.

Worked example

A size list in one cell is not two variations

Inspect this record

sku,name,sizes
MUG,Travel mug,"Red,Blue"

The variable parent is one row. Red and Blue each need a variation row whose Parent is MUG.

What this check cannot establish

Golanto does not import into WordPress or decide tax, shipping, or download settings. Attribute columns are numbered in the official schema and depend on the product. Confirm the schema page if WooCommerce has changed it since 1 November 2026.

Check your file

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

Open the template mapper

Official references

WooCommerce: Product CSV Importer and Exporter (opens in a new tab)

Schema review: woocommerce-product-csv-2026-11-01. Examples are synthetic. Store-specific and unpublished requirements are outside these checks.

Common questions

Can I set a WooCommerce product ID in the CSV?

No. WooCommerce says an ID only updates an existing product. A supplied ID that does not match is skipped, and a new product cannot be given a chosen ID in the file.

What happens if Name is blank?

The reviewed schema marks Name as required. Do not expect the importer to invent a title from the SKU.