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Shopify CSV import errors and how to fix them
Find the exact message Shopify showed you, see what causes it, and fix the file. Most failures come from a handful of problems: quotes and line breaks, the header row, duplicate variants and missing values.
Find your error
| Error message | What it usually means |
|---|---|
Illegal quoting on line 2 | Shopify could not read your CSV because a quotation mark on the reported line is in a place the CSV format doesn’t allow. |
Missing or stray quote on line 5 | A value on the reported line opens a double quote that never closes, or contains a quote the CSV parser can’t place. |
Unquoted fields do not allow \r or \n (line 2). | A value on the reported line contains a line break but isn’t wrapped in double quotes, or the whole file uses line endings Shopify’s parser doesn’t expect. |
Invalid CSV header: missing headers: Title | Shopify checks the first line of your file for the column names it knows. |
Validation failed: options are not unique | Two rows of the same product describe the same variant: identical option values under one URL handle. |
Validation failed: The variant 'Default Title' already exists. | Shopify found a second row for a product that has no options. |
Validation failed: price can't be blank | A variant row in your CSV has an empty price, or a price Shopify can’t read as a number. |
Ignored line #-## because it did not contain product data | Shopify skipped rows because the product they belong to has a URL handle but no title on its first row. |
Ignored line #-## because handle `example` already exists | Two separate products in your file (or one in the file and one already in your store) use the same URL handle. |
Validation failed: An error occurred while trying to download the image | Shopify tried to download an image from the URL in your CSV and failed. |
Fulfillment service can't be blank | Your CSV has a fulfillment service column, but some variant rows leave it empty. |
Inventory quantity is not a number | The inventory quantity column contains text, decimals or symbols, or is empty for a variant whose inventory is tracked. |
Inventory policy is not included in the list | The column that controls selling when out of stock contains a value Shopify doesn’t accept. |
Not a valid product category | The Product category column contains a value that isn’t in Shopify’s Standard Product Taxonomy. |
Where Shopify shows import errors
Problems that make the file unreadable, such as quoting, line breaks and the header row, appear right after you upload, before the preview. Validation problems in individual products, such as missing prices, duplicate variants and image downloads, are reported when the import runs, in the admin and in the email Shopify sends when the import finishes. Line numbers count the header row as line 1.
A five-minute checklist before every import
- Save as CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited). Why encoding matters.
- Check that the first row holds Shopify’s column names, with no rows above it.
- Give every product one unique URL handle, with the title only on its first row.
- Give every variant a unique combination of option values and a price.
- Use public, direct image URLs.
- Set new products to
draftand import a small test file first. Keep Overwrite products with matching handles off unless you mean to update products.
The free Shopify CSV checker tests titles, prices, duplicate SKUs, duplicate variant combinations and draft status in one go.
If the file started as a supplier price list
Many of these errors come from reshaping a supplier’s spreadsheet or PDF by hand. Sheet2Store reads the supplier file, lets you map columns and set prices, groups variants, and writes a Shopify CSV with correct quoting, UTF-8 encoding, unique handles and draft status. Preview five rows free.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Shopify import some products and skip others?
Row-level problems only stop the affected products. Check the import summary or email, fix those products and import just them again.
Can I undo a CSV import?
Imports can’t be canceled once they start and there is no undo, which is why importing products as drafts and testing a small file first is worth it.
What is the file size limit?
A product CSV can’t exceed 15 MB. Split larger catalogs into several files without splitting a product’s rows.
Check your Shopify CSV for free
Upload a product CSV (up to 500 rows) to find missing titles and prices, duplicate SKUs, repeated variant combinations and products not set to draft.