Bulk editor columns you don’t see by default
Add the Shopify bulk editor columns that aren’t shown by default (theme template, metafields, barcodes) and open the editor on one metafield with a URL.
- Open
- Select items > Bulk edit
- Add fields
- Columns button, Metafields section
- Works on
- Products, variants, collections, customers, inventory
- Plan
- Every plan
- Last checked
In short
The Shopify bulk editor shows only a few columns at first. Click Columns to add more, such as theme template, barcodes, compare-at price and any product or variant metafield with a definition. You can also open it straight on one metafield for all products with a URL such as /bulk?edit=metafields.seo.hidden%3Anumber&resource_name=Product. Shift-click, Cmd/Alt-click and the fill handle edit many cells at once.
How to use it
- In Products (or Collections, Customers, Inventory), tick the items and click Bulk edit.
- Click Columns and tick the fields you need; metafields are listed in their own section.
- Edit cells, select ranges with Shift-click or separate cells with Alt-click (PC) or Cmd-click (Mac), and drag the fill handle to copy a value.
- Click Save, and fix any row Shopify flags before saving again.
Code
bulk-editor.txt# Open the bulk editor
Products > select products (checkboxes) > Bulk edit (or Edit products)
Then: Columns > tick the fields you need. Metafields have their own section.
# Columns worth adding
Theme template assign an alternate product template in bulk
Metafields any product or variant metafield with a definition
Barcodes also accepts barcode-scanner input
SKU, Compare-at price check these when a save fails with "invalid values"
# Open the editor straight on one metafield column for all products
https://admin.shopify.com/store/your-store/bulk?edit=metafields.seo.hidden%3Anumber&resource_name=Product
# pattern: edit=metafields.<namespace>.<key>%3A<type> (%3A is ":")
# Editing tricks
Arrow keys move between cells
Shift + click select a range of cells
Alt + click (PC) / Cmd + click (Mac) select cells that aren't next to each other
Drag across cells edit several fields at once
Drag the fill handle copy a cell's value up or down
Written by Lintel. MIT license: free to use in your own store and in client work.
Limits and edge cases
- “Update the invalid values, then save again” can come from a column you don’t see, such as a missing SKU or a metafield validation; add those columns to find it.
- Variant metafields can be edited here but not in the product CSV.
- Bulk editing of blog posts, pages and URL redirects is no longer available in the admin.
- Shopify’s help warns about errors in Microsoft Edge with long bulk editor URLs; use another browser for big selections.
Questions
- How do I add more columns to the Shopify bulk editor?
- Click Columns at the top of the bulk editor and tick the properties or metafields you want.
- Can I change the theme template for many products at once?
- Yes. Select the products, click Bulk edit, add the Theme template column and choose the template per row.
- Can I bulk edit metafields in Shopify?
- Yes, for products, variants, collections and customers: add the metafield columns in the bulk editor. The metafield needs a definition.
Shopify documentation
- Checked on a Shopify store on the date shown. Shopify changes its admin often; if a step looks different, the idea usually still works.
- Examples use placeholder IDs and your-store.myshopify.com. Replace them with your own.
- MIT license for the code snippets.
Need this built, tested and maintained for your store? See Shopify development.
