Import categories from a file

PrestaShop allows you to import a large number of categories from a file to create your catalogue. Follow the guide!

To access it: Advanced settings > Import

The process of importing categories (2) is very similar to the process of importing files. To import your categories, simply download the template file (4) made available on the Advanced Settings > Import page (1).

How to prepare your category file?

Open the downloaded template file to start filling it in. Each column corresponds to a field in the back office. The number of fields to fill in varies depending on the nature of the items you want to import (3).

• ID: the unique identifier of your products. You can find it in your product sheet.
• Active: 0 allows you to add this category to your store but keep it deactivated, 1 allows you to add it and activate it.
• Name: the name of the category.
• Parent category: the main category of your category.
• Root category: the category that can serve as the starting point for a category tree. This type of category is particularly used in multi-stores.
• Description: the description of your category.
• Title tag: the clickable link that will appear in search engines.
• Meta keywords: the keywords that allow access to your store on search engines.
• Meta description: the two lines of presentation that appear under your link in the search engines.
• Rewritten URL: if you are not using multi-stores, leave this field empty to use the default store.
• Image URL: the URL associated with your image.
• Store ID or name: if you are not using multi-stores, leave this field empty to use the default store.

Once your file is complete, do not forget to save it, then select it (6).

How to set up your file?

Once your file has been selected, specify its settings so that it can be properly read by PrestaShop. The information provided will then be correctly displayed in your back-office once the import of the final file has been completed.

• File language: select the language of the imported categories (one file per language).
• Field separator: leave the default value ";" . You can modify the separator in the case of a .csv file that does not contain the value “;”
• Field separator for multiple values: leave the value "," as the default. You can modify the separator in the case of a .csv file designed differently.

Then select the import parameters:

• Delete all categories: click "yes" to delete all existing example categories from your back office.
• Ignore the regeneration of thumbnails: leave the value "No" by default, especially if your catalog is large.
• Force the identifiers: select "yes" if you have not filled in the "ID" column of the file, PrestaShop will create the identifiers automatically. Leave it on "No" if you have already defined an identifier by category.
• Send an email notification: receive an email to confirm that the import is finished. This option can be useful if the file to be imported is large because the more elements to be imported, the longer the import takes.

Import data

Click on the "Next step" button to display the data correspondence. This tool allows you to correctly match the columns of your file with the fields that PrestaShop needs.

In our example, we used the first line to write the column names. Since we do not want to import this line, we enter "1" in the "Skip X lines" field.

Once all your columns have been matched, click on the "Import data" button to start the import process. Once completed, you will return to the main screen which, depending on the result, will confirm that everything has been imported correctly or notify you of any problems encountered. In the second case, carefully review your .csv files, it is possible that an element has been incorrectly reported.

[metatitle:]Importing your categories from a file - PrestaShop Help Center[:metatitle] [metadescription:]Discover how to save time by adding your PrestaShop store categories from a .csv file.[:metadescription]