Export Shopify Images Into One Folder Per Product
Export Shopify product images into one folder per product, named by title, handle, ID or SKU, with matching file names. Examples and when to use each layout.
By Craftshift Team · · 3 min read
To export Shopify product images into one folder per product, use Export Product Images and set the Folder name format to Product title, Product handle or Product ID on the preview page. Each product gets its own folder inside the ZIP, and its images, videos and 3D models go inside. A fourth layout, SKU, makes one folder per variant SKU.
What do the four folder layouts look like?
Take a product called “Linen Shirt” with the handle linen-shirt, ID 8123456789, and variant SKU TSHIRT-BLK-M, exported with the file name format SKU_position:
| Folder name format | Folder | File inside |
|---|---|---|
| Product title | Linen-Shirt/ | TSHIRT-BLK-M_1.jpg |
| Product handle | linen-shirt/ | TSHIRT-BLK-M_1.jpg |
| Product ID | 8123456789/ | TSHIRT-BLK-M_1.jpg |
| SKU | TSHIRT-BLK-M/ (one per variant SKU) | TSHIRT-BLK-M_1.jpg |
| No sub folders | (none) | TSHIRT-BLK-M_1.jpg |
Folder names are cleaned up like file names: characters that are unsafe in paths are removed and spaces turn into hyphens, so “Linen Shirt” becomes Linen-Shirt. If the field is empty (a product without a SKU in the SKU layout), the folder is named by the product ID.
Which layout should I pick?
It depends on who opens the folders next.
- Product title suits designers and marketers who browse by name on a shared drive. It is the most readable, and the least stable, because titles change.
- Product handle gives URL-style names that match your storefront. Handles are unique, so two products never collide.
- Product ID is the safest for scripts and re-imports. It never changes and never contains odd characters.
- SKU fits warehouse and ERP work. A SKU belongs to a variant, so each image goes into the folder of the variant it is assigned to, and a product with three variants can produce three folders.
- No sub folders is the right choice when another tool reads one flat folder, for example when you plan to re-upload with Smart Bulk Image Upload.
Does the file name format interact with the folder?
Yes, in one useful way. Names have to be unique inside a folder, not across the whole ZIP. With one folder per product you can use the plain OriginalName format and still avoid clashes between products. In a single flat folder, formats with a SKU or handle in them avoid clashes better. If two different files would still end up with the same name in the same folder, the app numbers the second (name__(2).jpg) and the preview shows a notice.
What happens to a file that belongs to several products?
Duplicating a product in the Shopify admin shares its images between the original and the copy. With product folders, that file is exported once per product folder, so every folder is complete. In a single folder it is exported once.
Does each copy count toward my plan?
Every file added to the ZIP counts as one, so a shared image exported into two folders counts twice. The preview tells you how many files you are about to export before you press Export files, and you can remove any file with the X next to it.
Can I name folders for Content > Files exports?
Content files have no product, so they use other layouts: No sub folders, File type (images, videos, 3D models, files) or Upload month (YYYY-MM). See the Content > Files guide.
How do I set it up?
- Open Export product files, add your filters and press Preview files.
- On the preview page, choose a File name format and a Folder name format.
- Check the list. The file names in it are the final ones.
- Press Export files and download the ZIP when the email arrives.
All formats are listed in the file names and folders guide. Install Export Product Images and try the layouts in the preview, which is free.