How to Import Shopify 301 Redirects in Bulk Using CSV
To create Shopify 301 redirects in bulk, build a CSV file with two columns, Redirect from and Redirect to, then import it under Content > Menus > View URL redirects. Shopify turns each row into a permanent 301 redirect, so you can move hundreds or thousands of old URLs to their new pages in one upload.
Bulk redirects matter most after migrations, catalog cleanups and URL changes, when many pages move at once. A well-built redirect file keeps customers off error pages and helps search engines pass the old pages’ value to the new ones.
How Shopify 301 Redirects Work
A 301 redirect tells browsers and search engines that a page has moved permanently, so visitors land on the new URL and search engines update their index over time. Shopify’s built-in URL redirects are 301s, which is the right choice for nearly every permanent change.
Shopify redirects only take effect when the old URL no longer exists on your store. If a product, collection or page is still live at the old address, Shopify shows that page instead, so remove or rename the old item before relying on its redirect. A few limits also shape what you can redirect:
- Redirect limits. Stores can have up to 100,000 redirects, or 20 million on Shopify Plus.
- Excluded paths. Fixed paths such as
/products,/collectionsand/collections/all, system paths such as/cart,/ordersand/apps, and collection tag filter URLs can’t be redirected. - Query strings. Redirect paths with query strings and some special characters aren’t supported.
- International URLs. Language or market subfolders, such as
/fr/paths, need their own redirects.
How to Create 301 Redirects in Bulk
Shopify’s native CSV import is the fastest way to add many redirects at once. Prepare the file first, then upload it from the URL redirects page.
| Redirect from | Redirect to |
|---|---|
/old-category/blue-shirt.html |
/products/blue-shirt |
/category/mens-shirts |
/collections/mens-shirts |
/about-us.html |
/pages/about-us |
Use the old path without your domain in the first column. In the second column, use a relative path for pages on your store, or a full URL if the destination is on another site.
- Create the CSV. Add the headers Redirect from and Redirect to, then one row per redirect, and save the file as a UTF-8 CSV.
- Open URL redirects. In your Shopify admin, go to Content > Menus and click View URL redirects.
- Import the file. Click Import, choose your CSV and upload it.
- Review the preview. Check the number of redirects Shopify found and fix any reported errors.
- Create the redirects. Confirm the import and wait for Shopify to finish processing.
Build Your Redirect List
The quality of your redirects depends on the list behind them. Start by collecting every old URL that still has value, then decide where each one should go.
- Old site exports. Export product, category and page URLs from your previous platform before you shut it down.
- A site crawl. Crawl the old site to catch URLs that exports miss, such as content pages and filtered category pages.
- Search and traffic data. Pull pages with clicks or impressions from Google Search Console and traffic from your analytics tool.
- Backlinks. Include URLs that other sites link to, since those links keep sending visitors and authority.
- Handle changes. Shopify can create a redirect automatically when you change a handle in the product or collection editor, but handle changes made in bulk may not include one, so add those old and new paths to your list.
Map each old URL to its closest live equivalent, such as the same product’s new page or the most relevant collection for a discontinued item. Avoid sending large groups of unrelated URLs to the homepage, since search engines may treat those like missing pages rather than moved ones.
Check Your File Before Importing
A few minutes of checking prevents most redirect problems. A spreadsheet makes these checks quick even for large files:
| Problem | How to find it | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Redirect chains | Look for any “Redirect to” value that also appears in the “Redirect from” column | Point the first URL straight to the final destination |
| Redirect loops | Look for pairs where two URLs redirect to each other | Remove one redirect or change its destination |
| Duplicate sources | Use COUNTIF on the “Redirect from” column to find repeats | Keep one destination per old URL |
| Dead destinations | Check that each “Redirect to” page exists and is published | Choose a live page or publish the target |
| Formatting errors | Scan for domains in the first column, spaces, typos or query strings | Use clean relative paths |
| Live source pages | Check whether old paths still exist on the store | Remove or rename the old item so the redirect can work |
Manage Existing Redirects in Bulk
Redirects need upkeep as your store changes. From the URL redirects page, you can export existing redirects to a CSV, filter and search them and delete selected redirects in bulk.
Review your redirects whenever pages move again. If a page that’s already a redirect destination gets moved, update the older redirects to point to the new location so you don’t build chains over time.
Keep a master copy of your redirect file outside Shopify. It doubles as a record of past URL changes and makes it easy to rebuild redirects if you ever move stores.
When a Redirect App Helps
Shopify’s native redirects cover most needs, but apps can add features for complex cases. Common additions include pattern or wildcard rules that redirect many similar URLs with one rule, 404 monitoring that flags broken URLs as visitors hit them and suggestions for where to send them.
Check how an app’s redirects work before relying on them. Some pattern-based redirects run in the browser with JavaScript rather than as server-side 301s, and search engines may not treat them the same way as Shopify’s native redirects.
Test and Monitor Your Redirects
After importing, test a sample of redirects, starting with your most visited and most linked pages. Open old URLs in a private browser window, or use a crawler or redirect checker to confirm each returns a 301 and lands on the right page.
Then monitor for a few weeks. Watch Google Search Console for 404 errors and indexing changes, check your analytics for traffic to error pages and add redirects for any old URLs you missed.
Conclusion
Creating Shopify 301 redirects in bulk comes down to a clean two-column CSV, a carefully mapped list of old and new URLs and a quick check for chains, loops and dead destinations. Importing, testing and monitoring your redirects keeps visitors and search engines moving smoothly through every URL change. We hope this guide helps you manage Shopify 301 redirects in bulk with confidence.
