How to Import Disabled Products to Magento 2

If you cannot import disabled products to Magento 2, you’ve come to the right place. We will probably help you with that. Below, you will find two possible solutions. As usual, one of them is proposed by a StackExchange user, while another one is developed by Firebear specialists. In both cases, we deal with products that have the “disabled” status. As for the corresponding import file. It doesn’t contain the “status” column. If you add it, nothing changes. So, how to import disabled products to Magento 2? You will find the answer below. We also provide recommendations on how to import disabled products to Magento 2 automatically and via various file formats using Improved Import & Export. For more tips, proceed to our Magento 2 Cookbook.

How to import disabled products to Magento 2

Problem

Fabian Schmengler describes a situation when he needs to import products with the status “disabled.” However, the “status” column in the Magento 2 import/export is not available. The author tries to add the missing column to a CSV file manually. 

Solution

Unfortunately, adding the columns by your own hands does not help. The new CSV improvement is ignored. So, how to import disabled products in Magento 2 if manual changes are not valid?

According to Fabian, you need to be more attentive. Instead of the “status” column, the system uses another one titled “product_online.” As for the corresponding attribute, it is still called “status.” 

So, you need to edit your CSV file. Note that the only value that indicated “enabled” products is 1.

Alternative solution

Alternatively, you can rely on the Improved Import & Export Magento 2 extension to import disabled products to Magento 2. Our module lets you transfer any entities (including disabled products) to Magento 2. Furthermore, you are not bound to CSV files and direct uploads. Our extension supports several more file standards (such as ODS and JSON) and file sources (such as FTP, Dropbox, Google Sheet). 

If you get a data file with unsupported third-party attributes, it is no longer necessary to edit it manually before importing it into Magento 2. You can either apply a preset that replaces unsupported designations automatically or change everything right in your Magento 2 admin.

Also, note that you can create a schedule of transfers and save the created profile to import disabled products to Magento 2 automatically. 

The general workflow of importing disabled products into Magento 2 looks as follows. You go to System->Improved Import/Export->Import Jobs and create a new import job there (hit the “Add New Job” button on the right above).

Your first steps in General Settings include enabling the job, specifying its title, choosing the frequency of updates (leave the field empty if it is a one-time transfer), select a language (locale), and enable/disable several more features.

Next, you have to configure Import Settings to import disabled products to Magento 2. Enable/disable API, choose Products as your import entity, and select a platform to transfer data from. The letter will edit all external attributes preparing disabled products for the correct transfer.

Now, you can proceed to the Import Behavior options. Here, Improved Import & Export lets you select Add/Update from the dropdown (or another option), choose a validation strategy, specify the maximum possible number of errors, and set separators.

When the previous tab is configured, proceed to Import Source. If your disabled products are stored in a CSV file, select this format as your import file type (or choose another standard if necessary). Next, specify an import source. With our module, you can import disabled products to Magento 2 from a server, Dropbox account, URL, or upload them directly.

Now, hit “Save & Run” in the top right corner of the screen. You will import disabled products to Magento 2. Follow the link below to get more information:

Get Improved Import & Export Magento 2 Extension

How to import disabled products automatically

If your partner provides a list of disabled products regularly, you can automate their import with the help of our module. The extension utilizes cron to offer this feature. Create custom intervals or select predefined ones to use the functionality and save time for further updates. The schedule configuration is very straightforward. It looks as follows:

How to import disabled products with unsupported attributes 

If your import file contains either custom or third-party system attributes that prevent import processes, you cannot transfer it using the default Magento 2 tools. But out module offers mapping presets that replace unsupported designations with the ones utilized in Magento 2. Your duties are minimized as much as possible. Just select a scheme suitable for your integration. Next, the Improved Import & Export extension will do all the work for you, transferring disabled products with unsupported attributes to Magento 2. Everything is illustrated below:

You can utilize the following add-ons to import disabled products to Magento 2 from the corresponding external systems:

• WooCommerce Migration Add-on lets you migrate from WordPress to Magento 2, transferring disabled products to your new e-commerce website. No programming skills are required.
• MS Dynamics Integration Add-on lets you integrate Magento 2 with MS Dynamics Business Central ERP/CRM and synchronize product data, including disabled products.
• Banggood Dropshipping Add-on introduces the easiest ways to utilize Magento 2 as a basis for a dropshipping business. The add-on lets you connect your e-commerce store to Banggood, transferring product data to your online storefront.

You can find more connectors: Magento 2 Extensions by Firebear.

Alternatively, Improved Import & Export lets you utilize an interface where you can replace unsupported attributes manually to import disabled products to Magento 2 seamlessly. Just select a third-party attribute and choose a replacement. 

Also, note that it is possible to apply similar actions to product attribute values. You can freely map and edit them in bulk with Improved Import & Export.  

How to import disabled products with third-party categories

Another mapping feature that lets you import disabled products to Magento 2 without headaches is related to categories. When you transfer data from a third-party system or your old website, the module enables you to replace the existing category names with the ones utilized in your catalog. The process looks as follows:

It is also possible to create new categories right when you import disabled products to Magento 2. The procedure consists of two steps: choose a parent category and specify a new one. You can discover a more detailed description of the feature here: Category Mapping.

How to import disabled products when some attributes are not available

If a data file lacks some attributes, it often leads to the inability of its transfer. Luckily, you can solve the problem using the Improved Import & Export Magento 2 extension. It is possible to create attributes on the fly with our plugin. Just specify the parameters necessary to generate the missing data automatically. You can find the general form required for creating attributes on the fly in this article: Product attributes import.

How to import disabled products in different formats

With the default Magento 2 import tool, you can import data in the form of CSV files only. As for the Improved Import & Export module, it dramatically extends the existing boundaries. In addition to CSV, the module works with XML, JSON, XLSX, and ODS. It also lets you transfer such files as ZIP and TAR archives. It is no longer necessary to convert files to CSV before importing disabled products to Magento 2.

How to import disabled products from different sources

While the default import tool lets you upload files directly, our extension provides the ability to import disabled products from the following sources:

• REST and SOAP API;
• Google Sheets;
• Direct URL;
• FTP/SFTP;
• Dropbox;
• Direct File Upload.

Below, you can see how to import products from Google Seet:

In addition to ALL product types (including disabled ones), Improved Import & Export lets you transfer the following entities:

• Categories;
• Customers and Addresses;
• Advanced Pricing;
• Product Attributes;
• Orders;
• CMS Pages;
• CMS Blocks;
• Catalog & Cart Rules;
• Gift Cards;
• Reviews;
• URL Rewrites;
• Search Terms and Synonyms;
• Widgets;
• Page Hierarchy.

Final Words

You can import disabled products to Magento 2 with the help of the default import tool. However, it is limited and requires numerous prerequisites related to data file editing. But you can dramatically simplify the process with the help of our extension. The Improved Import & Export module not only lets you replace third-party attributes with ones used internally but also provides the ability to automate all further imports. For more information on how to transfer disabled products to Magento 2 with the help of Improved Import & Export, follow the link below to contact our support and discuss your particular business case. 

Get Improved Import & Export Magento 2 Extension

Disabled Product Import & Export FAQ

Let’s take a look at other nuances of importing and exporting disabled products in Magento 2 with the help of the Improved Import & Export Magento 2 extension.