If your import file is a CSV and you're planning to use Excel to format it, you need to open and save your file as an XLSX to avoid formatting issues that may break the inventory data and cause importing errors.
Opening your CSV file in Excel
If you are using a version of Excel that is newer than 2016, you must first enable the legacy Text Import Wizard.
- Open a new workbook in Excel.
- Click File > Options.
- Click the Data tab.
- In the Show legacy data import wizards section, click the checkbox beside From Text (Legacy).
- Click OK.
You can now proceed with importing your CSV file into Excel.
- Open a new workbook in Excel.
- On the ribbon, select Data.
- Click Get Data > Legacy Wizards.
- Select From Text (Legacy).
- Select your .CSV file from your computer and click Import.
- Select Delimited and click Next.
- Under Delimeters, select Tab and Comma.
If you're using the European version of Excel, please select Tab and Other and enter a semicolon (;) in the Other field instead.
- Click Next.
- Select each of the columns listed below one at a time and click Text under Column data format. To confirm the Text data format was applied, Text will appear above the column headers. This step prevents the series of numbers in the columns from being converted to scientific format (e.g. 21+E):
- UPC
- EAN
- Custom SKU
- Manufacturer SKU
- System ID (if updating existing items)
- Any other columns that contain a series of numbers
- Click Finish.
- Click OK.
Now that you've successfully opened your CSV file in Excel, save it as an XLSX right away.
Saving your CSV file as XLSX in Excel
- Click File > Save As.
- Give your file a meaningful file name, including the date, for your records.
- From the File Format, select Excel Workbook (.xlsx).
- Click Save.
You should now be able to update your XLSX file and proceed with importing.