How to Bulk Edit Metaobjects in Shopify

If you use metaobjects in your Shopify store, you know how slow they are to manage. You open an entry, change a field, save, go back, open the next one. Do that for 10 entries and it's annoying. Do it for 300 and your whole afternoon is gone.

The good news is you don't have to do it that way. In this guide, I'll show you how to bulk edit Shopify metaobjects using a CSV file: export your entries, change them in Excel or Google Sheets, and import them back in one go. I'll also cover the mistakes that trip most people up, so your first import goes smoothly.

Can you bulk edit metaobjects in Shopify without an app?

Not really. Shopify lets you import and export products with a CSV file, but there's no built-in way to do the same for metaobject entries. In the admin, you edit metaobjects one entry at a time. Merchants have been asking for a native CSV option in the Shopify Community for a long time, and so far the answer has been to use an app.

That's fine if you only have a handful of entries. But if you're storing things like product specs, size guides, materials, store locations, FAQs, or vendor details as metaobjects, the number of entries grows fast, and so does the time it takes to keep them up to date.

What you'll need

• A metaobject definition already set up in Shopify (Settings > Custom data > Metaobjects). The importer fills in entries, so the definition and its fields need to exist first.
• The Metaobjectify app, installed from the Shopify App Store. There's a free plan, so you can try it on real data before paying for anything.
• Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers, or anything else that opens a CSV file.

How to bulk edit Shopify metaobjects, step by step

Step 1: Export your metaobject entries to CSV

Open Metaobjectify from your Shopify admin, pick the metaobject type you want to work on, and export it. You'll get a CSV file with one row per entry and one column per field.

Even if you're planning to add brand new entries, start with an export. It gives you a file that already has the right columns in the right order, so you're not guessing at the format. It's also your backup. If something goes wrong later, you can import the original file to put everything back the way it was.

Step 2: Edit the file in Excel or Google Sheets

Open the CSV in your spreadsheet tool. This is where the time savings come from. Instead of clicking through entries one by one, you can:

• Change a value in one cell, or across hundreds of rows at once with copy and paste or fill down
• Use find and replace to fix a typo, a price, or a name everywhere it appears
• Sort and filter to find the entries that need changing
• Add new rows to create new metaobject entries

Here's a simplified example of what a "Materials" metaobject might look like in a spreadsheet. Your columns will match the fields in your own definition.

If you need to change the care instructions on 50 materials, that's one column in a spreadsheet instead of 50 trips through the Shopify admin.

Step 3: Import the file back into Shopify

When you're done, save the file as a CSV and upload it in Metaobjectify. The app lets you map the columns in your file to the fields in your metaobject definition, then checks the data before anything is written to your store.

That check matters. If a value is in the wrong format or a required field is empty, you'll see the error before the import runs, not after. Fix the rows it points to, upload again, and you're done. Existing entries get updated and new rows become new entries.

Common mistakes to avoid

Most failed imports come down to a few small things. Watch for these:

• Saving as .xlsx instead of .csv. Excel likes to save in its own format. Use "Save As" and choose CSV (UTF-8) so special characters like é, ü, or ™ survive the trip.
• Letting Excel "fix" your data. Excel quietly changes dates, drops leading zeros (00123 becomes 123), and turns long numbers into scientific notation. If a column holds codes or IDs, format it as Text before you paste anything in.
• Renaming or deleting columns. Leave the headers exactly as they came out of the export. Changing them breaks the link between your file and your fields.
• Editing handle or ID columns by accident. These are what tie a row to an existing entry. Change one and you may end up creating a new entry instead of updating the old one.
• Values that don't match the field type. A number field needs a number, a true/false field needs true or false, and a date field needs a real date. For reference fields that point to products or other metaobjects, keep the values in the same format the export gave you.
• Skipping the backup. Keep a copy of your untouched export somewhere safe before you start editing. It takes two seconds and can save you hours.

When a CSV workflow makes the most sense

Bulk editing metaobjects with a CSV is most useful when you're:

• Loading a lot of content at once, like a new size guide for every product type, or a full list of store locations
• Making the same change across many entries, like updating a shipping note, a warranty period, or a supplier name
• Moving metaobjects to another store, such as from a development store to your live store, or from one region's store to another
• Keeping a backup of your structured content before a big redesign or theme change
• Working with a team, where it's easier to share a spreadsheet than to hand out admin access

One merchant using Metaobjectify told us updates that used to take them 2 to 3 hours by hand now take about 30 minutes. That's the kind of difference you feel every time you sit down to update your store.

Frequently asked questions

Can Shopify bulk edit metaobjects natively?

Shopify doesn't have a built-in CSV import or export for metaobject entries. In the admin you edit entries one by one, so for bulk changes you'll need an app like Metaobjectify or a custom script that uses Shopify's API.

Can I create new metaobject entries, not just update existing ones?

Yes. Add new rows to your CSV and they'll be created as new entries when you import. Rows that match existing entries get updated.

Can I use Google Sheets instead of Excel?

Yes. Open the exported CSV in Google Sheets, make your changes, then go to File > Download > Comma-separated values (.csv) and import that file.

What happens if my file has mistakes?

Metaobjectify checks your file before importing and shows you what's wrong, so you can fix it first. It's still a good idea to keep your original export as a backup.

Can I copy metaobjects from one Shopify store to another?

Yes. Export the entries from the first store, then import the file into the second store. Just make sure the same metaobject definition, with the same fields, exists in the second store first.

Is Metaobjectify free?

There's a free plan that includes unlimited exports and a limited number of imports, which is plenty for testing. If you import regularly, the Pro plan gives you unlimited imports. You can see current pricing on the Shopify App Store listing.

Stop editing metaobjects one at a time

If you've been clicking through metaobject entries one by one, a CSV workflow will feel like a small miracle the first time you use it. Export, edit in a spreadsheet you already know, import, done.

Install Metaobjectify from the Shopify App Store and try it on your own metaobjects for free, or see how it works first.