How do I bulk edit product weights in Shopify?

Updated 2026-10-21. Checked against Shopify's own documentation; links are under Sources.

The dependable way is a product CSV. Export your products, fill in the Weight value (grams) column (always in grams, whatever unit your store displays), and import the file again with overwrite turned on. Shopify's bulk editor also edits many products at once and works well for a few dozen rows. It's slow for whole catalogs.

Before you start: weigh one of each

Bulk editing is only as good as the numbers you put in. Weigh one unit of each product type on a scale. Variants of the same size usually weigh the same, so one T-shirt weight covers every colour in that size. Decide whether your weights include packaging. If they do, set your default package weight to zero in Settings › Shipping and delivery, because Shopify adds the package weight on top (why this matters).

Method 1: the product CSV

  1. Export. Go to Products › Export, choose All products (or the products currently shown, if you've filtered the list), and a CSV format. Keep an unedited copy as a backup.
  2. Open it safely. Barcodes and SKUs with leading zeros get damaged if you double-click the file in Excel. Import it as text instead (how).
  3. Fill the weight column. In the current format the column is Weight value (grams). Shopify describes it as "The weight of the product or variant, expressed in grams." Older exports call it Variant Grams. Enter grams even if your store uses pounds: 1 lb is 453.59 g and 1 oz is 28.35 g. The weight helper converts for you.
  4. Set the display unit if you want one. Weight unit for display (older: Variant Weight Unit) takes g, kg, oz or lb. It only changes how the weight is shown in the admin, not the value used.
  5. Edit variant rows only. Each variant has its own row with the same URL handle. Rows that contain only an image URL are image rows, so leave their weight blank.
  6. Check Requires shipping. Physical products should be true, which is the default.
  7. Remove columns you didn't change (optional, but safer). Shopify needs the handle column to match products. Our understanding is that importing fewer columns limits what can be overwritten, but test this with a small file first.
  8. Import. Go to Products › Import, choose the file, and turn on the option to overwrite existing products, so rows update the products with matching handles instead of creating new ones. Review the preview before confirming.

Test with a few products first. Import a CSV with just two or three products, confirm the weights in the admin, then import the rest. A mistake in an overwrite import changes every product in the file.

Packed dimensions are in the CSV now too

Shopify's product CSV template now includes Packed product length, Packed product width, Packed product height and Packed product dimension unit. You can fill these in the same pass. Shopify uses packed dimensions to choose a box automatically for some multi-item orders. How that works.

Method 2: the bulk editor

In Products, select the products and click Bulk edit. Shopify's help explains how to "click Columns, and then select all the properties that you want to add". If a weight column is offered there, you can type weights into a spreadsheet-style grid and save. We couldn't confirm from Shopify's documentation which weight fields the bulk editor shows. If you don't see one, use the CSV method. The bulk editor suits a few dozen products. For hundreds, the CSV is faster and leaves you a file as a record.

Common mistakes

Check that it worked

  1. Export your products again.
  2. Run the file through the product CSV checker. "Missing weight" should be 0, or only list products you deliberately left out.
  3. Open two or three products in the admin to confirm the weight and unit look right, then test a cart at checkout.

Sources

Related