Setting a category on one product takes a few seconds. Setting it on a few hundred, one product page at a time, takes an afternoon. This guide covers the two built-in ways to edit product categories in bulk in Shopify, and what to check before you save.
What you are editing
The product category comes from Shopify's Standard Product Taxonomy, a fixed list shared by every store. It is separate from product type, which is a custom field unique to your store. Each product can have only one of each.
- Product category: A standard field, chosen from Shopify's list
- Product type: Your own free-text label
- Uncategorized: How Shopify labels a product with no category assigned
For background, see Shopify product categories and taxonomy.
Use the bulk editor
The bulk editor works well for a batch of similar products. In your Shopify admin, go to Products and select the products you want to change. Then click Bulk edit.
- Show the column: If the category column isn't visible, click Columns and select Product category
- Set the value: In the Product category column, search for a category, or click through the categories and subcategories
- Finish: Click Save
Filter the product list first, by product type or vendor for example, so the products in each batch belong in the same category.
Use a CSV import
For a large catalog, a spreadsheet is faster. Export your products, fill in the Product Category column, and import the file again.
| Format | Example |
|---|---|
| Breadcrumb | Home & Garden > Decor > Clocks > Alarm Clocks |
| Category ID | hg-3-17-1 |
Enter either the breadcrumb or the ID for each product, not both. Google's category is a separate column, Google Shopping / Google Product Category, so don't mix the two up.
Check Shopify's suggestions
Shopify generates a suggested category from a product's name, description and images. You can accept it or choose a more specific one. Suggestions are a starting point, so review them before you rely on them.
- ✅ Accept a suggestion when it is the most specific category that fits
- ✅ Pick a deeper subcategory when the suggestion is too broad
- ❌ Saving a product without looking: unedited suggestions are confirmed when you save
What changes after you save
A category does more than label the product. It brings a set of category metafields with it, and changing the category later affects them.
- Category metafields: Attributes mapped to the category, which help make products easier to find on your site, marketplaces and search engines
- When you change category: Metafields that have values or are connected to variant options carry over, and empty ones do not
- Channels and tax: Shopify says the category helps with tax calculations and with selling on channels such as Facebook
Doing this at scale
TaxonomyForge scans your catalog for missing categories, blank or generic product types and empty attributes. It proposes a Shopify Standard Product Taxonomy category with a confidence score, along with attribute metafields drawn from your own copy, and you approve each change one by one or in bulk. Every change is audit-logged. See TaxonomyForge.