Adding variants

You can add variants to a product that has more than one option, such as size or color. Each combination of option values for a product can be a variant of that product.

When you add a product, you can adjust the Pricing, Inventory, and Shipping settings for the product from the product details page. However, when you add variants to the product, you need to adjust those settings for each variant from the variant details page.

Considerations for adding variants

Before you add variants to your product, review the following considerations:

• You can create up to 100 variants for a product.
• Each product can have up to three options. The options can be different from product to product. For example, one product can use size, color, and style, and another product can use weight, finish, and material.
• You can use category metafields to create variant options. The data is reusable so that you have more consistent content. For example, if you need to change the name of your color from black to graphite, then you could make the change one time and it updates anywhere you connected that category metafield entry. When you use color entries as variant options, you can display variant options as swatches for color options on your storefront products pages.
• If you want to save specialized information for your variants, then you can add custom fields to your variant details pages by using metafields. If you use an Online Store 2.0 theme, such as Dawn, the free Shopify theme, then you can add references to your product variant metafields through the theme editor.
• If you have 50,000 or more variants in your store, then you're subject to a daily rate limit for uploading variants by using an app or CSV file import. You can add up to 1,000 new variants in a day before the limit is reached. If you're on the Shopify Plus plan, then the daily rate limit for uploading variants doesn't apply to your store.

Note

To create a product that has more than 100 variants or more than three options, you can use a third-party app from the Shopify App Store, or customize your theme code to extract line item properties, so you can get custom requirements from your customers.

Add variants to a product

You can add options and option values to generate new variants for your product. After you save the variants, you can add prices to them.

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Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products.

2. Click the product that you want to edit.

3. In the Variants section, click + Add options like size or color.

4. In Option name field, enter a name for the option, such as Size. The option name is displayed to your customers.

5. In Option values section, enter each option value, such as Small, Medium, or Large. The option values are displayed to your customers when they select a variant.

6. Optional: To add another option to your variant, such as Color or Material, click + Add another option. You can have up to 3 options for each product.

7. Click Done, and then click Save.

Add a variant with category metafields

You can add variants by connecting a variant option to a category metafield. When variant options are connected to metafields, it makes data reusable across your store and content edits are much easier. For example, if you need to change the name of your color black to graphite, then you can edit the entry from the Content > Metaobjects page in your admin and the change will update everywhere the color is connected.

When you're adding a variant, a list of category metafields display that you can connect to or you can create a custom option.

Steps:

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1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products.

2. Click the product that you want to edit.

3. In the Variants section, click + Add options like size or color.

4. If a category metafield is available to connect to, then select it. The option values are automatically filled with any entries you have added to the category metafield. You can select more option values or create new ones.

5. Optional: If you want to add custom option values, then click Edit, and then click Add new entry. Fill out the entry fields, and then click Save.

6. Click Save to save the product.

Edit variant options connected to a category metafield

You can add or edit variant options connected to a category metafield.

Steps:

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1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products.
2. Click the product with the option values that you want to edit or add.
3. Click the variant option, and then click the option value field.
4. Click the entry that you want to edit, and then click Edit.
5. Edit the fields as needed.
6. Click Save.

Disconnect a category metafield from a variant

You can disconnect a category metafield from a variant.

Steps:

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1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products.

2. Click the product that you want to edit.

3. In the Variants section, click Edit next to the option that you want to disconnect from your category metafield.

4. Click the category metafield name, and then click Disconnect. The option is removed from the Variants section and placed in the Metafields section.

5. Click Save to save the product.

Migrate variant options to category metafields

If you've already created a product with variant options, then you can migrate your values to category metafields and quickly generate the multiple new variant combinations. If you use category metafields to create your variant options, then you can update variant option names in a single location and it updates wherever that category metafield value is connected.

For example, if you currently offer three sizes (Small, Medium, and Large) and two colors (Red and Blue), and you want to add a third color Yellow, then this method will create the 3 possible sizes of yellow variants at one time.

Connect the category metafield to an existing option by clicking the dynamic source icon:

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Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products.
2. Click the product with variant options that you want to migrate to category metafields.
3. Optional: If your product doesn't have a Category, then complete one of the following steps:
   • Enter your product’s category, and then select the most accurate result from the Product category list.
   • Click through each level of the categories and subcategories to find your product category.
   • Click Suggested to accept the suggested category.
4. To connect the your variant option to a category metafield, complete either of the following tasks:
   • Click an existing option, click the dynamic source icon, and then click the category metafield that you want to connect.
   • Click Add another option, and then click the category metafield that you want to connect.
5. Click Save.

Add values to an existing option

If you've already created a product with variant options, then you can add new values to it to quickly generate the multiple new variant combinations.

For example, if you currently offer three sizes (Small, Medium, and Large) and two colors (Red and Blue), and you want to add a third color Yellow, then this method will create the 3 possible sizes of yellow variants at one time.

Desktop

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products.

2. Click the product that you want to edit.

3. In the Variants section, click Edit next to the option you want to add a value to.

4. In the Add another value field, enter another value.

5. Click Done.

6. Optional: Add a different product image for each new variant. You can also add prices, quantities, SKUs, barcodes, HS codes, country/region of origin, and locations for the new variants, or use the defaults based on the product details.

7. Click Save.

Add a variant manually

You can add variants one at a time. Before you can save a new variant, at least one of its option values need to be new. You can't save an exact duplicate of another variant that already exists.

Note

This method creates only a single variant. It doesn't create all possible combinations of the new value with the other existing variant options. To add multiple variant combinations at one time, add a new value to an option or duplicate multiple variants with a bulk action.

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Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products.

2. Click the product that you want to edit.

3. In the Variants section, click Add variant.

4. Enter the option values in the existing options fields.

5. Optional: Add a different product image for each new variant. You can also add prices, quantities, SKUs, barcodes, HS codes, country/region of origin, and locations for the new variants, or use the defaults based on the product details. If you do make changes, then click Save.

6. Click Save.

Add a variant by duplicating an existing variant

You can duplicate a variant to save time when adding similar variants, rather than entering the same details again. The duplicate variant has the same details as the original variant.

Before you can save a duplicated variant, you need to edit at least one of its option values. You can't save an exact duplicate of itself or another variant that already exists. You can only duplicate a variant in the Shopify admin on desktop or mobile.

Note

This method creates only a single variant. It doesn't create all possible combinations of the new value with the other existing variant options. To add multiple variant combinations at one time, add a new value to an option or duplicate multiple variants with a bulk action.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products.

2. Click the product that you want to edit.

3. In the Variants section, click the variant that you want to duplicate, and then click Duplicate.

4. Edit an option value to create an unique variant. You can add a new option value, or add one that is already in use for the product variants.

5. Optional: Add a different product image for each new variant. You can also add prices, quantities, SKUs, barcodes, HS codes, country/region of origin, and locations for the new variants, or use the defaults based on the product details.

6. Click Save.

Duplicate multiple variants in bulk

If you need to create a new variant with the same options as a variant that you've already customized, then you can use a bulk action to duplicate the existing variant and add a new option.

To use a bulk action to add new variants, you need to select multiple similar variants and duplicate their details and then change at least one option value.

For example, you might sell T-shirts with two options: Size and Color. Your blue and red shirts are well-stocked and cost the same, but all of your yellow shirts are limited-edition, cost more, and are stored at a different warehouse. If you wanted to introduce green as a new limited-edition color, then duplicating the yellow variants will save you time when setting quantities, prices, and locations for your green variants.

If a variant already exists, then duplicating a variant won't create a second copy. For example, you sell yellow T-shirts in small, medium, and large. You manually add a green T-shirt variant for size small. If you duplicate the color variant (yellow) to create green T-shirts in all available sizes, then the duplication will only create green T-shirts in medium and large, as the green T-shirt in size small already exists.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products.

2. Click the product that you want to edit.

3. In the Variants section, select variants that you want to duplicate. The variants that you select need to have the same option value that you're adding, and different options values for all other options, such as green T-shirts in small and medium sizes.

4. Click ....

5. In the DUPLICATE VARIANTS section, click the "...in another Option" based on the set of variants you selected.

6. In the Create duplicate variants dialog, enter the value for the new variants that you want to create, and then select the information to copy from the existing variants.

7. Click Duplicate.