How to bulk edit products in Shopify, and undo it if it goes wrong
There are three ways to change many Shopify products at once. Each is fine for some jobs. Only one lets you see the result first and take it back after.
1. Shopify's built-in bulk editor
- In Shopify admin, go to Products.
- Tick the products you want to change (or use the filter, then select all).
- Click Bulk edit. A spreadsheet-style grid opens.
- Add the columns you need, type the new values, and click Save.
Good for: a few dozen products where you type each new value yourself.
What it can't do: there's no undo history, so a mistake is fixed by hand. You type values one by one rather than describing a change like "raise every Nike price by 8% and round to .99".
2. CSV export and import
- In Products, click Export and download the CSV.
- Edit the file in a spreadsheet. Keep the original file as your backup.
- Click Import, choose the file, and tick Overwrite products with matching handles.
Good for: big restructures and moving catalogs between stores.
What it can't do: you can't see what will change before it's applied, and one wrong column overwrites every product in the file. Undoing means re-importing your backup, which also wipes any changes made since.
3. A bulk editor app with preview and undo
This is how it works in Catalogist. Other bulk editor apps work in a similar way, so compare what they do after the edit (check, history, undo).
- Filter. Narrow to the exact products: by status, vendor, type, tag, collection or price.
- Pick a change. Prices (set, raise or lower by an amount or %, round to .99), compare-at prices, stock per location, tags, status, vendor, type, SEO, descriptions, metafields. Or type it in plain English and review what the AI suggests.
- Preview. See every product's real before and after, including which ones won't change and why.
- Apply. Catalogist makes the change, then reads your products back from Shopify and shows what actually saved.
- Undo, if needed. Every edit is in History. One click puts the old values back, for 12 months.
Good for: everyday changes (sales, price rises, tags, stock, status) on tens to thousands of products.
Which one should you use?
| You want to… | Use |
|---|---|
| Fix a few values by hand | Shopify's bulk editor |
| Build or restructure a whole catalog | CSV import, with a backup |
| Run a sale, raise prices, retag, restock, and be able to take it back | A bulk editor with preview and undo |
Questions
Can I undo a bulk edit in Shopify?
Not in Shopify's own bulk editor or CSV import: there's no history to roll back to. To reverse a change you either type the old values back or re-import a CSV you exported before the edit. Catalogist records every product's values before each edit, so one click puts them back, for 12 months.
How do I raise all prices by 10% in Shopify?
Filter the products you want (for example by vendor, type, tag or collection), choose "Increase price by a percentage", enter 10, and check the preview: it shows each variant's old and new price, with optional rounding to endings like .99. Then apply. If it isn't right, undo it.
How many products can I edit at once?
On Catalogist's Free plan you can pick up to 250 products for each edit, as often as you like. Pro edits everything a filter matches in one go, thousands of products, in the background.
Is it safe to edit thousands of products at once?
It's safe when you can see the result first and take it back after. Preview every change before it runs, edit in a way that keeps a record of the old values, and check what Shopify actually saved. Catalogist does all three on every edit.
Should I use CSV export and import instead?
CSV is good for building a new catalog or a big one-off restructure. For everyday changes (prices, tags, stock, status) it's slower and riskier: one wrong column can overwrite every product, and there's no preview of what will change. Keep your exported file as a backup either way.