How to Export Products from Magento

Exporting products from Magento is useful when you need to create a backup of your product catalog, edit product information in bulk, move products to another Magento installation, or analyze your inventory using a spreadsheet.

Magento provides a built-in export feature that allows store administrators to download product information as a CSV file. The exported file can contain product names, SKUs, prices, descriptions, categories, inventory information, and other product attributes.

In this guide, you will learn how to export products from Magento step by step.

Why Export Products from Magento?

There are several situations where exporting products can be helpful:

• Create a copy of your product catalog.
• Edit product information in bulk.
• Move products between Magento stores.
• Analyze products in Excel or another spreadsheet application.
• Keep an offline copy of product data.
• Prepare product information for migration.
• Review prices, SKUs, stock levels, and attributes.

Magento exports product data in CSV (Comma-Separated Values) format, which can be opened with applications such as Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc.

Before Exporting Products

Before starting the export process, make sure:

1. You have administrator access to Magento.
2. Your products are already created.
3. Product information is complete and accurate.
4. You know which product attributes you need to export.

If you are exporting products for migration or backup purposes, it is a good idea to keep the original CSV file unchanged and work on a copy.

Step 1: Log in to Magento Admin

Open your Magento Admin Panel and sign in with an administrator account.

The URL will normally look similar to:

https://example.com/admin

After successful authentication, you will see the Magento dashboard.

Step 2: Open the Export Tool

From the Magento Admin Panel, go to:

System → Export

Magento will display the Export Settings section.

You will see options for selecting the entity type and configuring the export.

Step 3: Select Products

Under Entity Type, select:

Products

Magento will load the product export options.

The export page allows you to filter the products and choose which attributes should be included in the exported file.

Step 4: Select the Product Attributes

Magento displays a list of product attributes that can be used for filtering.

Depending on your Magento configuration, you may see attributes such as:

• SKU
• Product Name
• Price
• Product Type
• Attribute Set
• Visibility
• Status
• Weight
• Quantity
• Category
• Website
• Store View

You do not necessarily need to configure every field. If you want to export the entire product catalog, you can leave the filters empty unless you specifically want to restrict the results.

Step 5: Filter Products if Required

Magento allows you to export only specific products instead of your entire catalog.

For example, you can filter products by:

SKU

TSHIRT-001

Or filter by:

Product Type

Simple Product

You can also use other available attributes depending on your store configuration.

Filtering can be useful when you only need a particular group of products.

Example

Suppose your store contains 5,000 products, but you only want to export products from a particular category or product range.

Instead of exporting everything, configure the appropriate filter and export only the required records.

Step 6: Choose the Export File Format

Magento uses CSV as the standard product export format.

CSV is useful because it can be opened and edited using spreadsheet applications.

The exported file may contain columns similar to:

sku
product_type
attribute_set_code
name
price
weight
qty
visibility
status
description
category

The exact columns depend on your Magento version, product attributes, and store configuration.

Step 7: Start the Export

After configuring the required filters, click:

Continue

Magento will process the export request.

For a small catalog, the process may complete quickly. Larger catalogs can take longer depending on the number of products and attributes.

Once Magento finishes processing the request, the CSV file will be downloaded to your computer.

Step 8: Open the Exported CSV File

Locate the downloaded CSV file and open it using:

• Microsoft Excel
• Google Sheets
• LibreOffice Calc
• Another CSV-compatible application

You can now review the product information.

For example, you might see:

SKU	Product Name	Price	Status	Quantity
SHOE-001	Running Shoes	49.99	Enabled	25
BAG-002	Travel Bag	39.99	Enabled	18
WATCH-003	Smart Watch	89.99	Enabled	12

The actual columns and values will depend on your Magento store.

How to Export Only Specific Products

If you do not want to export the entire catalog, use Magento’s filtering options.

For example, you can filter products based on:

• SKU
• Product type
• Attribute set
• Product status
• Visibility
• Website
• Other available attributes

Configure the required filter and click Continue to generate the CSV file.

This is particularly useful for large Magento stores because it reduces the amount of unnecessary data in the exported file.

How to Export Products for Magento Migration

If you are moving products to another Magento installation, exporting the product catalog can be an important part of the migration process.

A basic workflow is:

1. Export products from the old Magento store.
2. Download and preserve the CSV file.
3. Review the exported data.
4. Check SKUs, prices, categories, attributes, and inventory values.
5. Adjust the data if required.
6. Import the CSV into the new Magento installation.
7. Verify the imported products.

However, product migration may require additional data and configuration beyond a basic product CSV, including categories, customer data, orders, media files, configurable product relationships, custom attributes, and inventory configuration.

Important Tips When Editing the Exported CSV

Be careful when modifying an exported Magento CSV file.

Keep SKUs Consistent

The SKU is an important identifier for products. Avoid accidentally changing SKUs unless you intentionally want to create or update different products.

Preserve Required Columns

Do not remove columns that are required for your intended import process.

Be Careful With Commas

Product descriptions and other fields may contain commas. Spreadsheet applications generally handle CSV formatting correctly, but manually editing CSV files with a basic text editor can introduce formatting problems.

Check Product Types

Simple, configurable, grouped, bundle, virtual, and downloadable products may contain different data requirements.

Create a Backup

Always keep an untouched copy of the original exported file before making changes.

Common Problems When Exporting Products

Export Takes Too Long

Large product catalogs can require significant processing time.

Solution: Try exporting a smaller set of products using filters. You can also review your server’s PHP execution and resource limits.

CSV File Is Missing Some Data

Not every piece of Magento product information necessarily appears in the way you expect.

Solution: Check whether the required information is stored as a product attribute and whether that attribute is included in the export.

Special Characters Look Incorrect

Characters may appear incorrectly when the CSV is opened with the wrong character encoding.

Solution: Import the CSV into your spreadsheet application and select the appropriate UTF-8 encoding when prompted.

Product Categories Are Not Displayed as Expected

Category information can depend on the Magento store structure and export format.

Solution: Review the category-related columns in the CSV and verify the category configuration before using the file for migration or re-import.

Best Practices for Magento Product Exports

Follow these practices when exporting your catalog:

• Export products regularly if you need offline backups.
• Keep original export files unchanged.
• Use descriptive filenames such as products-2026-10-05.csv.
• Verify the CSV after downloading it.
• Avoid unnecessary changes to SKUs.
• Test imports with a small number of products first.
• Keep product attributes consistent between Magento installations.
• Store important exports securely.
• Review configurable, grouped, and bundle product relationships carefully.
• Keep a backup before performing bulk product updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Magento export all products?

Yes. Magento’s product export functionality can be used to export the product catalog into a CSV file.

What format does Magento use for product exports?

Magento primarily uses the CSV format for product exports.

Can I export only selected products?

Yes. You can use available product attributes and filters to restrict which products are included in the export.

Can I edit the exported CSV?

Yes. The CSV can be opened in spreadsheet applications and edited. However, you should preserve the required Magento fields and formatting if you intend to import the file again.

Can I use the exported CSV to move products to another Magento store?

Yes, the product CSV can be used as part of a Magento migration or product import process. However, a complete migration may require additional data and configuration.

Conclusion

Magento’s built-in product export feature provides a convenient way to download product catalog information in CSV format. It can be useful for backups, bulk editing, reporting, catalog migration, and product management.

For the safest workflow, export your products regularly, keep an untouched copy of the original CSV, and carefully review the data before making bulk changes or importing it into another Magento store.