--- title: "Upload products from a spreadsheet" description: "How the product upload works: supported files, the field-mapping review, collections, and what runs in the background after you confirm." type: "help" url: "https://www.conphora.com/help/products-and-validation/upload-products/" markdown: "https://www.conphora.com/help/products-and-validation/upload-products.md" locale: "en" language: "en" updated: "2026-09-10" author: "Conphora support" publisher: "Conphora" tags: ["help", "products-and-validation", "member"] license: "Free to quote with attribution and a link to the page" --- # Upload products from a spreadsheet > How the product upload works: supported files, the field-mapping review, collections, and what runs in the background after you confirm. ## In short Open Products in the platform sub menu, drop a CSV, Excel or JSON file of up to 10 MB, confirm which columns hold the identifier, EAN/GTIN, name and description, choose a collection, and confirm — classification then runs in the background. - CSV, XLSX, XLS and JSON up to 10 MB; several sheets in one workbook are merged. - Required columns: a unique identifier, EAN/GTIN, a display name and at least one description column. - Re-uploading a file with the same identifiers updates those products instead of duplicating them. ## Before you start Uploads need an organisation with a compliance profile — base country, business type and destination markets — because the profile decides which rules are checked. The platform asks you to create one before the first upload. Uploading products and running the engine is part of the subscription; see [What the free account includes](/help/getting-started/free-account-vs-subscription). ## Step 1 — the file In the platform, open **Products** in the sub menu and choose the upload action (the dashboard's "Upload your products" step opens the same drawer). Drop a file or click to choose one: - CSV, Excel (.xlsx, .xls) or JSON, up to 10 MB. - A workbook with several sheets is merged into one list; junk rows, blank rows and footer rows are stripped, and the preview says what was merged or skipped. - If no clear header row is found, the first row is used as column names — verify them in the preview. One row is one product. Variants (sizes, colours) can be separate rows; the platform detects variant columns later and groups them. ## Step 2 — field mapping The platform reads the columns and proposes a mapping. Four core fields are required: - **Unique identifier** — the column that identifies each product (SKU, EAN, product ID). Re-uploads merge on this column, so choose the one that stays stable. - **EAN / GTIN** — the barcode column (EAN-8/13, UPC, GTIN-14). It can be the same column as the identifier. - **Display name** — the name shown in the UI. - **Image URL** — optional, but it makes the product list easier to scan. The second mapping step covers the classification fields. At least one column must be assigned to **Product description** — the classifier needs text to work from; other detected fields improve accuracy but do not block the upload. Mappings are saved per upload and can be changed later under Settings › Field mappings. ## Step 3 — review and confirm The review shows what the upload will do before anything is written: how many products will be created, how many existing products will be updated (they keep their current collections), and rows that match archived products (skipped — restore them first if they should be updated). Choose a collection for the new products: create one (prefilled with the file name) or add them to an existing one. Collections are groups you report on separately — by market, range or customer — and they scope the progress flow on the dashboard. Then confirm. ## What happens next The products are saved immediately and the pipeline runs in the background: analysing the data structure, detecting variant columns, working out each product's intended use, grouping similar products, validating the groups, creating folders and finally classifying — assigning HS codes and the compliance rules that apply. You can close the drawer; a banner on the Products page shows the phase, and the Notification Center tells you when the upload has finished or failed. Products that need more information stop in **Awaiting clarification**; see [Classification, gaps and compliance status](/help/products-and-validation/classification-gaps-and-compliance-status). ## Common problems - "No products detected" — the identifier is mapped to an empty or non-unique column. Go back and pick another. - Upload failed — the file is over 10 MB or not a supported type. Split it or save it as CSV. - A column cannot take another role — it is the only description column; add another first. If an upload is stuck for more than an hour, [send a request](/help/request) with the file name and the time you confirmed it.