Importing products via CSV into your Shopify store? CSV imports are one of the fastest ways to add or update products in bulk, but they\u2019re also where many store owners hit errors that stop the upload cold. Below is a list of the most common Shopify CSV import error messages and exactly how to fix each one. If you\u2019re still stuck after trying these fixes, reach out to Shopify support or a Shopify developer for help.<\/p>\n
Below are the specific error messages Shopify displays during a CSV import, along with what causes each one and the exact steps to fix it.<\/p>\n
This is one of the most common Shopify import errors. It means the value in your Variant Inventory Policy<\/strong> CSV column is not one of the two accepted options. Shopify only allows two values here:<\/p>\n The value must be lowercase and contain no extra spaces. Common mistakes that trigger this error include entering \u201cDeny\u201d (capitalized), \u201cDeny selling\u201d (extra text), leaving the cell blank, or having a trailing space after the value.<\/p>\n To fix this, open your CSV file and find the Variant Inventory Policy<\/strong> column (column R in Shopify\u2019s default template). Make sure every row contains either Description<\/p>\",My Vendor,Widget,tag1,true,Size,Small,,,,,SKU123,500,shopify,10,deny,manual,29.99,,true,true,,https:\/\/example.com\/image.jpg,Product image alt<\/code><\/p>\n If you\u2019re editing in Google Sheets or Excel, use Find & Replace to search for any values in that column that aren\u2019t \u201cdeny\u201d or \u201ccontinue.\u201d Also check for hidden whitespace characters by trimming the cells.<\/p>\n This error appears when the Variant Fulfillment Service<\/strong> column in your CSV is empty or contains a value Shopify doesn\u2019t recognize. Every product variant needs a fulfillment service assigned to it.<\/p>\n If you fulfill orders yourself (packing and shipping from your own location), set this column to A common cause of this error is copying products from another store or platform where the fulfillment service name doesn\u2019t match what\u2019s configured in your Shopify account. Check that the fulfillment service is actually set up in your Shopify admin before importing. If you only use Shopify\u2019s built-in fulfillment, simply put This error shows up when a product row in your CSV has a handle value but no product title. Shopify reads the handle, finds it already exists, and skips the line since it can\u2019t determine what to do with it.<\/p>\n To fix this, open your CSV and look for any rows that have a value in the Handle<\/strong> column but an empty Title<\/strong> column. If the row is a variant of an existing product, the Title column should be empty and that\u2019s fine - but the Handle must match the parent product\u2019s handle exactly. If the row is supposed to be a new product, fill in the Title. If the row is a duplicate you don\u2019t need, delete it from the CSV entirely.<\/p>\n This error means your CSV file contains a character that breaks CSV parsing, usually a mismatched or curly quotation mark. Spreadsheet programs like Excel sometimes convert straight quotes ( To fix this, save your CSV with UTF-8 encoding. In Excel, go to File > Save As and choose \u201cCSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited).\u201d Then open the file in a plain text editor (like Notepad or VS Code) and search for curly quotes. Replace them with straight quotes. Also look for unmatched quotes - every opening quote needs a closing quote on the same field.<\/p>\n This error typically appears when an image reference in your CSV is corrupted or points to a file that can\u2019t be read. The file might be in a format Shopify doesn\u2019t support, or the image data might be damaged.<\/p>\n Try removing the image URL from the Image Src<\/strong> column for the affected row and re-uploading the CSV. If the import works without the image, the issue is with that specific file. Re-save or re-export the image as a JPG or PNG, upload it to a publicly accessible host, and update the URL in your CSV.<\/p>\n Shopify requires your CSV file to have a specific header row as the first line. If any required column names are missing, misspelled, or in the wrong order, you\u2019ll get this error.<\/p>\n The correct header row for a standard Shopify product CSV is:<\/p>\n Handle,Title,Body (HTML),Vendor,Type,Tags,Published,Option1 Name,Option1 Value,Option2 Name,Option2 Value,Option3 Name,Option3 Value,Variant SKU,Variant Grams,Variant Inventory Tracker,Variant Inventory Qty,Variant Inventory Policy,Variant Fulfillment Service,Variant Price,Variant Compare At Price,Variant Requires Shipping,Variant Taxable,Variant Barcode,Image Src,Image Alt Text<\/em><\/p>\n Copy this header row exactly, including the spaces and capitalization. A very common mistake is having an extra space or invisible character at the end of the header row. Open your file in a text editor and make sure the last character on line 1 is \u201ct\u201d (the end of \u201cImage Alt Text\u201d) with nothing after it.<\/p>\n This error means you have a row where the Variant Inventory Qty<\/strong> column is empty, but Shopify expects a number there. If you track inventory for this product, enter the actual stock count (even if it\u2019s If you don\u2019t track inventory at all for this product, you need to also leave the Variant Inventory Tracker<\/strong> column blank. When that tracker column has a value (like \u201cshopify\u201d) but the quantity column is empty, Shopify treats it as a conflict and throws this error. Either fill in both columns or leave both empty.<\/p>\n The Variant Inventory Qty<\/strong> column only accepts whole numbers. If it contains letters, symbols, decimal points, or special characters, Shopify will reject the row. Check for common issues like accidental currency symbols ($10), commas in large numbers (1,000 instead of 1000), or text like \u201cin stock.\u201d Replace the value with a plain integer.<\/p>\n This happens when your CSV has unmatched or extra quotation marks. Excel and Google Sheets sometimes add curly quotes or double up straight quotes in unexpected places, especially in product descriptions that contain HTML.<\/p>\n Open your CSV in a plain text editor and go to the line number mentioned in the error. Look for a quote character that doesn\u2019t have a matching pair, or a field that has three quotes instead of two. In CSV format, if a field contains a comma or quote, the entire field should be wrapped in double quotes, and any quote inside the field should be escaped by doubling it ( Shopify couldn\u2019t download the image from the URL in your Image Src<\/strong> column. The image file might have been deleted, moved, or the server hosting it might be blocking Shopify\u2019s request.<\/p>\n Make sure the URL starts with This error means the domain name in your image URL is invalid or can\u2019t be resolved. Usually this happens when the URL is missing the protocol ( Check every image URL in the Image Src<\/strong> column. Each URL must be a complete, valid web address starting with When a product has multiple variants (like different sizes or colors), each combination of option values must be unique. This error means two or more rows for the same product handle have identical option values.<\/p>\n Check your CSV for duplicate rows under the same handle. For example, if you have two rows for \u201cmy-shirt\u201d both with Option1 Value set to \u201cLarge\u201d and Option2 Value set to \u201cBlue,\u201d one of them needs to be changed or removed. Also make sure you don\u2019t have the same product listed twice in your CSV file with different handles.<\/p>\n Every product variant in your CSV must have a value in the Variant Price<\/strong> column. Even free products need a price of Shopify limits product images to 20 megapixels (roughly 5760 x 5760 pixels). If your image is larger than this, you need to resize it before importing. Use an image editor or a free online tool to reduce the dimensions. For most product photos, 2048 x 2048 pixels is more than enough and will also keep your page load times fast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Importing products via CSV into your Shopify store? CSV imports are one of the fastest ways to add or update products in bulk, but they\u2019re also where many store owners\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_title":"%%title%% %%page%% [year]","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Struggling with Shopify CSV import errors? Fix \"inventory policy is not included in the list,\" \"fulfillment service can't be blank,\" image errors, and more with step-by-step solutions.","_yoast_wpseo_metatitle":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5308","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-shopify-store-set-up"},"acf":{"breadcrumbs":[{"postpage":[47343]}],"conclusion":"\n
deny<\/code> or continue<\/code>. Here is what a correct row looks like:<\/p>\nmy-product-handle,My Product,\"Fulfillment Service Can\u2019t Be Blank<\/h3>\n
manual<\/code>. If you use a third-party fulfillment service like ShipBob, Amazon FBA, or another provider, you need to enter the exact handle of that service as it appears in your Shopify admin under Settings > Shipping and delivery > Custom order fulfillment.<\/p>\nmanual<\/code> in every row.<\/p>\nIgnored Line #-## Because Handle Already Exists<\/h3>\n
Illegal Quoting on Line<\/h3>\n
\"<\/code>) into curly quotes (\"<\/code> or \"<\/code>), which Shopify can\u2019t read.<\/p>\nIncorrect Header Check<\/h3>\n
Invalid CSV Header: Missing Headers<\/h3>\n
Inventory Quantity Can\u2019t Be Blank<\/h3>\n
0<\/code>).<\/p>\nInventory Quantity Is Not a Number<\/h3>\n
Missing or Stray Quote on Line<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/code>).<\/p>\nValidation Failed: An Error Occurred While Trying to Download the Image<\/h3>\n
https:\/\/<\/code> and that you can open it directly in a browser. The image must be publicly accessible - if it\u2019s behind a login or on a private server, Shopify can\u2019t reach it. Try re-uploading the image to a public host and updating the URL.<\/p>\nValidation Failed: getaddrinfo: Nodename nor Servname Provided, or Not Known<\/h3>\n
https:\/\/<\/code>) or contains a typo in the domain name.<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/<\/code>. For example, example.com\/image.jpg<\/code> will fail - it needs to be https:\/\/example.com\/image.jpg<\/code>. Also verify that the hosting domain is still active and the image is publicly accessible.<\/p>\nValidation Failed: Options Are Not Unique<\/h3>\n
Validation Failed: Price Can\u2019t Be Blank<\/h3>\n
0<\/code>. Check the affected row and enter a numeric price value. Don\u2019t include currency symbols - just the number (e.g., 29.99<\/code>, not $29.99<\/code>).<\/p>\nValidation Failed: The Uploaded Image Exceeds the 20 Megapixel Limit<\/h3>\n
Wrapping Up: How to Solve Common Import Problems on Shopify<\/h2>\nShopify CSV imports can throw a wide range of error messages, but most of them come down to a few root causes: incorrect column headers, missing required values, bad formatting, or image URL problems. The error list above covers the most frequent issues store owners run into.\n\nIf your error message isn't listed here, double-check your CSV against Shopify's official CSV template<\/a> and make sure every required column is present and correctly spelled. You can also check out some more technical and developer tools in Shopify<\/a> that can help with data management and troubleshooting.","repeater":null,"filter":false,"attach_to_post":[4951],"author_bio":false,"custom_author_bio":false,"author_bio_name":"","author_bio_info":"","_meta_excerpt_title":"","meta_excerpt":"","trust_signals":{"expert_reviewed":true,"items_tested":""},"key_statistics":null,"key_takeaways":{"takeaways_items":null},"required_subtopics":null,"context_block":{"context_heading":"","context_excerpt":"","context_content":""},"methodology":{"methodology_heading":"","methodology_content":""},"comparison_table":"","mid_content_cta":{"cta_text":"","cta_button_text":"","cta_link":""}},"yoast_head":"\n