---
title: "Store Migration Troubleshooting: Excel Import and Export Problems"
description: "Fix Store Migration issues: invalid file, mandatory field alerts, stopped imports, missing images, date formats and duplicate orders."
url: "https://wpfactory.com/docs/store-migration-troubleshooting/"
updated: "2026-09-26"
category: Troubleshooting
---

# Store Migration Troubleshooting: Excel Import and Export Problems

Most [All In One WooCommerce Migration: Import & Export to Excel](https://wpfactory.com/item/all-in-one-woocommerce-migration-import-export-to-excel/) problems come from the file format, a missing required mapping or a page closed mid import. Use the checks below for each symptom you see in **WPFactory > Store Migration**, then contact support if the problem continues.

## Nothing happens after Upload, or "Invalid File"

**Cause:** the server only processes files uploaded with the .xlsx (Office Open XML) type. CSV and old .xls files pass the file picker but are not processed.

1. Open the file in Excel, LibreOffice or Google Sheets.
2. Save or download it as **Excel Workbook (.xlsx)**.
3. Upload the .xlsx file again.

## "Only format allowed: xls, xlsx"

The file name does not end in .xls or .xlsx. Rename or re-save the file as .xlsx.

## Import or export does nothing for a shop manager

**Cause:** the menu uses the `manage_woocommerce` capability, but every import and export handler checks for the **Administrator** role.

1. Log in as an Administrator.
2. Run the import or export again.

## An alert says a field is mandatory

| Screen | Required mapping |
| --- | --- |
| Products | Title, SKU or Product ID |
| Customers | Email and Username |
| Reviews | Product ID and Review Content |
| Orders and Subscriptions | Product IDs, Quantities and the products identifier (Product to Orders by) |
| Coupons | Coupon Name and Amount |

## The import stopped part way

**Cause:** rows are processed one per request while the page is open; closing or reloading the page stops the job. Each request loads the whole sheet, so very large files can also hit the PHP memory limit or execution time.

1. Keep the tab open until you see **JOB DONE!**.
2. Split large sheets into smaller files (for example a few thousand rows each) and remove unused columns.
3. Ask your host to raise `memory_limit` and `max_execution_time` if single rows with many images time out.
4. To continue, remove the rows already imported from the sheet and upload it again. Without UPDATE ONLY, rows with an existing title update that product instead of duplicating it.

## Images are not imported

- The URL must be publicly reachable by your server and end in .jpg, .jpeg, .jpe, .gif or .png. WebP and URLs without a file extension are not matched.
- For images by name, the value must equal the Media Library item title of an image you uploaded earlier.
- A "does not exist" line in the results means the download failed or the name was not found.

## Upload fails because files cannot be written

The uploaded sheet is moved into the plugin's `includes` folder (for example `importProducts.xlsx`) and deleted when the job finishes. Make sure the web server can write to the plugin folder.

## Dates are wrong

- Import: order, review and coupon dates are read with PHP `strtotime`. Use an unambiguous format such as `2025-07-15 14:30`; `07/08/2025` is read as July 8 (US order).
- Export: order dates use `d M Y h:i:s`, a 12-hour clock without AM or PM. Convert them before re-importing if the time of day matters.
- Coupon expiry dates are saved as `Y-m-d` (no time).

## Special characters look wrong

Save the file as .xlsx instead of CSV. Text in .xlsx is stored as Unicode, so accented and non-Latin characters import correctly.

## Custom fields are missing from the mapping screen

Set **Import/Export Product Custom Fields** to **Yes** in the Settings tab. Only meta keys that already exist on at least one product and do not start with an underscore are listed. See [Store Migration settings and Excel column reference](https://wpfactory.com/docs/store-migration-excel-column-reference/).

## Duplicate orders or coupons

Order, subscription and coupon imports always create new records. Delete the duplicates, then import only the rows that were not imported.

Need a hand? Our team answers every ticket on the [Store Migration support forum](https://wpfactory.com/support/item/all-in-one-woocommerce-migration-import-export-to-excel/).

Related articles

- [How to Import and Export WooCommerce Subscriptions with Excel](https://wpfactory.com/docs/store-migration-subscriptions-excel/)
- [How to Import WooCommerce Customers, Coupons and Reviews with Excel](https://wpfactory.com/docs/store-migration-customers-coupons-reviews-excel/)
- [How to Import WooCommerce Orders from Excel](https://wpfactory.com/docs/import-woocommerce-orders-excel/)
- [How to Import and Update WooCommerce Products with Excel](https://wpfactory.com/docs/store-migration-import-products-excel/)
- [How to Export WooCommerce Products, Orders and Customers to Excel](https://wpfactory.com/docs/store-migration-export-excel/)