How to Export WooCommerce Products to Excel (CSV) for Product Listings
To export WooCommerce products into an Excel-compatible CSV file, you can use WooCommerce’s built-in product exporter for basic product data. However, for complex product listings that need custom attributes, metadata, XML feeds, or marketplace synchronization, an advanced product feed plugin is a better choice.
The exported file helps with data portability and can be managed in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, or other spreadsheet tools for bulk editing, inventory analysis, and product listing updates.
Quick Answer: How to Export WooCommerce Products to Excel
The easiest way to export WooCommerce products to Excel is:
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard
- Go to Products >> All Products
- Click Export
- Select columns, product types, and categories
- Enable custom meta if needed
- Click Generate CSV
- Open the downloaded CSV file in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets
This method works well for simple WooCommerce product CSV exports. However, if you need product URLs, custom fields, GTIN, MPN, brand, product feed attributes, advanced filtering, or multiple file formats, using WooCommerce product feed plugin is a better option.
What Is a WooCommerce Product CSV File and How Does It Store Product Data?
A WooCommerce product CSV file is a spreadsheet-style file (CSV = “comma-separated values”) used to import, export, and update products in bulk for a WooCommerce store.
Instead of editing products one at a time in the WooCommerce dashboard, you can manage hundreds or thousands of products in a single CSV file.
A typical WooCommerce product CSV contains rows and columns like this:
ID, Name, SKU, Price, Stock, Category
101, T-Shirt Blue, TS-BL-01, 19.99, 25, Clothing
102, Hoodie Black, HD-BK-02, 39.99, 12, Hoodies
Each row represents one product, and each column represents product data.
Method 1: Built-in WooCommerce CSV Export
WooCommerce has built-in options to export WooCommerce products to Excel or more specifically, to CSV files.
Let’s find out how you can do that.
Login to your WordPress WooCommerce admin panel. Go to Products>>All Products from the left menu panel.
You might have noticed by now that at the top, there are options for product import and WooCommerce export products.
Click on Export.
This is the WooCommerce export products CSV window.
Let’s break down and explain the available options.
Column filtering
When you export WooCommerce products to Excel or CSV, the “Which columns should be exported?” dropdown typically provides options to select which fields or columns should be included in the exported CSV file.
The available options can vary based on the specific version of WooCommerce or any installed plugins. However, here are some standard options that you might find in the “Columns” dropdown:
- ID
- Type
- SKU
- Status
- Short description
- Description
- Tax status
- Stock Status
- Price
- Reviews
- Tags
- Shipping class
These are just some examples of the possible options.
Depending on your WooCommerce setup and any additional plugins or customizations, there might be more specific or additional columns available for selection in the dropdown.
Product types filters
“Which product types should be exported?” dropdown options may vary depending on your specific setup, installed plugins, or customizations.
However, here are some common product types that you might find in the dropdown:
- Simple Product: This refers to a standard individual product with no variations or options.
- Variable Product: This represents a product with variations that have different attributes, such as size or color.
- Grouped Product: This type is used when multiple related products are grouped as a single offering.
- External/Affiliate Product: This refers to a product sold on an external website or platform.
- Downloadable Product: This type is used for products that can be downloaded, such as software, e-books, or digital files.
- Virtual Product: This represents a non-physical product or a service that does not require shipping.
Category Filtering
The “Which product category should be exported?” dropdown options totally depend on your store’s available product categories.
If you want to export WooCommerce products to Excel, including all attributes, categories, and types, leave the options as they are.
It will export all your product data to a CSV file.
Export custom meta
There’s a checkbox at the bottom that lets you enable custom meta in your WooCommerce product CSV file.
The Export custom meta option includes extra product data beyond the default WooCommerce fields. This can include custom fields, custom attributes, unique identifiers, pricing data, discount information, or plugin-added product details.
The available custom meta fields depend on your WooCommerce setup, plugins, theme, and custom fields.
Enable this option if you want a more complete product export for reporting, product analysis, integration, or advanced product feed use.
✔️ Click the Generate CSV button to export WooCommerce products to Excel.
Here’s how it looks-
Can WooCommerce Export Products to XLS or XLSX?
By default, WooCommerce exports products in CSV format, not XLS or XLSX. However, you can open the CSV file in Microsoft Excel and save it as an Excel workbook if needed.
For more flexible export options such as CSV, XML, TXT, TSV, XLS, and other formats, you can use an advanced product feed or export plugin. These tools are especially useful for creating product feeds for platforms like Google Merchant Center, Facebook Catalog, TikTok Shop, and other marketplaces.
Drawbacks of Default WooCommerce Export Feature
The default export tool is useful, but it has several limitations:
- Limited customization: You cannot fully control exported fields, their order, or formatting. Custom fields often require additional tools or development.
- Poor filtering & sorting: Limited ability to export products by category, stock status, or date range.
- Compatibility issues: Exported CSV files may need adjustments before using them in external systems or marketplaces.
- Complex product data limits: Variations and custom attributes may not always export cleanly.
- Scalability issues: Large catalogs can cause slow exports or timeouts.
- Feed limitations: Many sales channels require different formats (XML, JSON, etc.) and extra attributes that the default export does not support.
For advanced export and multi-channel product feeds, an advanced WooCommerce product feed plugin can handle complex requirements more efficiently.
Method 2: Use an Advanced WooCommerce Product Feed Plugin (Recommended)
If the built-in WooCommerce export option feels too limited, you can use an advanced product feed plugin for more control over product listings, CSV/XML exports, filtering, scheduling, and marketplace integrations.
Some popular export and feed plugins include:
- WP All Export
- Product Import Export for WooCommerce by WebToffee
- Advanced Order Export for WooCommerce
- CTX Feed
For advanced product listings, marketplace feeds, and customizable CSV/XML exports, you can use a WooCommerce product feed plugin. For example, CTX Feed is useful when you need marketplace-ready product feeds, custom attributes, and multiple export formats.
With this product feed plugin, you can:
- Export WooCommerce products in CSV, XML, TXT, TSV, or XLS formats
- Create marketplace-ready product feeds
- Filter products by category, stock, tags, and attributes
- Schedule automatic feed updates
- Customize feed fields and attributes
- Generate feeds for Google Shopping, Facebook Catalog, TikTok Shop, and more
WooCommerce Default Export vs Advanced Product Feed Plugin: Which One Should You Use?
If you only need a basic WooCommerce product CSV file for Excel, backups, or simple bulk edits, the default WooCommerce exporter is enough. But if you need marketplace-ready product feeds, custom fields, product URLs, image links, XML export, advanced filtering, or scheduled updates, an advanced product feed plugin is the better option.
| Feature | WooCommerce Built-in Export | Advanced Product Feed Plugin |
|---|---|---|
| CSV export | Yes | Yes |
| Excel-compatible file | Yes, through CSV | Yes, CSV and other formats |
| XLS export | No native XLS export | Available depending on feed setup |
| XML export | No | Yes |
| Product feed templates | No | Yes |
| Google Shopping feed | No | Yes |
| Facebook Catalog feed | No | Yes |
| TikTok Shop feed | No | Yes |
| Custom attribute mapping | Limited | Advanced |
| Custom fields | Basic custom meta export | Built-in and custom field support |
| Product filtering | Basic | Advanced |
| Scheduled updates | No | Yes |
| Marketplace-ready feed | No | Yes |
If you only need a simple product list, the default WooCommerce exporter is enough. If you need advanced product listings, marketplace feeds, custom fields, XML export, or automated product feed updates, an advanced product feed plugin is the better choice.
Step-by-Step: Export WooCommerce Products Using CTX Feed
Let’s start by installing the accessible version of CTX Feed.
Log in to your WooCommerce back panel and from Plugins>>Add New search for the plugin.
After you activate, click on CTX Feed>>Make Feed.
This is how you will see an empty/new CTX Feed window.
First, let’s try and create a feed for a channel.
Let’s say you want to export WooCommerce products to Excel for the Dutch giant Bol.com.
In the Template dropdown, you will find all the channels CTX Feed supports.
Select the Bol.com template and choose your file type CSV.
CTX Feed will automatically generate the necessary attributes Bol.com requires at the bottom section. Now, if you click the generate button, the plugin will automatically collect all your Woo Store product data and create a CSV feed file.
Afterward, you can go to Manage Feeds and edit, delete, re-generate, copy, or download your CSV file.
But what if we don’t want to create a feed for any specific channel?
We want to create a CSV file to export WooCommerce products to Excel for custom product listing or backup. We also may want to include specific products or specific attributes in the feed file.
Let’s find out how you can create a custom CSV feed using the plugin.
How to create a custom CSV to export WooCommerce products to Excel
Click on Make Feed to open another new window.
From the Template dropdown, select the custom template and select file type CSV.
Again, the plugin will generate some basic and common attributes for your help.
Let’s remove them and start from scratch.
Click on the Add New Attribute button to add a new attribute.
First, we will add product ids. Name your custom attribute ID, and from the Value dropdown, select the appropriate field.
Next SKU. Each item in an online store has what is called an SKU, which is an abbreviation for “Stock Keeping Unit” and a unique identifier. SKUs are a key component of WooCommerce’s inventory management system.
After that, bring in your basic product details, such as title, description, short description, categories, tags, product link, image link, etc.
If you have multiple images, the plugin allows you to add all of them.
Your Woo store products can have different pricing depending on your different conditions.
For example, you are running a sale or discount on specific products for a limited time.
You would want to include the sale price as well as the regular price of the product in the CSV.
The plugin gives you multiple price options. As we mentioned before, you can also include dynamic pricing and discounts in your feed as well.
You can add a bundle of attributes by selecting from the dropdown. You can also add static value if you want to add specific data for all products.
For example, let’s say you want to include currency and declare USD as the value for all products. You can select Static Value from the Type dropdown and input your value in the Value box.
Adding custom fields in CSV to export WooCommerce products to Excel
You may find that some channels require information that is not on WooCommerce product pages. Those channels will reject the feed files if these fields are missing.
Different channels may ask for fields like GTIN, ISBN, MPN, Brand, EAN, Unit, etc. You may also need to add some extra fields for your record keeping.
Therefore, you need to add these custom fields or add custom fields to your Woo product pages. Adding codes to your website or using a custom field plugin like ACF are two ways to add these fields.
However, this calls for a certain level of technical expertise. Fortunately, advanced product feed plugins can handle these custom fields.
The plugin includes built-in custom fields that different channels may require. You can also add extra custom fields for your own product data.
Go to the plugin settings and click the Custom Fields tab.
Here, you can see the list of available custom fields with additional empty ones.
Let’s test them out. Enable MPN and save settings.
Go to a product page and then jump to the Product Data section. Click on the Inventory tab.
As you can see, the plugin has added an MPN field. You can enter the value here, and the plugin will include it in the feed when you add the attribute.
You can also make your fields from scratch, label them however you like, and fill them out with whatever information you need. For example, you want to add a model/version number for your products.
Enable an empty custom field.
Add value to the product page.
Finally, create the attribute in the feed window.
Filter options to further customize CSV to export WooCommerce products to Excel
Click on the Filter tab from the feed window.
From here, you can further customize your CSV feed. You can exclude stock-out products, which is significantly essential when doing feed marketing.
You can exclude incomplete products that don’t have a description, image, or price. Most importantly, you can create a feed file for specific products.
From filter settings, you can select specific product IDs you want to include in your CSV file.
You can also select products by status, categories, shipping, and tax country.
Additionally, the plugin allows filtering by different conditions from Advanced Filter settings.
Once done, click the generate button to export WooCommerce products to Excel.
When Should You Use an Advanced Product Feed Plugin?
The default WooCommerce exporter is good for simple exports, but an advanced product feed plugin is better when you need:
- Marketplace-ready product feeds
- Advanced filtering
- Automatic updates
- Custom attribute mapping
- Large catalog handling
- Multiple export formats
- Product URLs and image URLs
- Custom fields like GTIN, MPN, EAN, Brand, ISBN, and Unit
- Google Merchant Center feed support
It’s especially useful for eCommerce stores selling on multiple channels.
Why Do You Need to Export WooCommerce Products to Excel?
Exporting WooCommerce products to Excel or CSV helps you manage, update, and share product data more efficiently. It is useful for:
Data Backup
A WooCommerce product CSV file gives you a safe backup of your store’s product data, including product titles, SKUs, prices, stock status, categories, and custom fields.
Store Migration and Product Data Portability
If you move your WooCommerce store to a new website or platform, exported product data makes the migration process easier and reduces manual data entry.
Product Feed Marketing / Product Listing
A CSV file can also work as a product feed. You can use it to list products on marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Target or promote products through Google Shopping, Bing Shopping, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
Inventory Management
Exported WooCommerce product data helps you review stock levels, product availability, pricing, and categories in Excel or Google Sheets.
Bulk Updates
You can export products, edit prices, SKUs, stock status, categories, or descriptions in a spreadsheet, and then import the updated file back into WooCommerce.
Third-Party Integration
WooCommerce product exports can be used with accounting software, inventory tools, marketplaces, product feed plugins, and reporting systems.
Product Analysis and Reporting
Exported product data helps you analyze product performance, pricing, sales trends, stock issues, and marketing opportunities.
Compliance and Collaboration
A WooCommerce product CSV file also helps with record keeping, regulatory requirements, and sharing accurate product data with team members, suppliers, or partners.
Common WooCommerce Product Export Mistakes to Avoid
Before exporting WooCommerce products, avoid these common mistakes:
Not Exporting Custom Fields
If you use GTIN, MPN, brand, model number, product condition, or other custom fields, include them in your export file.
Ignoring Product Variations
For variable products, make sure your export includes variation-level data like size, color, price, SKU, and stock status.
Exporting Out-of-Stock Products for Product Feeds
If you are creating a product feed for Google Shopping, Facebook Catalog, or marketplaces, exclude out-of-stock products when needed.
Missing Product Images or Product URLs
Product image links and product URLs are important for marketplace listings, SEO audits, product feeds, and internal reporting.
Using the Wrong File Format
CSV works well for Excel and Google Sheets, but some channels may require XML, TXT, TSV, or other product feed formats.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I export WooCommerce products as a CSV file?
WooCommerce has a built-in option for exporting products as CSV files. Go to Products >> All Products and click Export. Then select your columns, product types, categories, and custom meta options before exporting the file.
How Do I Set Up a Google Shopping Product Feed for WooCommerce?
In order to set up advanced feed files, such as Google Shopping feed, you will need a product feed plugin. For example, CTX Feed can help generate Google Shopping feeds with the required product attributes.
Wrap up
WooCommerce is a powerful eCommerce platform that offers extensive built-in features, and when something is missing, you can almost always extend it with plugins.
This flexibility is one of the main reasons it remains a leading choice in the eCommerce industry. With product feeds, WooCommerce can also connect to multiple marketplaces, helping you promote your products and reach a much larger audience.
CSV files further support store operations by making it easier to handle data backup, inventory management, store migration, and bulk product updates.
We hope this guide on exporting WooCommerce products to Excel was helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to share them in the comments.
