How to Export My Shopify Store ?

Being a Shopify store owner, you might wonder how to export my Shopify store. We will tell you exactly how it works and what limitations there are.
If you’re looking for an easier way to import products from another platform into your shop, we’ve got that covered too! Read on to find out more about this handy feature.

Congratulations on your new eCommerce venture! Owning your own business is one of the most independent feelings of your entrepreneurship journey, which you can’t go wrong with. 

While you might have just begun operations on your Shopify store, you should be well aware of the most threatening problem in your store, losing it!

Yes, none of us want to lose our Shopify store, which we’ve been putting so much effort into.   

But what if we told you that instances as such are common? Yes, there are numerous ways in which you could lose your Shopify store.

In some instances, you might be a part of some phishing scam, leading to the loss of either a partial or complete wipeout of data sets from your store. Others might involve a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack or an insider’s job, resulting in the complete blackout of your website.

Or, here comes the most common part, youre modifying your store with some new theme and have accidentally pressed the wrong button, or maybe, deleted some vital content by mistake. 

Accidents involving Shopify store is a typical scene around many business owners. Losing your beautiful Shopify store, where you’ve invested months and efforts, can be a significant loss unless you’ve had a backup of your own.

Yes, it’s a possibility! You can export my Shopify store and create a subtle backup of your website in case things go wrong while modifying or other factors. 

While the instances may be many! You might need to export your store to create a backup, or you probably have collaborated with freelancers and want your website modified. Or, simply want to export the content to move it to a new store. 

There can be any possibility for why you may need to export your Shopify store, as every user has their purpose behind the process. However, what we can help you with is simplifying the processes involved in this operation. 

Yes, exporting the Shopify store comes with its own set of options. Continue reading to understand the concept and the processes involved in the export process. Let’s get started:  

What is Shopify export?

Shopify export refers to transferring your store’s data to a local database via different means. The process requires you to select the data sets of different store elements and create a manual copy of the information. Since Shopify, as a platform, also keeps a backup of the least basics, the export process is majorly manual. 

To put it simply, Shopify export is a simple process of transferring your store’s data to a folder in a database. It allows you to manually select different store elements and copy and paste the data to a file or folder. You can explore different data sets like orders, customer information, content, blogs, etc. Further, if you want to narrow down your selection, you can also use filters.

For instance, you are running a successful Shopify store that deals in footwear. Now, there’s an upcoming sale for which you want to modify a few banners on your store. 

In such cases, you cannot simply edit your shop’s content without taking the necessary precautions. Here, you must first successfully export your store and then proceed with the modifications to be safer in case things go wrong.  

Now that you’re ready to export your Shopify store, it should be noted that the platform allows users to create a backup of only limited elements. 

To list it out, you can only create backups of the following elements of your Shopify store:

• Products
• Discount codes
• Gift card codes
• Customers
• Orders
• Financial records

How to export your Shopify store?

What if we told you there are not one or two but three different ways to export your Shopify store. 

Here’s a list of all the different methods that will allow you to export your store: 

1. Creating a manual backup using CSV file format for exporting your products.
2. Export data using the Shopify app 
3. Automating the backup process

Let’s delve into the different options using which you can easily export the Shopify store:

Option 1: Manual CSV Backup Method

The first option in the list is to create a manual backup. Such backups are only possible when you create individual copies of different elements of your store in a CSV (Comma Separated Value) format. 

CSV is a go-to export option for users who either want to export the Shopify store or those who want to migrate their data for manual backup. 

However, users of the manual option need to note that there’s no Export all button in the store; every data set under a different section needs to be entered separately. 

The time required by the Shopify store to prepare a CSV file depends on the amount of data that needs to be exported. For instance, in a situation where youre exporting above 50 customer records from your store to a CSV format, the file will automatically be mailed to you. However, for orders up to 50 records, the file gets downloaded immediately. 

1. List of the steps required to export your Shopify store data

Here’s a list of the steps required to export your Shopify store data in CSV format:

Step 1: Go to your Shopify admin section. Once there, move to the Products section.

Step 2: Under the Products section, click on All products.

Step 3: Click Export

Step 4: From the popped-up dialogue box, select the products which you’d like to export:

• All products
• The current page of products
• Products that match your search and filters
• Products you have selected

Step 5: Select the type of CSV file that you’d like to export:

• You can select Excel, CSV file, Numbers, or any similar spreadsheet program you see fit. Remember, you can only use such a spreadsheet program if you later want to edit your product CSV file.
• Try using a plain CSV file if you want a plain-text editor with your product CSV file.

Step 6: Once you’ve selected the desired file type, click Export products to carry over your data. 

Now that you know the steps involved in creating a manual copy, you should understand that the process has a few limitations. They are: 

1. Once you’ve imported some information in the CSV file, it cannot be reversed.
2. While you copy your information on a CSV file, the information might present a chance in some places. The information usually happens with product variants and image URLs.
3. In case youre trying to import a CSV file that has been sorted already, it might result in overwriting the previously copied data with insufficient data. 

2. Copy And Paste Your Shopify Stores Data

Now that we know that the Shopify store doesn’t allow users to export every element of their store into a CSV format, in this part of the process, you should try to export the other parts that were previously left. 

Here, we will be exporting the remaining data sets of the Shopify store, like the custom product categories, product images, or blog content.

In this step, all you need to do is individually copy and paste the different elements of your store, like the content, images, and categories, into relevant Excel or Word files.

3. Save and Organize Your Newly Created Backup Files

Now that you’ve successfully copied and pasted every element of your store, it’s time to organize your store’s data which you have manually copied. 

In this process, you’ll be required to categorize your backup so that you can easily access, understand, and access the information required to retrieve the backup of your store.

Now that youre backing up your store manually, it’s time to repeat the process similarly every time you change the documents in the live store. 

An intelligent suggestion would be to create a fixed time for your store’s backup at regular intervals (every week or month). In such cases, try maintaining a timestamp to quickly move your store to a specific period.

4. Secure Your Backup 

Now that youre ready with your backups, it would be wise to consider securing them from phishing attacks or hackers. Here, you should try securing your backups via encryption codes or two-factor authorization to save them from the access of unauthorized users.

Another step to increase the security of your backup is to make several copies of the backup and store it in three different locations. Preferably, in your local database, on the cloud, and somewhere in the form of a physical drive. 

5. Import the Data to Your New Store

There has been a situation that you weren’t expecting! It’s time to use the backed-up data and Export it to your new store. However, a thing to note here is that you should ensure that your store has a similar subscription plan previously present in the first store.

Here are the required steps to import your data to your online store: 

1. Step 1: Move to your Shopify dashboard.
2. Step 2: From your dashboard, move to the page on which you’d like to create a copy. 
3. Step 3: Manually configure all your previous settings into your new Shopify store.
4. Step 4: Copy and paste all the content you have already backed up. Remember, it should be pasted similarly to the previous store.
5. Step 5: Re-structure and re-create your store’s navigation.
6. Step 6: In case youre facing any problems, consider reaching out to the support team of Shopify.

Option 2: Export data using the Shopify app

For the second option, we will explore using a Shopify app to export the contents of a store. 

The example below will be using the Goshu backups for Shopify that allow you to create backups and export your content to a new store without having to manually copy and paste the different elements of your store. 

Step 1: Once you’ve entered the store, it’s time to click on the Export option in the home section. Select the file format in which you want your data to be backed up. On the other hand, if you want to create a copy where you’d like an editable copy of your backup, it would help if you create an Excel format.

Step 2: The other step in the process requires you to click on the checkboxes for which you want to create successful backups. 

Remember, when selecting checkboxes, several fields comprise Export Only tags. 

Step 3: While exporting your Products and Collections, remember not to check on the Collections box. 

Step 4: The process is complete, and your files have been successfully exported in a file format. 

Option 3: Automating the backup process

The third step in the process is to automate your exports. Here, you need to follow specific steps to schedule periodic backups. You can easily create successful automated backups of your store via the Goshu  Shopify backup app that is available in the store.  

To use it, all you need to do is install the application and complete these three steps:

Step 1: Link the source you need to create a backup. Set up the source by connecting the app to your Shopify store and select the required data sets you want to export.

Step 2: Set up the Destination of your backup (select the spreadsheet where you’d like to export your data)

Step 3: Create a schedule for which you’d like your backups. Once you’ve selected the time slot you’d like to create backups, it’s time to Save and Run the steps.

Now that we have covered all the possible options where you can export your Shopify store let’s look at all the individual elements and see how we can export them manually.  

How to export product data?

To export product data from your store: 

1. Open the data which you want to export.
2. Click Export.

Remember, in some instances where you have to prepare export data of your finances (Taxes, Sales, and Payments), you can select the type of report that you’d like to export into. 

How to export the Shopify theme?

Exporting the Shopify theme is simple; you have to follow the given steps below: 

1. Once youre inside the Shopify admin section, move to Online Store, followed by a click on Themes.
2. Move to the current theme you are using (or any other theme you want to export), click on Actions, and then download your theme file.

How to export Customer data?

To export your Shopify Customer data, follow the suggested steps: 

1. Once you’ve entered the Shopify admin section, move to Customers.
2. Once inside the Customers section, it’s time to click Export.
3. Here, you can select the appropriate export options: CSV or editable file format.
4. Confirm your selection and click on Export customers. 

How do export Orders & discounts?

Exporting Orders and Discounts is straightforward. All you need to do is follow the steps suggested below: 

1. Go to the Discounts section under your Shopify admin.
2. Once you’ve entered the Discounts page, click Export.
3. Select the following options which you’d like to export: 

• Current page 
• All discounts 
• Selected discounts 
• Current search 

4. Select the suitable format in which you’d like to have your download
5. Click on Export.

How to export Blog Posts & Pages?

To export your Blog Posts and Pages, you need to follow the mentioned steps: 

1. Go to your source store 
2. Select the Blogs, Posts, and Comments that you want to export. 
3. Click on Export to start the process of downloading.

How do you export Meta fields?

To export your Meta Fields, you need to follow the mentioned steps: 

4. Go to your source store 
5. Select the Metadata that you want to export. 
6. Click on Export to start the process of downloading.

Frequently Asked Questions about exporting Shopify store.

1. How do I export data from Shopify?

There are three different processes involved in the process of exporting data from the Shopify store. They are: 

• Manual backup via CSV files
• Creating a backup solution 
• Automated backup via apps

2. How do I download my Shopify store?

To download your Shopify store, you need to follow the steps that were mentioned above. 

3. How do I export Shopify to CSV?

To export Shopify to CSV, you need to manually pick up the different elements of your store and paste them into a CSV format. 

4. How do I export a customer list from Shopify?

To export your Shopify Customer data, follow the suggested steps: 

1. Step 1: Once youve entered the Shopify admin section, move to Customers.
2. Step 2: Once youve entered the Customers section, its time to click Export.
3. Step 3: Here, you can select the relevant export options: CSV or some other editable file format
4. Step 4: Confirm your selection and click on Export customers. 

5. How do I download all files from Shopify?

Since Shopify doesn’t allow you to download all the elements of your store, we suggest you use a Shopify app to download all files from your store. 

Conclusion

So that’s a wrap on our piece! Now that you have a complete idea of exporting your Shopify store, we hope that you won’t face any problems if you find yourself in unwanted situations. Remember, there is more than one method to export your store; follow the methods that suit you. All the best!