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Shopify CSV import errors: find the right fix

Start with the error in Shopify's import report. Use the checked quoting, header, and option guides below, then review what a local CSV scan can and cannot detect.
Official guidance checked: 1 October 2026. Error text stays in English; the skipped-row entry shows an excerpt without the variable line numbers.

File and header errors

Resolve encoding, quoting, and column problems before diagnosing individual products.

Illegal quoting on line

Check UTF-8 encoding and unclosed or stray straight quotes around the reported record.

F002 checks encoding and F003 checks quoting; ambiguous quotes require manual review.

F002F003See the cause and checked CSV examples

Invalid CSV header: missing headers

Match the first row to the fields required for creating products, updating products, or adding variants.

H001 checks Title and H002 checks URL handle requirements; unknown columns are reviewed separately.

H001H002See the cause and checked CSV examples

Skipped rows

Check why Shopify ignored a row. Missing product data and an existing store handle require different decisions; the local scan cannot see existing products or your overwrite settings.

…did not contain product data

Inspect a product's first row for a missing Title before treating continuation rows as separate products.

P001 detects a missing first-row Title and excludes image-only continuations; it does not predict every row Shopify will skip.

P001View rules

Product and variant validation

Review the reported product and its full option combination before changing business values.

Validation failed: options are not unique

Within one handle, compare the complete Option1–3 values for repeated variant combinations.

V001 checks duplicates inside this file; it cannot inspect existing store variants or decide which row is correct.

V001See the cause and checked CSV examples
Shopify CSV “Price can’t be blank”: what to check
If Shopify reports a missing price, inspect the exact product or variant row before editing. An empty Price is not always rejected: the current format guide describes a zero-price default.
Shopify CSV “Inventory quantity is not a number”: how to fix it
Inspect the Inventory quantity cell on the reported row for text or spreadsheet errors. First confirm whether you need the product CSV or a separate inventory CSV.
Shopify CSV “Default Title already exists”: investigate the variants
The message “Validation failed: The variant 'Default Title' already exists” can point to default-variant or option data conflicts. Review the whole product group and existing store variants before changing options.

Image processing

CSV image fields can pass a syntax check while Shopify still cannot retrieve or process the remote file.

Incorrect header check

Review the image on the reported row and try a different host if removing that image resolves the import error.

I001 checks image URL syntax only; it does not detect this remote image error, download images, or verify their dimensions.

I001See the cause and checked CSV examples

Check detectable problems before trying another import

Keep the original CSV, choose create or update mode, and review the local report. Business values and ambiguous quotes need manual correction. Test a small batch in Shopify after editing; a clean scan does not guarantee acceptance. Returning opens a fresh validator; selected files are not preserved.
Check a CSV

Official sources: Shopify: common import issues · Shopify: product CSV options and variant IDs