CSV import troubleshooting

Learn more about troubleshooting issues with your CSV imports.


In this article:

Finding your imports page

All your past and current imports are listed in one place. To get there:

  1. Hover your mouse over the "slider" icon in the top right-hand menu.
  2. Select Imported Files from the menu that appears.

From the Imported Files page, you can review all your past imports, check their status, and start a new import.


Basic CSV checks before you import

Most import failures come from a handful of common formatting issues. Work through this checklist before uploading:

  1. Save the file as CSV — make sure your spreadsheet has been exported in CSV format, not as an Excel (.xlsx) or Google Sheets file. How do I convert my spreadsheet to CSV?
  2. Keep the header row on row 1 — the first row must contain your column headers (e.g. "Name", "SKU", "Quantity"). If your spreadsheet has a title row above the headers, remove it before saving.
  3. Stay under 10,000 rows — if you need to import more than 10,000 rows, split your file into multiple CSVs and import them separately.
  4. Use numbers for prices and costs — enter values as plain numbers only (e.g. 12.50, not $12.50). Currency symbols will cause those cells to be skipped.
  5. Fill in all required fields — check the import guide for the record type you are importing to confirm which fields are required:

Understanding import status

After your import runs, the import summary page shows a status pill in the top right corner:

  • Complete (green) — all rows were imported without errors.
  • Complete with errors (amber) — the import finished, but some rows could not be processed. Any rows that did import successfully are saved; only the problem rows were skipped.
  • Failed (red) — the import could not run at all, usually because the file could not be read. Check the file format and try again.
  • Importing... (blue) — the import is still processing. Refresh the page to check progress.

Tip: A "Complete with errors" import does not need to be re-run from scratch. Download your original CSV file from the import summary page, fix only the affected rows, and re-import just those rows as a new file.


Reading the error breakdown

When an import completes with errors, the import summary page shows a detailed breakdown of what went wrong.

The error panel shows:

  • Total rows skipped — the count of rows that could not be imported.
  • Error type summary — a breakdown of how many rows failed for each reason (e.g. 3 Duplicate SKUs, 2 Validation Errors).
  • View detailed error breakdown — click this to expand a list of specific errors, one per row. Each entry shows the row number, error type, and a description of what went wrong. For validation errors, you will also see the field name and the value that failed.
  • View affected row numbers — click this to see the list of all row numbers that were skipped. Row numbers refer to your original CSV file, where row 1 is your header row.

Up to 10 individual errors are shown per error type. If you have more than 10 of the same error type, the remainder are grouped with a count and a preview of the affected row numbers.

Once you have identified the problem rows, download your original CSV file from the import summary page, fix the affected rows, and re-import.


What each error type means

The error breakdown uses five error types. Here is what each one means and how to fix it:


Empty Row

The row contained no data. Blank rows are common when copying and pasting from spreadsheets.

  1. Open your CSV in a spreadsheet program — scroll to the row number shown and check whether it is genuinely blank.
  2. Delete the blank row and re-save — if the row is empty, delete it, save as CSV again, and re-import.

Empty rows are skipped automatically. They do not prevent the rest of your import from running.


Duplicate SKU

A material or product with the same SKU already exists in your account. The importer skips duplicate SKUs to avoid overwriting your existing records.

  1. Check the SKU shown in the error detail — the error message includes the duplicate SKU value (e.g. "SKU ABC123 already exists").
  2. Search for the existing record — go to Materials or Products and search for that SKU to confirm the record is already in your account.
  3. Decide what to do — if the existing record is correct, remove that row from your import file. If you want to update an existing record, use the bulk update importer instead of the bulk import importer.

Validation Error

The row contained data that did not meet the requirements for that field — for example, a non-numeric value in a price field, or a required field left blank.

  1. Check the field and value shown — the error detail shows which field failed and what value was in that cell (e.g. "Validation failed: Price cannot be blank").

    Fix the value in your CSV — correct the formatting in that cell. Common fixes:

    • Remove currency symbols from price and cost fields (use 12.50 not $12.50)
    • Fill in any required fields that were left blank
    • Make sure date fields use the format shown in the import guide
  2. Re-import the corrected rows — save your file and re-import. Only the fixed rows need to be included in the new file.

Missing Reference

The row referenced a record that does not exist in your account yet — for example, a recipe row that lists a material SKU that has not been imported.

  1. Check what is missing — the error detail shows the field and value that could not be found (e.g. "Material SKU BEES-WAX-01 not found").
  2. Create the missing record first — add the referenced material, product, or contact to the app before re-importing.
  3. Re-import the affected rows — once the missing records exist, re-import the rows that failed.

Important: For recipe imports, if any material in a recipe row is missing, the entire recipe for that row is skipped — not just the missing ingredient. Make sure all materials in your recipe are imported before importing your recipes.


Unexpected Error

Something unexpected went wrong while processing that row. This is uncommon and usually indicates unusual data in that row.

  1. Check the row in your CSV — look for unusual characters, very long values, or data that does not match the expected format.
  2. Try simplifying the data — remove any special characters or extra formatting and re-import just that row as a test.
  3. Contact support if the error persists — if the row looks correct but still fails, get in touch with our support team and share the error details from the import page.

Having trouble downloading import templates?

Try right-clicking the download link and selecting "Save Link As" (or your browser equivalent) to save the file directly to your computer. Once saved, open it in Excel, Google Sheets, or another spreadsheet program.

Need Help?

Still having trouble with a CSV import? Get in touch and our support team will help you work through it.

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