Export customers from Shopify to a CSV file
A customer export is a backup, a mailing-list source, and the starting point for a bulk edit, all in one file. Shopify exports customers to CSV from the Customers page, with a choice of scope and format. This tutorial exports the 47 customers in the Toronto segment, and the whole list of 214 for comparison.
Written · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 4 minutes read
The worked example
| Customers in the store | 214 |
| Customers in the Toronto segment | 47 |
| Customers outside Toronto | 167 |
| Browser download limit | 50 customers |
| Export file size limit | 15 MB |
Download the export record: customer-export-record.csv (174 bytes, md5 073fcce0403b5774d81ca3e3f103774b).
A record of customer exports: date, scope, customer count, and how the file arrived. The three runs exported 292 customers in total.
1Choose who to export
From your Shopify admin, go to Customers. To export everyone, leave the list unfiltered. To export a smaller group, open the segment first, or tick the boxes next to the customers you want. The worked example exports the Toronto segment, which holds 47 customers.
2Click Export
Click Export at the top of the Customers page.
3Pick the scope
Choose one of the export options: Current page for the customers showing in your admin, All customers for the whole list, Selected customer for the ones you ticked, or the count of customers matching your filters to export a segment.
4Add tags and metafields if you need them
Optional: in the Fields included section, check Customer tags to include tags in the export, and Customer metafields to include the supported metafield values. Both are left out unless you check them.
5Pick the file format
To open the file in a spreadsheet program, select CSV for Excel, Numbers, and other spreadsheet programs. To open it in a plain-text editor, select Plain CSV file. Either way the file is a CSV file.
6Export, then collect the file
Click Export customers. If you export up to 50 customers, the CSV file downloads in your browser. If you export more than 50, the file is emailed to you, and to the store owner as well if that is not you. The Toronto export of 47 downloads straight away; the full export of 214 arrives by email.
The arithmetic
The store has 214 customers, and 47 of them are in the Toronto segment.
| Group | Customers | How the file arrives |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto segment | 47 | Browser download |
| Outside Toronto | 167 | — |
| All customers | 214 | |
| Browser download limit | 50 | — |
47 plus 167 equals 214. 47 is at or under the 50-customer limit, so that export downloads in the browser, while 214 is over it, so the full export is emailed.
Held at the counter
Over 50 means email, not a download. A big export does not fail when nothing downloads; Shopify emails the file instead. Check your inbox, and the store owner's inbox, before exporting again.
The file is capped at 15 MB. A very large customer list can hit the export size limit. Split it with a filter or a segment and export in parts.
Passwords are never in the export. The CSV carries customer details, tags, and supported metafields, but no passwords and no full order detail. Do not expect the export to rebuild order history anywhere else.
Sources
- Importing and exporting customer lists — Shopify's help pages: the export steps, the four scope options, the tags and metafields checkboxes, the 50-customer email rule, and the 15 MB limit.