Troubleshooting Shopify CSV Validator

Start here

If Shopify CSV Validator returns unexpected results, work through the symptoms below before assuming the file is unrecoverable. Most issues are encoding, delimiter, or header mismatches — not corrupt data.

Common symptoms and fixes

• Import rejected with column not found: Compare headers to shopify's required field list; rename in source or use column mapping in Shopify CSV Validator.
• Valid emails flagged invalid: Check for trailing spaces, invisible Unicode, or multiple emails in one cell.
• Health Score low but no obvious errors: Review duplicate rows, empty required fields, and type mismatches in the issue list.

Re-run after each fix. Client-side processing makes iteration fast.

Using Health Score for diagnosis

Every run includes a Health Score (0–100 with A–F grade) and an actionable issue list so you fix problems before import, not after. Sort issues by severity — fix blocking errors before warnings. A score jump from C to A usually means one systematic fix (encoding, header rename, date format), not hundreds of row edits.

When to escalate

If the file fails every tool in Import Validation Tools, inspect raw bytes (hex editor or `file` command) for wrong encoding labels. Re-export from the source system with explicit UTF-8 CSV settings.

For vendor files, send them the validation report — specific row and column errors speed up their fix cycle.