How to keep leading zeros in your product SKUs

Prepare CSV and Excel product codes as text so 00124 stays a stable identifier through import and catalog export.

Last updated October 21, 2026

A product code can look like a number without behaving like one. If 00124 identifies your notebook, losing the first two zeros changes the identifier. Treating SKUs consistently prevents avoidable duplicate records and photo mismatches.

Treat product codes as text from the beginning

Set the SKU column to text in the spreadsheet application before entering or pasting codes. If the application has already changed 00124 to 124, formatting that cell as text later will not recover the missing characters. Correct the code from a reliable source rather than assuming every code has the same length.

Check the saved CSV

A CSV stores field values without an Excel-style column type. The text 00124 can be present in the file even if a spreadsheet application later displays it as 124. Inspect the import preview and compare a known SKU with your original data.

• Keep a stable SKU for each sellable item.
• Use one row per SKU; correct duplicate rows before confirming.
• Do not add spaces merely to force a numeric-looking code to display differently.
• Keep the exact code in photo filenames when using SKU-based matching.

Use plain values in XLSX

For an XLSX workbook, store numeric-looking product codes as text cells. LineSheetDesk does not execute formulas or macros. If a formula builds your SKU, convert it to a plain text value before uploading and verify the result in the mapping preview.

Match the same identifier across your files

A product with SKU 00124 can be matched with a deliberately named image such as 00124.webp. Renaming it to 124.webp introduces ambiguity. When filenames differ, use the explicit image-reference field or make a manual match in the import workflow.

Keep codes stable across updates

Renaming a SKU can make an update look like a new product plus a missing old product. If a product name or price changes, keep the existing SKU. Review missing candidates carefully; they are not deleted automatically.