Import CSV to update or add Shopify store data

Mixtable’s Import CSV file feature lets you bring CSV data into your Mixtable worksheet, update the exact rows and columns you want, and then sync those changes to Shopify when you’re ready.

If you’re making bulk updates to your Shopify store, importing a CSV into Mixtable can save you hours of work. Instead of manually copying and pasting values, you can match your CSV rows to the right items in your Mixtable spreadsheet, choose exactly which columns to update, and keep everything else unchanged. And because your worksheet is connected to Shopify, you can sync those changes back to your store with one click whenever you’re ready.

You can:

• Update only the rows that already exist in your worksheet
• Add brand-new rows from your CSV file
• Map specific CSV columns to specific Mixtable columns
• Leave all other columns untouched

This selective approach is perfect for bulk updates like inventory levels, prices, product tags, and metafields when you only want to change certain fields without affecting the rest of your data.

How to import a CSV

1. Confirm your worksheet and file are ready

Before you start, make sure you have the right worksheet open and your CSV file is properly formatted. This quick check will help the import go smoothly.

1. Make sure you are in the worksheet you want to update
2. Make sure your file is a .csv file
3. Make sure your CSV has column names in the first row (like SKU, Price, or Inventory)

2. Open the CSV importer

Now you’ll launch the import tool from your workbook toolbar.

1. In your workbook toolbar, click Import & Export
2. Click Import CSV file

The dialog opens with the title Import and update from CSV file.

3. Upload your file

Upload your CSV file so Mixtable can read its contents and prepare it for import.

1. In step 1. Upload file, drag and drop your CSV (or click to browse)
2. Wait for parsing to finish

Mixtable will move you to the next step once the file is read.

4. Match CSV rows to Mixtable rows

This is where you tell Mixtable how to identify which items in your CSV correspond to which rows in your worksheet. By choosing matching columns, you ensure updates go to the right place.

In step 2. Match items, choose how Mixtable should find the same item in both places:

1. In Column in CSV file, select the column that identifies each item (like Handle, SKU, or Product ID)
2. In Column in Mixtable, select the same type of column in your worksheet
3. If one column isn’t enough to uniquely identify each row, click Add column to match on to add more

Tip: Think of this as telling Mixtable “how to find the same item in both places.” For example, if you choose SKU in both files, Mixtable will match rows that have the same SKU value.

Important:

• Your match columns should uniquely identify a row
• If the same value appears more than once in your worksheet, Mixtable will ask you to choose additional match columns before continuing

5. Choose what happens to matched and unmatched rows

Decide what Mixtable should do when it finds a match—and what happens when it doesn’t. This gives you control over whether you’re just updating existing data, adding new items, or both.

In step 3. Choose action, pick one option:

1. Update matching rows only: updates rows that match; unmatched CSV rows are skipped
2. Update existing rows and add new ones: updates matched rows and creates new rows for unmatched CSV rows
3. Add new rows only: creates rows for unmatched CSV rows and leaves matched rows unchanged

6. Select which columns can change

Now decide exactly which fields you want to update. This step gives you precise control—only the columns you map here will be changed in your worksheet. Everything else stays untouched.

In step 4. Select columns to change:

1. For each field you want to update, map Column in CSV file to the corresponding Column in Mixtable
2. Click Add another column to update to map additional fields
3. When you’re done mapping, click Review changes

For example, if you only want to update inventory and price, map just those two columns. Your product titles, descriptions, tags, and all other fields will remain unchanged.

7. Review and run

Take a final look at what’s about to change before you commit. The preview shows you exactly which rows will be updated, which will be added, and which will be skipped.

In step 5. Review and run:

1. Check the summary for Rows to update, Rows to add, and Rows skipped
2. Review the preview table to confirm the changes look correct
3. Click Run import

Example: add new products to your Shopify store

Use this when you have new products in a CSV that don’t exist in your store yet and you want to add them through Mixtable.

This approach lets you review and verify all product details in your Mixtable spreadsheet before pushing them live to Shopify—giving you a safety net to catch any mistakes or make last-minute adjustments.

1. Open your Products worksheet (which currently shows all your existing products)
2. Upload a CSV that contains your new products with columns like Handle, Title, Price, Description, Vendor, and any other product fields you want to set
3. In Match items, map CSV Handle to the Mixtable handle column (or use another unique identifier like SKU or Product ID)
4. In Choose action, select Update existing rows and add new ones
5. In Select columns to change, map all the CSV columns you want to import to their corresponding Mixtable columns:

• CSV Title → Mixtable Title
• CSV Price → Mixtable Price
• CSV Description → Mixtable Description
• CSV Vendor → Mixtable Vendor
• Add mappings for any other fields (tags, product type, images, etc.)

6. Review the preview—you should see your new products listed under Rows to add
7. Click Run import

Result: The new products appear as new rows in your Mixtable worksheet with all the mapped columns populated. Your existing products remain unchanged.

Next step: Review the new product rows in your worksheet to make sure everything looks correct. When you’re ready to publish these products to your Shopify store, click Sync worksheet changes to Shopify.

Example: update inventory for a specific set of products

If you only want to update inventory for five products:

1. Upload a CSV that contains only those five products
2. In Match items, map CSV SKU to the Mixtable SKU column
3. In Choose action, select Update matching rows only
4. In Select columns to change, map your three CSV location inventory columns to the three Mixtable location inventory columns you want to update (for example, Inventory - New York, Inventory - Los Angeles, and Inventory - Chicago)
5. Run the import

Result: Rows are matched by SKU, and inventory values are updated only for the three mapped location columns.

Example: update variant prices by matching SKU

Use this when your worksheet is Products (with variants) and you want to update variant prices from a CSV.

1. Open your Products (with variants) worksheet
2. Upload a CSV that includes a SKU column and a price column (for example, SKU and Price)
3. In Match items, map CSV SKU to the Mixtable SKU column
4. In Choose action, select Update matching rows only
5. In Select columns to change, map CSV Price to the Mixtable price column you want to update
6. Review the preview and click Run import

Result: Rows are matched by SKU, and only the mapped price column is updated for matching variants.

Example: update product metafields by matching product title

Use this when your CSV has one row per product and you want to update several metafields in one import.

1. Open the worksheet that contains product rows and the metafield columns you want to edit
2. Upload a CSV that includes a Product Title column plus five metafield columns
3. In Match items, map CSV Product Title to the Mixtable product title column
4. In Choose action, select Update matching rows only
5. In Select columns to change, create five mappings from your CSV metafield columns to the five Mixtable metafield columns you want to update
6. Review the preview and click Run import

Result: Mixtable finds products by title, then updates only those five mapped metafield columns for matching rows.

Example: update SEO fields and tags by matching product handle

Use this when you want to refresh product search metadata and merchandising tags in one import.

1. Open your products worksheet
2. Upload a CSV that includes Handle, SEO Title, SEO Description, and Tags
3. In Match items, map CSV Handle to the Mixtable handle column
4. In Choose action, select Update matching rows only
5. In Select columns to change, map CSV SEO Title to Mixtable SEO title, CSV SEO Description to Mixtable SEO description, and CSV Tags to Mixtable tags
6. Review the preview and click Run import

Result: Matching products are found by handle, and only SEO title, SEO description, and tags are updated.

Sync your changes to Shopify

The CSV import updates your Mixtable worksheet, but doesn’t automatically sync to Shopify. To apply these changes to your store, click Sync worksheet changes to Shopify once the import finishes.

You're ready!

Mixtable is an online spreadsheet designed to sync data with Shopify. It looks, feels, and behaves like Excel (including formulas), but runs in your browser. With Mixtable you can:

• Bulk add products to collections, edit metafields, add or remove tags;
• Change product prices, including international prices, and review price history;
• Manage customers with a spreadsheet CRM for Shopify;
• Use Excel features like sort ascending or descending, find-replace, filter, and more.

Best of all, you can sync changes back to Shopify with a single click. Find out more about the Mixtable suite of products here.