Fill in Option1 name (and Option2 name, Option3 name if you use them) on the first row of each listed product. Make sure every variant row of the product has the same URL handle, so the rows join up as one product. If the product has no options, clear the option values, or use Option1 name "Title" with Option1 value "Default Title" on its single row.

Shopify import error: "Option value provided for unknown options"

What it means: A variant has an option value, such as S or Red, but the product has no option name for it, such as Size or Color. In Shopify's own exports the option names sit on the first row of the product. Shopify's help page does not state outright that a value needs a name, but the message and the replies to it point there: with Option1 name empty, Shopify does not know which option the values belong to.

Find the rows in your file

Shopify product import

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How to fix it

Fill in Option1 name (and Option2 name, Option3 name if you use them) on the first row of each listed product.
Make sure every variant row of the product has the same URL handle, so the rows join up as one product.
If the product has no options, clear the option values, or use Option1 name "Title" with Option1 value "Default Title" on its single row.

Example

A file with this problem

Title,URL handle,Status,Option1 name,Option1 value,Price,Inventory tracker,Inventory quantity,Continue selling when out of stock,Fulfillm...
Cotton Tee,cotton-tee,active,,S,20.00,shopify,5,deny,manual,
,cotton-tee,,,M,20.00,shopify,5,deny,manual,

What the checker says about it

Line 2: Option1 value "S" has no Option1 name on the product's first row.
Line 3: Option1 value "M" has no Option1 name on the product's first row.

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 "Option value provided for unknown options" mean in Shopify?: A variant has an option value, such as S or Red, but the product has no option name for it, such as Size or Color. In Shopify's own exports the option names sit on the first row of the product. Shopify's help page does not state outright that a value needs a name, but the message and the replies to it point there: with Option1 name empty, Shopify does not know which option the values belong to.
How do I fix it?: Fill in Option1 name (and Option2 name, Option3 name if you use them) on the first row of each listed product. Make sure every variant row of the product has the same URL handle, so the rows join up as one product. If the product has no options, clear the option values, or use Option1 name "Title" with Option1 value "Default Title" on its single row.

Other Shopify import errors

Sources

Shopify Help Center: Using CSV files (our reading; the page does not state this rule outright): https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/import-export/using-csv

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