How to Delete Variants
You can use Ablestar Bulk Product Editor to delete variants in bulk.
Options vs Variants
- Options: By default in Shopify, you can choose to specify three Options: Size, Color and Material are common examples.
- Variants: By default in Shopify, you can choose to specify 100 variants: Small, Medium, Large, Red, or Green are common examples. (In 2025 Shopify plans to increase limits to 2,000 - coming soon!)
The Bulk Product Editor can delete individual variants, but not individual Options
Choose if you prefer the 'In-App Edit' or 'Spreadsheet' method:
1. In-App Edits
Ensure that you have products and variants filtered from the product search so that not all variants are deleted:
Once you have applied the product and variant filters for modification, input 'Delete variants' from the 'Configure modifications' view:
2. Spreadsheet Edits
When deleting variants using a spreadsheet edit, you cannot undo an update to other products in the same spreadsheet edit. This is to prevent products from being deleted accidentally.
Prep your spreadsheet to include the identifier and action column data:
- An identifier column (SKU, Handle, Product ID, etc..)
- An 'action' column that contains the text
delete
Click the related article to see more advanced spreadsheet detail.
✅ Tips and Troubleshooting
- Deleting any variant is permanent. Please be absolutely sure you want to remove the variants before proceeding
- The Bulk Product Editor can delete individual variants, but not individual Options
- Even if all variants are removed from a product, the system will keep the product active and visible with a simple default variant as a placeholder.
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