Managing a WooCommerce store with a large inventory can be a challenge. This is especially true when you need to bulk edit product categories. Manually, this is a time-consuming and inefficient process. 

Fortunately, a plugin like FlexStock can simplify this process. So, in this blog, we’ll walk you through the process of using FlexStock to streamline your WooCommerce category management. 

Why Do You Need To Bulk Edit Product Categories

Before we dive into the how, let’s talk about why you would want to bulk edit product categories. The backbone of your WooCommerce store’s organization is your product categories: 

✅ Bulk editing improves navigation and helps customers find products faster. This can mean more conversions and drive more sales.

✅ Optimizing product categories through bulk editing helps your store rank higher in search results and attract more organic traffic.

✅ Bulk editing makes it easy to organize and display product variations effectively for a better shopping experience.

✅ You can efficiently include important details like banners, FAQs, or unique selling points across multiple categories with bulk editing.

No matter the reason, bulk editing saves time and ensures consistency across your WooCommerce store. If you’re new, you might like to know how to create Google Sheets Table in WordPress first.

2 Ways To Bulk Edit Product Categories in WooCommerce

Let’s dive into the top two methods to bulk edit product categories in WooCommerce and find the one that works best for you!

• Using the Built-in WooCommerce Bulk Editor

Did you know WooCommerce comes with a handy built-in bulk editor? It’s perfect for making quick changes to your product categories without needing any additional plugins. Here’s how you can use it: 

• Head to Your Products: Log in to your WordPress dashboard using your admin credentials. Once you’re in, look for the Products option in the left-hand menu.

• Select Your Categories: Browse through your product list or category section and locate the items you’d like to modify. To make your selection, simply check the boxes next to the relevant products or categories.

• Apply Bulk Actions: Click the Bulk Actions dropdown, pick Edit, then press Apply to edit all selected items at once.

• Adding Categories: A new screen will load. Find the Product Categories menu and select your desired new category. Once you’re done, select Update in the bottom left of the screen.

• Updated Categories: You should see the newly added categories in the Products list. But now, you have to remove the Uncategorized tag. 

• Removing Uncategorized Tag: Go to Products > Categories. There you will see the ‘count’ of Uncategorized products in your WooCommerce. Click on the number.

• Manual Removal: WooCommerce doesn’t offer an easy way to do that. You have to do it one product at a time. You can either Edit or Quick Edit. We’ll explain both.

• Quick Edit Option: Once you select that, find the ‘Product categories’ menu on the left side of the screen. Untick ‘Uncategorized’ and you select ‘Update’ on the bottom left of your screen. 

• Edit Option: Scroll down a bit and look at ‘Product categories’ on the left side of the screen. Untick ‘Uncategorized’ tag and select ‘Update’ on the top right of your screen.

Disclaimer: This method works great if you have a small edit, but can be time-consuming for larger stores. It requires editing each product individually, which is time-consuming and prone to human error. Additionally, it slows down workflow, increases the risk of missing products, and lacks efficiency compared to bulk editing solutions or automated scripts.

• Bulk Editing WooCommerce Categories with FlexStock

For more products, larger stores, or more advanced editing options, you can use a WooCommerce bulk category editor plugin like FlexStock. It can feel like a game-changer. 

But before you can bulk change product categories in WooCommerce, you have to turn on Bulk Edit and Formula Feature in the plugin’s settings. Follow the steps below: 

Dashboard > FlexStock > Settings > Bulk Edit on Google Sheet

We’re going to work with the same 3 products. All of them are uncategorized in the WooCommerce categories. 

1. • Go to WP Dashboard > FlexStock Dashboard. Click on “View products on Google Sheet” Alternatively, you can copy the url below and open it on a new tab.

• Once you’re in the connected sheet, look for products that have only one category; Uncategorized. You have two options:

1. Scroll down
2. Use Ctrl+F 

• All you have to do is delete the Uncategorized word and write down your intended category or categories. In our case, it is Plant accessories

• Once you do that, you should see a dialogue box on the bottom right telling you about the change.

• If you see the Success! message, your categories have been updated. The best part? You don’t have to manually remove the Uncategorized tag–Flexstock takes care of it! 

• You can go back to the Products page in the WordPress backend to check it.

Final Thoughts

If you want to bulk edit product categories in WooCommerce, it doesn’t always have to be a headache. Whether you use WooCommerce’s built-in editor or a powerful plugin like FlexStock, the key is finding the method that works best for your store’s size and needs.

Now it’s your turn—try one of these methods today and make managing your WooCommerce store easier than ever!

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