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Shopify import error: "Illegal quoting on line"

What it means: A double quote in the file is out of place, so Shopify cannot tell where a cell ends. A description with a stray " or a curly quote pasted from a word processor is the usual cause. Files that are not saved as UTF-8 can also trigger it.

Find the rows in your file

Shopify product import

The product CSV you are about to import into Shopify, or the one Shopify just rejected.

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It is read and converted by this page, inside your browser. Nothing from the file is uploaded, and the tool keeps working offline once the page has loaded.

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How to fix it

  1. Open the file in a plain text editor at the line the checker names and look for an unmatched ".
  2. Inside a quoted cell, a quote must be written twice ("").
  3. Save the file as "CSV UTF-8".

Example

A file with this problem

Title,URL handle,Price
"Cotton Tee,cotton-tee,20.00

What the checker says about it

  • A quoted field that starts on or after line 2 is never closed. The file may be cut off or have a stray double quote. Shopify reports this as "Illegal quoting" or "Missing or stray quote".

Once the listed rows are fixed, check the file again; the checker also looks for every other problem Shopify documents, so you do not trade one error for the next.

Questions

What does "Illegal quoting on line" mean in Shopify?
A double quote in the file is out of place, so Shopify cannot tell where a cell ends. A description with a stray " or a curly quote pasted from a word processor is the usual cause. Files that are not saved as UTF-8 can also trigger it.
How do I fix it?
Open the file in a plain text editor at the line the checker names and look for an unmatched ". Inside a quoted cell, a quote must be written twice (""). Save the file as "CSV UTF-8".

Other Shopify import errors

Sources

Based on Shopify's help pages for product CSV import. Not tested on a live store.