Guides
When Excel changes Shopify SKUs or barcodes
Keep identifiers as text and compare the original export with your intended CSV before importing.
What automatic conversion can change
| Original text | Possible saved value | What to check |
|---|---|---|
00123 | 123 | Leading zeros can disappear when text becomes a number. |
12345678901234567890 | 12345678901234500000 | Numeric conversion keeps only 15 significant digits; later digits can become zeros. |
123E5 | 12300000 | An identifier containing E can be interpreted as a number instead of literal text. |
Scientific notation on screen alone does not prove data loss. Inspect the actual saved CSV and compare it with the original identifier.
Prevent changes before editing
- Keep an untouched Shopify export. Import the CSV into Excel and set SKU and Barcodes to Text in the query before loading, replacing automatic numeric conversion of those columns.
- Excel for Microsoft 365 and Excel 2024 offer Automatic Data Conversions settings. Older versions can use text import. Changing a format after damage cannot recover lost digits.
- Save a separate UTF-8 CSV. Check its actual identifiers; the spreadsheet's appearance does not establish the exported text.
Review both files in Compare
- Compare accepts CSV: select the untouched export as A and the saved edited CSV as B. An XLSX workbook must first be exported as CSV.
- Keep URL handle and the full option identity stable. Review SKU and Barcodes differences with overwrite on; matching products are ignored with overwrite off.
- Correct unexpected identifiers against the original and regenerate B. Changed handles, options, duplicate keys or unmatched variants require identity review; do not guess the match.
Restore from a reliable source
For a confirmed variant, restore the exact identifier from the untouched export. Without that export or a reliable supplier reference, re-export the store or request the source values. Do not guess missing zeros or digits.
What this review can establish
A numeric or E-containing SKU can be valid. Compare checks selected fields and exact matches; without a baseline it cannot establish what was lost. Validator can read displayed XLSX identifiers but cannot recover digits already removed. Verify the tested products after import.