---
title: Import Behavior Control
description: How to control whether the import creates new products, updates existing ones, or both — including variant behavior in each mode.
---

The **Product Import Behavior Control** feature lets you decide how the system should handle existing products during import. This setting applies to **both parent products and their variants**. This gives you more control over bulk operations and helps prevent accidental overwrites.

## Import Behavior Options

When creating or editing a Product import job, you will see a new **Import Behavior** selector in the Import Wizard. Three modes are available:

- **Create & Update (default)** — Imports all products from the file. New products are created, and existing products are updated.
- **Only Create** — Imports only products that do not yet exist in the system. Any product that already exists is skipped.
- **Only Update** — Updates only existing products. New products found in the file are ignored.

Select the behavior that best matches your workflow.

![](/images/Shopware_6_import_behavior.jpg)

## How It Works

### 1. Create & Update (Default)

**Description:** Creates new products and updates existing ones (standard behavior)

**How it works:**

- If a product doesn't exist → Creates it
- If a product exists → Updates it
- Applies to both parent products AND variants

**Use Cases:**

- Regular imports where you want to sync all data
- Full product catalog updates
- Initial imports and subsequent updates

**Variant Behavior:**

- New parent products are created with their variants
- Existing parent products are updated
- Existing variants are updated with new data
- New variants are added to existing parents

### 2. Only Create (Skip Existing)

**Description:** Only creates new products. Skips existing products and variants.

**How it works:**

- If a product doesn't exist → Creates it
- If a product exists → **Skips it entirely**
- Applies to both parent products AND variants

**Use Cases:**

- Adding new products without touching the existing catalog
- Importing new product lines while keeping current data intact
- Preventing accidental overwrites during catalog expansion

**Variant Behavior:**

- New parent products are created with all their variants
- Existing parent products are **skipped** (no updates, no new variants added)
- If parent exists but variant doesn't → **Variant is still skipped** (because parent is skipped)
- This mode is conservative: it won't modify existing product structures

**Important:** This mode checks existence at the **parent product level**. If the parent exists, the entire product (including any new variants) is skipped.

### 3. Only Update (Skip New)

**Description:** Only updates existing products. Skips new products and variants.

**How it works:**

- If a product doesn't exist → **Skips it**
- If a product exists → Updates it
- Applies to both parent products AND variants

**Use Cases:**

- Updating prices, stock, or descriptions for existing catalog
- Bulk updates without adding new products
- Maintaining existing catalog structure

**Variant Behavior:**

- New parent products are **skipped** (not created)
- Existing parent products are updated
- Existing variants are updated with new data
- New variants for existing parents are **skipped** (not created)

**Important:** This mode only updates what already exists. It will not expand your catalog with new products or variants.

## Key Points for Variants

1. **Existence Check:** The system determines if a product/variant exists by checking:
   - Product Number (SKU)
   - EAN/GTIN if configured

2. **Parent-Variant Relationship:**
   - Variants are always children of parent products
   - Import behavior applies to both levels independently
   - In "Only Create" mode: if parent exists, new variants are not added
   - In "Only Update" mode: if variant doesn't exist, it's not created

3. **Performance Impact:**
   - "Only Create" and "Only Update" modes skip existence checks for items that don't match the criteria
   - This can significantly speed up imports for large catalogs

4. **Data Safety:**
   - Use "Only Create" when you want to preserve existing product data
   - Use "Only Update" when you want to maintain catalog structure
   - Use "Create & Update" for full synchronization

## Recommendations

- **First Import:** Use "Create & Update" (default)
- **Adding New Products:** Use "Only Create" to avoid touching existing items
- **Price/Stock Updates:** Use "Only Update" to avoid creating duplicates
- **Full Sync:** Use "Create & Update" for complete data synchronization