# Import products in bulk

**Category:** [Product Catalog](https://help.totalctrl.app/hc/totalctrl/totalctrl-help-center/en-US/categories/pim)
**Updated:** 2026-08-19

## When to use the importer

Use bulk import to load many products at once from a spreadsheet or export file instead of creating them one by one.
## Step 1 — Upload a file

Go to **Import** and choose **New import**. Upload a file in one of the supported formats: **CSV, XLSX, JSON or XML**. The format is auto-detected from the filename, but you can set it explicitly. Anything outside those four formats is rejected.
## Step 2 — Map the fields

The importer previews the first rows and shows the column headers it found. For each source column, map it to the target product field or attribute it should populate. Your mapping is saved on the import job, so the run knows where each column belongs.
## Step 3 — Run and review

After mapping, the job runs and the detail page shows the results: how many rows were **imported** and how many were **skipped** as errors. Each import is recorded in the audit log, and a `pim.import.completed` or `pim.import.failed` event fires when it finishes.
## Fixing errors

If some rows failed, use **Download errors** to get a CSV listing the row number, SKU and error message for each failure. Correct those rows in your source file and re-import just the fixed records.
## Tip

Define your [attributes](organize-with-families-attributes-categories) before importing so the columns in your file have matching targets to map onto.

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## Related Articles

- [Managing Products](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/managing-products)
- [Build product feeds for shopping channels](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/build-product-feeds)
- [Organize with families, attributes and categories](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/organize-with-families-attributes-categories)
- [Add variants and use the variant matrix](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/add-variants-and-the-variant-matrix)
- [Create and publish a product](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/create-and-publish-a-product)

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