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Shopify upload error list and how to solve them

    This is a curated list of known error messages related to file uploading or importing in Shopify, and how to solve them.

    Content

    This file couldn’t be added: .jpeg exceeds 20 megapixels

    Error Explained:

    This error happens to image files (jpg, jpeg, png) that have exceeded the maximum resolution allowed by Shopify, which is 20 million pixels. The reason of this limitation is to make sure your website performance wouldn’t be bogged down by huge images that take long time load.

    This issue is usually related to product images, or uncompressed photoshoot images. High resolution images like these are usually for printing to ensure high quality printed materials.

    Solution:

    This error can be solved by re-sizing your image files, and re-upload them once they have been downsized. Here are some recommended free tools to re-size your images.

    Media upload failed – Image: Media processing failed

    (sometimes also kwown as…)

    Error: There was an issue processing the uploaded media. Please try again later.

    Error Explained:

    There are multiple reasons that could lead to this error, including the file has exceeded file size limit, the file has corrupted, wrong file extension etc.

    Solution:

    Check Shopify’s file upload limitation to make sure the file size is within Shopify’s allowed limitation. Resize it with Shopify Image Resizer, or Tiny PNG if needed.

    Next check the file format is correct. Sometimes you might accidentally cause an error to the file format while renaming the file.

    If you suspect the issue is a local issue (only happen to your device or a particular browser), try uploading again with incognito mode or on a different device / browser.

    File must be a .zip less than 50 MB

    Error Explained:

    This happens when you are uploading a custom theme files in the .zip format.

    For custom or external theme obtained outside of Shopify, there is a limit of 50 MB.

    Solution:

    In some cases, this could be solved by unzipping the .zip file. Once you have unzipped, you may find more .zip files within the main zip file, then you can try uploading these smaller .zip files.

    If these still won’t work, check with your theme developer or theme seller (or read the install instruction) to get the correct theme installation instruction.

    Zip does not contain a valid theme: missing template…

    Error Explained:

    This usually happens when you are uploading external or custom theme files. The error is caused by incomplete or incorrect files in the theme zip.

    Solution:

    Check and follow the installation guide thoroughly while uploading the theme files.

    If you are having still problem despite following the guide, it is best to reach out to the theme developer or theme seller for help.

    There was an error importing your CSV file. After you fix the error, trying importing the CSV file again.

    Error Explained:

    This happens when you are importing customers or products via a CSV that has invalid formatting or characters.

    Shopify would usually specify the exact issue in the error message. You can cross reference the error message with the list below and find the solution.

    Product CSV Import Error

    Product CSV Import ErrorError Explanation and Solution
    Daily variant creation limit reached, try againFor stores with 50,000 product variants (excluding Plus stores), no more than 1,000 new variants can be created through CSV uploads or API within a 24-hour period.

    The 24-hour countdown begins with the first upload of the day.
    Fulfillment service can’t be blankYou need to enter the name of the fulfillment service you’re using. If you’re not using a fulfillment service, then this should be set to manual.
    Ignored line #-## because handle example already existsThe handle is used to uniquely identify each individual product. Make sure you have a unique handle for each product in your CSV.
    Ignored line #-## because it did not contain product dataThis means that there is at least one product with a handle, but no product title.
    Illegal quoting on lineThis error is caused when there is an illegal character in the CSV file that you are trying to import. To fix this, remember that your CSV file must be UTF-8 encoded.
    Sometimes, this error is caused by a missing or stray quote.
    Incorrect header checkRemove the image from that line and try again. If that resolves the issue, then try hosting the image somewhere else.
    Invalid CSV header: missing headersThe first line of your CSV file should be:

    Handle,Title,Body (HTML),Vendor,Type,Tags,Published,Option1 Name,Option1 Value,Option2 Name,Option2 Value,Option3 Name,Option3 Value,Variant SKU,Variant Grams,Variant Inventory Tracker,Variant Inventory Qty,Variant Inventory Policy,Variant Fulfillment Service,Variant Price,Variant Compare-at Price,Variant Requires Shipping,Variant Taxable,Variant Barcode,Image Src,Image Alt Text

    Remember to check for extra white spaces at the end of the first line.
    Inventory policy is not included in the listThe inventory policy needs to be set to ‘deny’ or ‘continue’.
    Inventory quantity can’t be blankThe inventory quantity needs to be set. If you’re not tracking inventory, then make sure the Variant Inventory Tracker is left blank. Otherwise, the platform requires an inventory quantity.
    Inventory quantity is not a numberYou need to enter a number value for the quantity of items in stock.
    Missing or stray quote on lineThis can be the result of Excel or another spreadsheet program adding curly quotes (smart quotes). These quotes need to be replaced with straight quotes. To resolve this issue, open the file in a text editor, and do a search and replace to change “ “ into quotes that look like this: ” “.
    Another possible cause is an extra quote that has been added to the file. Open the file in a text editor and find the line that has error. Review the fields for stray quotes and remove them.
    Not a valid product categoryThe product category that you entered does not match the full product category or ID number listed in Shopify’s Standard Product Taxonomy. You need to match either the category or the ID number exactly.
    Validation failed: An error occurred while trying to download the imageAn image file is missing.
    Validation failed: getaddrinfo: nodename nor servname provided, or not knownThis error is caused when there is a mistake in the image URL. The image URL needs to have http:// in front of it. It also needs to be a publicly accessible direct link to the image.
    Validation failed: options are not uniqueThis error is caused when a product has duplicate options. You might have set up a product with two variants with the same option values (for example, 2 medium products, both in black). If the option values are unique, then a product could be duplicated elsewhere in the CSV with the same handle.
    Validation failed: price can’t be blankThe price needs to be added to this line.
    Validation failed: The uploaded image exceeds the 20 megapixel limitYour product images can be any size up to 5000 x 5000 px, or 20 megapixels. Reduce the size of the image or use a different image.

    Customer CSV Import Error

    Customer CSV Import ErrorError Explanation and solution
    CSV file is bigger than 15 MBIf the CSV file is too large to upload, split it into multiple files, each under 15 MB, and upload them one by one.
    Only 1 CSV file can be uploaded at a timeIf an upload is already in progress, please wait for it to finish before uploading another CSV file.
    Missing header or missing headers
    		If the CSV file is missing a required header, you will receive an error message that specifies the missing column.

    You can refer to the customer CSV template to see all the available column headers.
    Some headers were not acceptedColumn headers must match the list of accepted terms exactly.

    If the CSV file contains a column header that doesn’t match the required list, check for any extra letters, spaces, or columns. If needed, you can start fresh using the customer CSV template.
    Punctuation can’t be used: illegal quoting in line 6If the CSV file contains characters that can’t be used, ensure that it is UTF-8 encoded.
    If your CSV file has curly or smart quotation marks (“ ”), replace them with straight quotation marks (” “). Also, remove any extra quotation marks in the file.
    Your CSV is in the wrong formatIf the CSV file uses the wrong format, then open the file in a spreadsheet program and verify that it’s a .CSV file.

    Save the CSV file in UTF-8 format using LF-style linefeed. If you’re not familiar with encodings, then review your spreadsheet or text editor’s documentation.
    Your CSV file wasn’t uploadedIf an error occurs before the import starts, try uploading your CSV file to Shopify again.
    Country, region, state, or province is not validYou must use specific codes, known as ISO 3166-1, to include countries, regions, states, and provinces in your Shopify customer upload.