Part 3: Exporting Inventory Data

Illustration of a shelving unit stacked with colored boxes, with a dashed arrow to a spreadsheet window named inventory.csv showing SKU, On hand and Available columns and a download badge

Updated September 2026

Blog series: Mastering inventory. In part 1 we got set up, and in part 2 we ran a stock take so the numbers in Shopify match the shelves. This last part is about getting those numbers out of Shopify: for your accountant, for a buying meeting, or just for a spreadsheet you trust.

Since this series was first written, our Stock Take app has grown into Stock Control, and Shopify's own inventory export has improved a lot. So this guide starts with what Shopify gives you for free.

Why export inventory data?

  • Month-end and year-end records. Your accountant wants stock on hand and its value at a date.
  • Reconciliation. Compare Shopify with a supplier's statement, a warehouse report or last month's file.
  • Buying. Sort by what's running low before you place purchase orders.
  • Bulk updates. Export, edit quantities in a spreadsheet, and import the file back.

How to export inventory from Shopify

  1. In your Shopify admin, go to Products → Inventory.
  2. If you only want some products, search or filter the list first.
  3. Click Export.
  4. Under Export from, choose one location or All locations.
  5. Choose the inventory states: All states (recommended) or Available only.
  6. Choose which variants: the current page, all variants, selected variants, or variants matching your search.
  7. Pick the file format and click Export inventory. The file downloads to your computer.
Mockup of Shopify's Export inventory dialog with Export from set to All locations, All states selected, All variants selected and CSV format, and the columns in the exported file: On hand (current), Available, Committed, Unavailable and Incoming PRODUCTS → INVENTORY Export inventory Export from All locations Inventory states All states Available Export Current page All variants Variants matching your search Export inventory IN THE CSV On hand (current) · on the shelf Available · can be sold Committed · in open orders Unavailable · held back Incoming · on its way
Shopify's inventory export and what each quantity column means. Simplified mockup.

With All states, each row is one variant at one location, identified by handle, title, SKU and option values, with a column for each quantity state. The difference between them matters when you read the file:

Column What it means
On hand (current) Units physically at the location when you exported
Available Units you can still sell
Committed Units in orders that haven't been fulfilled yet
Unavailable Units you've set aside, such as damaged, quality control or safety stock
Incoming Units on their way to the location

For a stock valuation, use On hand, not Available. Committed stock is still yours until it ships.

Worth knowingIf you plan to edit the file and import it back, keep the All states format. Shopify recommends it because it protects against accidentally overwriting quantities that changed while you were editing.

Inventory reports for history

The export is a snapshot of right now. For history, use Analytics → Reports. Shopify's inventory reports include a month-end inventory snapshot, month-end inventory value (based on cost per item), inventory sold daily by product, sell-through rate, days of inventory remaining, ABC analysis, and inventory adjustment changes, which shows every change made in a period. We covered that last one in inventory adjustment history reports.

To export any report, open it, click the horizontal menu icon, choose Export, and pick CSV (XML, JSONL and Parquet are there too). Month-end value is only as good as your cost data, so fill in Cost per item on your products first.

What Stock Control adds

Shopify tells you how much you have. Stock Control, the inventory app we build, is for deciding what to do about it. Its Inventory page shows every tracked variant with on-hand, available and committed stock alongside sales velocity per day, days of stock left, a trend, inventory value and a status (In Stock, Low Stock, Reorder Now, Out of Stock or Dead Stock). You can filter, sort and search that list before you look at anything in a spreadsheet.

It also keeps an audit trail. Every adjustment made in the app records who made it, when, and a reason code such as Damage, Shrinkage or Correction, and Reports → Adjustments Audit lets you filter them by date, location, reason and user. That answers the question an export can't: not just what changed, but why. Plans start with a 7-day free trial on the Shopify App Store.

Tips for clean exports

  • Export at the same moment each month, such as the last working day after fulfillment, so month-to-month comparisons are fair.
  • Name files with the date and location, like inventory-2026-09-30-all-locations.csv.
  • Keep the originals. Work on a copy, and store the untouched export where your team can find it.
  • Check SKUs first. Blank or duplicate SKUs make reconciliation painful. Fix them in Shopify before you export.
  • Count, then export. An export only reflects what Shopify believes. Run a count (see part 2) before any export you'll rely on.

That wraps up the series: set up, count, export. If you have questions, the Stock Control help centre covers every feature, or contact our support team.