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Bulk Edit Shopify Metafields (Custom Fields)

If you need to update Shopify metafields across many products or variants, doing it one page at a time in Shopify is slow and error-prone. With eCommix – Google Sheets Sync, you can manage metafields in bulk from a spreadsheet and import changes back to Shopify.

This is ideal for product specs, materials, compatibility info, custom labels, shipping attributes, and any other custom fields your store uses.

Real use case: Backfilling supplier specs across all variants

A store imports electronics from multiple suppliers and needs to update compatibility, material, and dimensions metafields across thousands of variants. Using eCommix – Google Sheets Sync, the operations team exports current metafields, bulk edits only the metafield columns in Sheets, validates, and imports with clear row-level status messages.

This is especially useful when your metafields drive storefront filters, PDP content blocks, or third-party feeds.

Product team updates product-level spec metafields
Ops team updates variant-level dimensions and compliance values
QA runs a post-import export to verify final Shopify values

Use eCommix – Google Sheets Sync to export Shopify products to Google Sheets, bulk edit safely, validate changes, and import updates back to Shopify.

Learn more on ecommix.io

Install eCommix – Google Sheets Sync on Shopify

How to manage Shopify Metafields?

The safest workflow is:

Create an inventory spreadsheet in eCommix – Google Sheets Sync.
Select the Metafields import preset.
Export products/variants with the metafield columns you need.
Edit values in Google Sheets.
Run Validate first.
Run Import.
Export again to confirm the final Shopify values.

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eCommix – Google Sheets Sync preset selector with "Metafields" preset selected

What gets exported

The Metafields preset is built to manage both:

Product metafields
Variant metafields

eCommix – Google Sheets Sync adds dynamic metafield columns based on the metafields available in your store (and selected in the job). You will also see the identifier columns needed to match rows back to Shopify, such as:

Handle (Product)
Id (Product)
Id (Variant) (for variant-level rows)
Title (Product)

[SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER]
spreadsheet with product and variant metafield columns highlighted

Step-by-step: Bulk edit metafields

1. Start from an export

Always export first when possible. This gives you:

Correct IDs
Existing values
A safe baseline for edits

This is especially important for variant metafields, because variants require the right Id (Variant) to update the correct item.

2. Edit only the metafield columns you intend to change

Leave unrelated columns untouched. In practice, your team should only edit:

The metafield columns
Any required row identifiers (if missing)

Tip: Freeze the first row and add filters to avoid editing the wrong rows.

3. Validate before importing

Use validation to catch missing IDs, invalid row structures, or formatting issues before writing to Shopify.

[SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER]
validation results in STATUS column showing rows that will be updated

4. Import changes

After validation looks correct, run the import. eCommix – Google Sheets Sync will update the mapped product or variant metafields in Shopify.

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import completed status with created/updated counts or row statuses

Product vs variant metafields (important)

Make sure you are editing the correct owner type:

Product metafields apply to the whole product
Variant metafields apply to a specific variant (size/color/SKU)

If your data changes by SKU (for example GTIN, dimensions, bundle components, cost-related custom values), use variant metafields.

Common mistakes to avoid

Editing variant metafields without Id (Variant)
Importing without validating first
Mixing product-level and variant-level values in the same column
Overwriting values unintentionally because filters were not applied

Best practices for teams

Keep one sheet per workflow (SEO metafields, shipping metafields, merchandising metafields)
Use Google Sheets filters by vendor, product type, or tags before editing
Export again after import to confirm Shopify is showing the exact final values

Final tip

For large metafield projects, start with a small filtered batch (10-20 products), validate the workflow, and then run the full update. This reduces risk and gives your team a repeatable process.

Related Shopify Spreadsheet Guides

Continue with these related tutorials to build a complete bulk-edit workflow in Shopify:

Install eCommix – Google Sheets Sync

If you want to manage Shopify data in spreadsheets and import changes back with validation, install eCommix – Google Sheets Sync and start with a small test batch first.

Install eCommix – Google Sheets Sync