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How to back up Shopify products before a bulk update

Export your products and your inventory before every bulk update, and keep both files untouched. A product export isn't a complete backup: it doesn't include collections or image files, and a deleted variant gets a new ID when you restore it. Edit a copy, and compare it with the backup before you import.

When to take a backup

  • A bulk update is any change to many products at once, such as a CSV import, Shopify's bulk editor or an app. Take a backup before each one.
  • Before you import a product CSV with “Overwrite products with matching handles” selected. This updates products already in your store.
  • Before you change prices or SKUs for many products, for a sale for example.
  • Before an app or a supplier feed updates your products.
  • Before you delete products or images.

What a product export can't restore

  • Collections. Shopify's export has no Collection column. Shopify's backup page says you can add one to back up collection information. But a CSV can add each product to only one collection, and in our tests importing that column removed the product from the manual collection it was in before.
  • Variant IDs. A variant is one version of a product, such as size M, and apps use its ID to find it. A variant that was deleted and imported again comes back as a new variant with a new ID.
  • Stock. The product CSV's Inventory quantity column only applies to stores with one location. Shopify has a separate inventory CSV for stock at each location.
  • Image files. The export lists image web addresses, not the images themselves. Shopify warns that if you delete products or images after exporting, importing the old file fails.
  • Videos, 3D models and variant metafields. Shopify's product CSV doesn't support them.
  • Sales channels. Shopify's documentation says CSV files can't update where products are available on other sales channels.
  • There's no undo. A Shopify import can't be canceled once it starts, and there's no history of past imports.

How to back up before a bulk update

  1. In your Shopify admin, go to Products and click Export.
  2. Choose All products and the CSV for Excel, Numbers or another spreadsheet program, then click Export products. A large export arrives by email.
  3. Go to Products > Inventory, click Export, choose All locations and All states, then export.
  4. Add today's date to both file names, such as products-2026-11-06.csv, and save them somewhere safe. Don't edit them.
  5. If collections matter to you, write down which products are in each manual collection. The export won't record it.
  6. Make your changes in a copy of the export, or in Skuvera's bulk price or SKU editor.
  7. Before you import, compare the backup with your new file in Skuvera's catalog diff.
  8. After the import, open a few products and check their details, stock and collections.

How to restore from your backup

  • Make a restore file from your backup. Keep URL handle and Title, which Shopify needs, plus only the columns you want to put back. The URL handle is the product's unique name in its web address.
  • If you keep variant columns such as Price or SKU, also keep Option1 name and Option1 value exactly as exported. Without them, Shopify deletes the existing variants.
  • Import the restore file with “Overwrite products with matching handles” selected.
  • Put stock back with your inventory backup: copy each On hand (current) number into On hand (new), then import it. Shopify skips rows whose stock changed after the export, so recent sales aren't overwritten. Update those rows by hand.
  • Add products back to their collections in the admin, and re-sync apps that use variant IDs.

Voyez ce que votre import va modifier

Comparez un export de votre boutique avec le CSV que vous allez importer. Skuvera affiche avant l'import les champs vidés, les variantes recréées et les produits ignorés. Gratuit, dans votre navigateur.

Foire aux questions

Is a product export a full backup of my store?
No. It covers product details, but not collections, image files or stock at each location. Shopify says you can combine CSV exports with a copy of your theme, or use a backup app from the Shopify App Store.
Can Shopify undo a bad import?
No. Imports can't be canceled once they start, and Shopify keeps no import history. The activity log shows recent changes made by an import, and your export is how you put the old values back.
Should I use a backup app?
Shopify's help center says you can use an app from the Shopify App Store to back up your store. We haven't tested backup apps, so check what each one can restore, especially collections, variant IDs and stock.
What is Skuvera's restore file?
When you change prices or SKUs with Skuvera's bulk editors, Pro gives you a restore file: your products with the edited cells set back to their old values. Import it with overwrite selected to undo the change. It only covers what you edited in Skuvera.

Sources

Autres problèmes de données

Mis à jour le 6 novembre 2026