Export and import your whole category tree as CSV, with paths, languages, SEO names and images, and a dry run before every change.
Available Updated Oct 23, 2026Version 1.0.0CS-Cart, Multi-Vendor 4.17.2 – 4.21.x No core file edits
Built for
Category Import & Export: overview1 of 9
What it does
CS-Cart exports products, features, orders and users, but not the category tree: categories only appear as a side effect of a product import. This add-on adds a real Categories pattern to the core Export data and Import data pages, with layouts like the product patterns. It is for stores that build or restructure a catalog in a spreadsheet, translate it, copy it to another store or keep it in sync from a supplier file, on CS-Cart and Multi-Vendor.
How it works
Open Export data, Categories, choose columns, languages and an optional branch, and export. Each row holds the path (Apparel///Women///Dresses), status, position, user groups, texts, SEO name, image and layout settings. Edit the file, tick Dry run in Import data and read the summary, then import for real. Rows with a category ID update that category, others are matched by path. A second pattern exports and imports which products are in which categories.
Features
Categories pattern in the core Export data and Import data pages, with saved layouts
Full paths in every language; missing parent categories created automatically
Status, position, user groups, description, meta texts, SEO name, image, views and age settings
Update by category ID or by path: rename and move categories with a file
Dry run with counts, row messages and a downloadable report
Safe re-import: only changed values are written, images are not uploaded twice
Images as URLs or copied files, with alt texts
Product categories pattern with Add and Replace modes
Console and cron commands
Ultimate stores and Multi-Vendor supported
What you get
Package
kv_category_import_export-1.0.0.zip, installed through Add-ons → Manage add-ons
Updates & support
12 months included. Download new versions from your account and install them in Add-ons → Manage add-ons or the Upgrade Center.
License
1 production installation. Staging, dev and localhost are free and unlimited. The add-on keeps working after the update period ends. How licensing works
Compatibility
We list only the builds we install and test on. “Tested” means the full test plan was run on that build; “Supported” means the build is inside the supported range and uses the same hooks.
CS-Cart version and edition compatibility
CS-Cart version
CS-Cart
CS-Cart Ultimate
Multi-Vendor
Multi-Vendor Ultimate
4.22 and later
Testing next
Testing next
Testing next
Testing next
4.21.2
Supported
Supported
Supported
Supported
4.20.x
Supported
Supported
Supported
Supported
4.19.x
Supported
Supported
Supported
Supported
4.18.x
Supported
Supported
Supported
Supported
4.17.2
Supported
Supported
Tested
Supported
Before 4.17.2
Not supported
Not supported
Not supported
Not supported
Last tested build: Multi-Vendor 4.17.2, Oct 23, 2026Tested on: Multi-Vendor 4.17.2
Requirements
Platform
CS-Cart or CS-Cart Multi-Vendor 4.17.2 – 4.21.x
PHP
PHP 7.2.5 – 8.3
Requirement
For images given as URLs: outgoing HTTP(S) requests from the server (the same as for the core product import)
Core changes
None. Hooks and template overrides only
1.0.0
Oct 23, 2026
Latest
Added 7
"Categories" export/import pattern in Administration > Export data / Import data: full paths with the category delimiter, every language, status, position, user groups, description, page title, meta texts, SEO name, image (URL or copied file, alt texts), product details view, product columns, default and available views, age verification fields, product count (export); Store column (Ultimate) and Storefront ID (Multi-Vendor); export of one branch; default layout.
Import by category ID then path, or by path only; missing parents created automatically; renames and moves from the path (moves into the own subtree refused); only changed values written through the core category functions (SEO names with optional 301 redirects); images not uploaded again when unchanged; product counts refreshed.
Dry run with counts, row messages including the changed columns, and a CSV report file.
"Product categories" pattern: product-to-category links with link type and position, Add and Replace import modes, dry run; Smart Collections links left alone.
Console commands for export and import (cron), with exit code 1 on errors.
Multi-Vendor: the section is hidden from vendors.
Domain-bound license check (import and export switched off without a valid license, data untouched) and self-healing upgrades.
Tested on Multi-Vendor 4.17.2. First release.
Where do I find the export and import?
In Administration → Export data and Import data, section Categories. The add-on settings page has direct links.
Can I move my category tree to another store?
Yes. Export with Images: Copy to the images directory (or Image URL if the new store can reach the old one), copy the file and the images folder to the new store's export directory, and import with Match by: Path only. Then move the products with the core product import or with the Product categories pattern.
What happens if I import the same file twice?
Nothing. Every value is compared before it is written; unchanged categories are counted as Unchanged. Images are not uploaded again and no SEO redirects are created.
Can I rename or move categories with a file?
Yes, with Match by: Category ID, then path. Keep the Category ID and change the path: a new last name renames the category, a new parent path moves it with all its subcategories. Missing parents are created.
Does the import delete categories that are not in the file?
No. The import only creates and updates. Delete categories in Products → Categories.
Do I need a row for every language?
No. A file with one language changes only that language's texts. If the file has several languages, every category needs a row for each of them, one after the other (the same rule as the core product import).
Can vendors use it on Multi-Vendor?
No. Categories belong to the marketplace, so the section is only shown to administrators.
How large can the file be?
We tested 10,000 categories: the import creates them in about 4 minutes, the export and an unchanged re-import take seconds. For very large files the console command avoids browser time-outs.
What happens if the license lapses?
Category import and export are switched off: the Categories section disappears from Export data / Import data and console runs are refused. Your categories, product links and exported files are not changed. Once the license is valid again, everything works again.
The admin panel shows a license notice.
Open Add-ons → Manage add-ons → Category Import & Export → Settings → License. The status line says what is wrong: no key, a key for another add-on, a revoked license or a domain the license does not cover. Fix it and click Check now. See License.
Does the add-on work on my staging copy?
Yes. Subdomains of your licensed domain (for example staging.yourstore.com) and local development hosts (localhost, private IP addresses, .local, .test) are covered by the same license.
Does the license check slow down my store?
No. The check runs in the admin panel or from cron, once a day. The storefront never runs it, and the add-on has no storefront output.
Add a released add-on to this order and save 15% on it. It uses the same edition and store domain.
Category Import & ExportThis add-on
+
Scheduled Supplier Feed ImportImport and update products from supplier CSV, XML and JSON feeds on a schedule, with field mapping, price markup and stock rules.
$149
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Spreadsheet Bulk Product EditorEdit prices, stock, names, categories, features and SEO fields of thousands of products in a fast spreadsheet grid, with preview and undo.
$69
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Smart CollectionsRule-based categories and product blocks that fill themselves: on sale, new arrivals, bestsellers, top rated and more.
$69
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