WooCommerce to Shopify Migration Checklist (Data, Plugins, Launch Day)

You run a WooCommerce store, and more of your week goes to plugin updates, hosting and compatibility warnings than to selling. Moving to Shopify removes most of that upkeep, but only if the data, the plugins and launch day are planned in order. This WooCommerce to Shopify migration checklist walks through each part, with what Shopify can and can't import.

Short answer: Export your WooCommerce products and customers, map each record type to its Shopify equivalent, import products first, then customers, then orders, replace each plugin with a Shopify feature or app, and keep WooCommerce live until the domain points at Shopify. Order history needs a migration app or the API.

Disclosure: this post contains an affiliate link for Shopify. If you sign up through it, Meghbalika Tech may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Key takeaways

• WooCommerce includes a built-in product CSV exporter under Products > All Products > Export.
• Shopify recommends importing products first, then customers, then historical orders, so that orders link to the right products and customers.
• Shopify lists migration apps and the API, not CSV files, as the ways to import historical orders and gift cards.
• A Shopify product can have up to 2,048 variants and three options, so WooCommerce variable products with more than three variation attributes need restructuring.
• Customer passwords can't be migrated to Shopify with a CSV file, though Shopify customer accounts let shoppers sign in with a one-time email code.

What should a WooCommerce to Shopify migration checklist cover?

A complete checklist covers four phases: audit what you have, move the data, rebuild what plugins did, then launch. Skipping the audit is an easy way to make a migration run long, because surprises show up halfway through.

The phases overlap in practice. You can set up the Shopify theme while products import, and you'll repeat parts of the data move during launch week to catch new orders.

What should I audit before moving?

The audit is a written inventory of your data, plugins and URLs. It takes a few hours and saves days later.

• [ ] Export your products. WooCommerce has a built-in CSV exporter under Products > All Products > Export. WooCommerce warns that it may leave attribute values out of variation names in the export, so spot-check a few variable products.
• [ ] Export your customers. Under WooCommerce > Customers, the Download option exports the current view as a CSV, so clear any filters first. For the import file, Shopify's WooCommerce guide uses the Import Export Suite plugin.
• [ ] Count your variable products and note any with more than three variation attributes.
• [ ] List every active plugin and what it does for shoppers or staff.
• [ ] Decide on order history: do you need old orders in Shopify, or is an export file enough?
• [ ] Export your URLs from your sitemap or analytics, for redirects later.
• [ ] Note payment, shipping and tax settings you'll recreate.

How does WooCommerce data map to Shopify?

Most WooCommerce records have a direct Shopify equivalent, but the import method differs by type. The table shows where each one goes and how it gets there.

WooCommerce	Shopify	Method
Simple product	Product with no variants	CSV or Store Migration app
Variable product and variations	Product with variants	CSV or Store Migration app
Attributes	Variant options, or product details for non-variant data	Mapping during import
Categories and tags	Collections and product tags	Rebuild collections
Customers	Customers	Customer CSV or Customer API
Orders	Orders	Migration app or Order API (no CSV)
Coupons	Discount codes	Recreate in Discounts
Pages	Pages	Copy and paste
Blog posts	Blog articles	Migration app or API
Gift cards	Gift cards	Migration app or GiftCard API

Three rows need extra care. First, variable products: Shopify allows up to 2,048 variants and three options per product, and Shopify's data transfer page warns that a product missing a variant option won't import successfully. A WooCommerce product with four variation attributes has to be split or simplified first.

Second, categories become collections, which can add products automatically by conditions you set or manually. Third, orders, gift cards and blog posts have no CSV route on Shopify, so budget for a migration app or developer time if you need them. Our Shopify migration cost guide covers how those extras change a quote.

Which WooCommerce plugins need a Shopify replacement?

Every plugin needs one of three outcomes: a built-in Shopify feature, a Shopify app, or retirement. Fill in this worksheet for each plugin on your list.

What the plugin did	Shopify option
SEO titles and meta descriptions	Built-in search engine listing fields
Product filters	Search & Discovery app (free, by Shopify)
Subscriptions	Shopify Subscriptions app (free, by Shopify)
Sign-up forms and pop-ups	Shopify Forms app (free, by Shopify)
Abandoned cart emails	Shopify's abandoned checkout automation
Payment gateway	Shopify Payments or a third-party provider
SSL certificate	Included for domains added to Shopify
Caching, backups of the WordPress install, core updates	No WordPress install to maintain
Reviews, wishlists, product add-ons	An App Store app or theme customization

The Shopify-built apps are free: Search & Discovery, Shopify Subscriptions and Shopify Forms. Shopify's search engine listing fields take meta descriptions for products, collections, pages and blog posts, and its abandoned checkout automation can take over from a cart-reminder plugin. Shopify also provides free TLS (SSL) certificates for domains added to a store, per its secure connections page.

Be strict with this list. Each paid replacement app is a new monthly bill, and plugins nobody used in the last year don't need a replacement at all.

How do I move the data in the right order?

Move data in the order Shopify recommends: products, then customers, then orders. That order matters because imported orders need existing products and customers to attach to.

1. Choose a method. Shopify's free Store Migration app lists WooCommerce as a source; Shopify's WooCommerce guide says it imports products and customers, adds products as drafts, and imports a product with 4 or more variation attributes without its variants. Product CSV import is the manual alternative.
2. Import products, then check prices, weights, inventory and images on a sample.
3. Build collections from your old categories, and add product tags.
4. Import customers. Shopify's customer import needs a UTF-8 CSV of 15 MB or smaller and skips duplicate emails or phone numbers. Its columns must match Shopify's customer headings, since there's no data mapping.
5. Turn off staff order notifications, then import orders with a migration app. Shopify notes that staff otherwise get an email for every imported order.
6. Recreate discount codes and gift cards.
7. Paste in policy pages and move blog posts.

On passwords: Shopify says you can't migrate customer passwords using a CSV. With Shopify customer accounts, shoppers enter their email address and get a one-time verification code, so no password is needed.

What does launch week look like?

Launch week is a short sequence of final imports, tests and the domain switch, with WooCommerce still live until the very end. Here's a suggested seven-day schedule; adjust it to your store.

• Day 1: Freeze new products and plugin changes on WooCommerce.
• Day 2: Place test orders on Shopify: a paid order, a failed payment, a refund and a cancellation, as Shopify's migration guide suggests.
• Day 3: Check shipping rates, taxes and order emails.
• Day 4: Import URL redirects. WooCommerce product URLs typically sit under /product/ and categories under /product-category/, while Shopify uses /products/ and /collections/, so old links need URL redirects.
• Day 5: Run a final import of customers and orders created since your first import.
• Day 6: Connect the domain. Shopify's manual connection steps point the A record to 23.227.38.65 and the www CNAME to shops.myshopify.com, and it can take up to 48 hours to go fully live.
• Day 7: Remove the Shopify store password, then watch orders and emails closely.

Keep the WooCommerce site and its database for a few weeks after launch, in case you need to look something up.

What are the risks of a WooCommerce migration?

The main risks are messy source data, custom features with no Shopify equivalent, and the extra steps for customer sign-in. Each one is manageable if you find it during the audit.

• Custom PHP features. Anything built specifically for your WordPress site needs an app, theme work or a custom app on Shopify.
• Reviews. Shopify says reviews can't be exported or migrated from WooCommerce, so pick a review app that imports them.
• Data quality. Duplicate customers, missing SKUs and inconsistent attributes import as they are. Clean them in the spreadsheet first.
• Search rankings. Any platform change can move rankings for a while, even with redirects in place.
• Plugin creep. Replacing every plugin one for one can leave you with a bigger monthly app bill than before.

You can handle the move yourself if your catalog is small, your products use three attributes or fewer, and you don't need order history in Shopify. Shopify's Store Migration app and CSV imports cover that. Help is worth it when you have thousands of products, complex variable products, custom features or orders to move. If you're comparing providers, our guide to hiring a Shopify expert, freelancer or agency sets out the options. Moving from Wix instead? See how to migrate Wix to Shopify.

Moving it yourself? Create the Shopify store from Shopify's free trial page before you export anything from WooCommerce. Import a small batch of products and customers, check how variable products came through, and fix the spreadsheet before the full import.

FAQ

Can I migrate WooCommerce to Shopify for free?

You can move products for free with Shopify's Store Migration app, or with WooCommerce's built-in product exporter and Shopify's product CSV import. Customers move free with the same app or Shopify's customer CSV import. You still pay for a Shopify plan. Historical orders, gift cards and blog posts need a migration app or the API, and those apps usually charge.

What happens to WooCommerce variable products on Shopify?

WooCommerce variable products become Shopify products with variants. Each attribute used for variations becomes a Shopify option, and Shopify allows up to three options and 2,048 variants per product. Products with more than three variation attributes must be split into separate products or simplified before import, or the import can fail.

Will my WooCommerce customers need new passwords on Shopify?

Passwords can't be moved to Shopify with a CSV file. If your Shopify store uses customer accounts, customers enter their email address and get a one-time 6-digit verification code, so they don't need a password at all. On legacy customer accounts, you invite imported customers to create new passwords.

Get a WooCommerce migration quote

Meghbalika Tech, a Shopify service partner that builds, migrates and redesigns stores, offers Store Migration starting at $800 on Shopify's Partner Directory. Final quotes depend on scope: catalog size, order history and the plugins you need replaced. Tell us about your WooCommerce store and get a quote.