Importing Categories
Category Import for creating new categories or updating details of existing categories in bulk through CSV.
Export First
It is much easier to make changes or create sub-categories after exporting your Categories to CSV.
Exporting Categories
Access your Categories in Products > Categories. Then select the Categories, open the Bulk Actions and click Export Categories.
How To Import Categories
Start by exporting your existing categories and use the CSV file as a template.
When you import new Categories, you must list them using
'_1,_2,_3as the category_id.Examples of this are included in our Template and Guide.
-
Export your Top Level Categories - this will give you their category data so that you can make changes or add more categories.
-
Create an Import CSV file for "Sub-Categories" or child categories. It's the same format, but you will fill in the
parent_category_idfields from step 1 into the rows of the categories you are going to create in this step. You can also make any changes to your export to update existing category data. -
Import your files and check the changes in Products > Categories.
Repeat step 2 as needed if you have multiple sub-levels of categories (like Mens > Shirts > Polos).
Category Import Template and Guide
Click Here to Save A Copy Of This Template and Guide to your Google Drive
Required Columns
| category_id | category_name | parent_category_id | is_active |
|---|---|---|---|
| 117 | Room | 2 | 1 |
| _2 | Kitchen and Bath | 117 | 1 |
| _3 | Office | 117 | 1 |
| _4 | Yard | 117 |
All Columns (Optional and Required)
| category_id | category_name | parent_category_id | is_active | description | url_key | meta_title | meta_description | default_sort_by | include_in_navigation | include_in_navigation_mobile | zoey_include_in_filters | zoey_children_in_filters | zoey_price_in_filters | is_anchor | image | thumbnail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| _1 | Category 1 | 1 | 1 | Category 1 | category-1 | Category 1 | Category 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |  | |
Category Access Restriction Import
You can import your Category Access Restrictions through the columns described at the link below.
Click Here for importing Category Access Restrictions.
Category Import / Export Columns
Here are the column headers for importing and exporting Categories.
| Column | Description | Values Required |
|---|---|---|
category_id |
Leave blank if you are creating new categories. If you are modifying categories, this must be filled in correctly or a new category will be created. |
Required for modifying categories, must be blank for creating new categories. |
category_name |
Avoid HTML or special characters |
Required |
parent_category_id |
LEAVE BLANK TO MAKE IT A TOP-LEVEL CATEGORY If you want a new category to be a child of another category (like >Mens>Shirts) you must put the category_id of the Mens category into the parent_category_id field of the Shirts category. This can be done when creating the category when modifying it. Category IDs can be found by going to Advanced > Import/Export > Categories and exporting your categories. |
Required for creating & modifying, otherwise it will move the category. |
is_active |
|
Required |
description |
This is the Category Description that can be added to your Category Template using the drag & drop design editor. |
Required as a column header even if no row data is put in. |
meta_keywords |
What Search Engines will read as the Keywords to use |
|
meta_title |
What Search Engines will read as the Title to use for this Category |
|
meta_description |
For SEO purposes (limit to 255 characters) |
|
design_template |
The values for this column is the Label for the category template in Edit My Design. i.e. |
|
include_in_navigation |
Include this category in the Header Navigation (as long as categories are enabled for the header navigation in your theme) |
Required |
is_anchor |
"Is Anchor" is code for: Show products from all child categories. |
Required |
url_key |
The URL String of the Category (for example mens would be domain.com/mens) |
|
default_sort_by |
This is the default sort order of the category products: |
|
available_sort_by |
Leave blank for All, or specify with comma separated values. i.e.: |
|
image |
Images must first be uploaded to your File Manager (Advanced > File Manager). Then use the full URL from the file manager for this column. |
|
thumbnail |
Images must first be uploaded to your File Manager (Advanced > File Manager). Then use the full URL from the file manager for this column. |
Updated about 23 hours ago