thread Re: variation gets created by itself in Payments Troubleshooting

Issue: Item Variations seem to be created on their own

kbw — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 11:03:21 GMT

The title of this thread has been edited by a Square Moderator from the original: "variation gets created by itself"

Hi. I am new to Square and Square POS Retail.

I imported spreadsheet to square website and I like how it creates variation by itself on certain items that does have variation but on certain items that doesn't have variation gets variation slots in POS page as well.

How do I stop this from happening?

Re: variation gets created by itself

londontea — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 14:51:18 GMT

Hi @kbw, welcome to Square!

Every item technically has at least one variation, but if you don't add more variations then this singular variation doesn't appear by default because it's synonymous with the item.

However, there's a kink in the system where if you change the variation name from the default of "Regular" then the variation appears as if there's multiple options – even if there's only one variation.

To fix this, rename the variation to "Regular" and it will no longer appear with separate variation slots. Here's how you do it:

Go to your Item Library on the Square Dashboard.
Select the item that you don't want to see a variation for.
Click "Edit Variation Details," this is above the fields for GTIN and SKU, and next to the button to view your stock history (if enabled).
Change the variation name to Regular with no spaces, commas, or other characters.
Save your changes.

Re: variation gets created by itself

kbw — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 16:02:51 GMT

Can you do same for when using the catalog template? I use the template to upload the items and should I just put "Regular" in Variation column? I leave it empty but each items are getting 3 variations options automatically when I see that item in the register. Thanks.

Re: variation gets created by itself

londontea — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 20:58:16 GMT

I believe that would work, though I've found that there's often things in spreadsheets that can cause weird stuff to happen, especially if you have an extensive item library.

This is a screenshot from my spreadsheet for updating items. I have two similar items for my 5th of November tea. One, named "5th of November," has several variations because I sell it online, and the other "5th of November (oz)", does not because the variation name is "Regular." When I update my catalog using this sheet it keeps the 5th of November (oz) item from popping up with the variation options when I sell it on my POS.

Re: variation gets created by itself

kbw — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 20:41:44 GMT

Thank you for your replay and sorry for delayed response.