Import Categories Tool for BigCommerce
🔧 Quick Info: You can import categories from a file, that will update or create categories.
What it does
Import Categories lets you add new categories or update existing ones in your BigCommerce store by uploading a spreadsheet. You map the columns in your file to category fields, and the tool sends the changes to your store for you.
- Rows with an ID update the matching category.
- Rows with a blank ID create a brand-new category.
The work runs in the background, so you can close the page after starting it. When it finishes, you get an email letting you know the import is complete. If any rows could not be saved, an error file is generated so you can see exactly what went wrong.
When to use it
- You are setting up a store and want to add many categories at once.
- You need to bulk-edit existing categories (rename them, change visibility, update SEO/meta fields, reorder them, and so on).
- You exported your categories (see Export Categories), edited them in a spreadsheet, and want to push the changes back.
Before you start
- Prepare a spreadsheet (CSV or Excel). The first row must contain the column names (headers). The tool reads your headers so you can map them to the right fields.
- Include an “ID” column. Leave the ID blank for any category you want to create new; fill it in for any category you want to update.
- Know your category structure. Use the Parent Id column to nest a category under another. Leave Parent Id blank to place the category at the top level.
- Clearing a value: To empty out an optional field on an existing category, put the word
deletein that cell. The tool will clear that field instead of leaving the old value. - Check your store permissions. This tool writes categories to your store, so your store connection must allow category changes.
Step-by-step
1 Open the Import Categories tool.
2 Upload Categories step:
- If your store has more than one storefront, choose the storefront (category tree) you are importing into.
- Upload your category file. Remember: the first row must be your column headers.
- Once the file is read, the Match your file’s columns screen lists each column in your file. Pick the matching category field for each one (most are matched automatically).
3 Email Delivery step: choose whether you’d like an email when the import finishes — your own email is prefilled if you turn it on.
4 Start the import. It runs in the background.
5 If you turned email delivery on, watch for the completion email. If some rows failed, download the error file to review and fix them, then re-import just those rows.
File / field reference
Your file’s first row must be headers. During the upload step you map your columns to the fields below. All fields are optional, but ID controls whether a row updates an existing category or creates a new one.
| Column | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ID | No | Blank = create a new category. Filled in = update the category with that ID. |
| Parent Id | No | The ID of the parent category. Blank places the category at the top level of the selected storefront. |
| Name | No | The category name. |
| URL | No | The category’s web address (path). |
| Description | No | The category description. |
| Page Title | No | SEO page title. |
| Meta Keywords | No | Comma-separated list of keywords. |
| Meta Description | No | SEO meta description. |
| Search Keywords | No | Keywords used by your store’s search. |
| Is Visible | No | Whether the category shows on your storefront. Use a true/false (or 1/0) value. |
| Default Product Sort | No | The default sort order for products in the category. |
| Sort Order | No | A number controlling where the category appears among its siblings. |
Tips:
- Put
deletein an optional cell to clear that field’s current value. - Meta Keywords accepts several keywords separated by commas.
Note: Category images are not handled by this import. (An image column is not currently supported.)
Troubleshooting / FAQ
My import finished but nothing changed.
Make sure your first row contains column headers and that you mapped your columns to the right fields during the upload step.
Everything created duplicates instead of updating.
Rows without an ID always create a new category. To update existing categories, include the correct ID in each row.
Some rows failed.
An error file is produced listing the rows that could not be saved, along with an errors column explaining why. Fix those rows and re-import them.
How do I empty a field?
Put delete in the cell for that field.
Where does the result go?
You will receive an email when the import completes.