thread Re: Bulk Edit using "Edit Items" button - Error message with no direction to error in Orders, Menu Items, Catalog & Fulfilment

Bulk Edit using "Edit Items" button - Error message with no direction to error

reclaimedspirit — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 09:53:53 GMT

I've been struggling with this for a few months since Square moved all item edits to the dashboard (not online anymore). Often, when I try to bulk edit using the Edit Items button, I receive an error message in a red box at the top saying "Some items could don't be updated. Please review the items that failed and try again". There is no designation as to which items failed. I spend hours checking every cell - can't find any All caps in titles, I removed hyphens from SKUs, removed semi-colons from item name, and still cannot get the update to go through. I added all "Attributes" columns to the screen also and still no designation to the items of error.

Please help. We have over 8,000 items in our library. I really need to be able to use the bulk edit feature. I've tried everything I know how.

Re: Bulk Edit using "Edit Items" button - Error message with no direction to error

Candlestore — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 16:04:27 GMT

@reclaimedspirit ;

How are you trying to add Items through Bulk Edit?

Are you trying through Square Dashboard on a Computer Bulk Edit, or are you trying to upload a CSV?

The easiest way I found is through CSV.

Here is more on that :

5153-import-items

Re: Bulk Edit using "Edit Items" button - Error message with no direction to error

Summer2024 — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 19:19:08 GMT

Hi @reclaimedspirit ! Thank you @Candlestore for providing a great link!

Let's try to tackle this systematically.

Immediate Workarounds

Break Down Updates
- Edit smaller batches (100-200 items)
- Work by category
- Track which groups succeed/fail
Export/Import Method
1. Items Library →
  Export →
  Make changes in spreadsheet →
  Import in smaller batches

Troubleshooting Steps

Common Error Triggers
- Special characters (✓, ™, ®, ©)
- Hidden spaces at start/end
- Formatting issues
- Duplicate SKUs
- Invalid price formats
Systematic Check
1. Export catalog →
  Check for:
  - Extra spaces
  - Special characters
  - Consistent formatting
  - Required fields

Best Practices

Before Bulk Edit
- Backup current data
- Test with small batch
- Document changes
- Note successful updates
Error Checking
- Use text editor to spot special characters
- Check CSV formatting
- Verify price formats
- Validate SKUs

Step-by-Step Solution

Divide and Conquer

Step 1: Export current catalog
Step 2: Split into smaller files
Step 3: Test each section
Step 4: Note which succeed/fail

Data Cleanup

Remove all formatting
Standardize text
Check for duplicates
Verify required fields

Tips for Large Catalogs

Organization
- Create category groups
- Track changes by section
- Maintain backup files
- Document successful methods
Validation Tools
- Use spreadsheet validation
- Check for duplicate SKUs
- Verify price formats
- Review character limits

I hope this helps!