Docs Advanced Shipment Tracking CSV Import

CSV Import

CSV Import adds tracking information to many orders at once from a .csv file. It’s the quickest route when you fulfill a batch of orders together, or when your shipping system or 3PL exports tracking data as a file.

The CSV file

Your file needs a header row and one row per tracking number. These are the columns:

ColumnRequiredDescription
order_idYesThe WooCommerce order ID. If you use a custom order number plugin, put your custom order number here — AST resolves it to the right order.
tracking_providerYesThe shipping carrier. It can be either the carrier name as it appears in your enabled carriers, or the carrier slug from the carriers reference. A row with a carrier AST doesn’t recognise fails.
tracking_numberYesThe tracking number from the carrier.
date_shippedYesThe shipping date. Unlike the REST API, CSV import won’t fall back to today’s date — a row with an empty or unreadable date fails.
status_shippedNoWhat to do with the order status. 0 — leave it unchanged. 1 — set the order to Completed (shown as Shipped if you renamed it). 2 — set it to Partially Shipped. 3 — set it to Updated Tracking. Values 2 and 3 only apply if you enabled that status in Order Statuses & Notifications.

Sample file

Copy the lines below into a text editor and save them as ast-sample-import.csv, then replace the rows with your own orders.

order_id,tracking_provider,tracking_number,date_shipped,status_shipped
1,UPS,1Z6E36W60390858267,12-06-2026,1
2,USPS,9200190244541430003,12-06-2026,1
3,FedEx,123456789012,12-06-2026,2
If you build the file in Excel, format the tracking number column as Text before you paste the numbers in. Excel turns long numbers into scientific notation such as 1.23E+18, and AST rejects those rows.

Running the import

1. Upload the file

Go to WooCommerce > Shipment Tracking > CSV Import, then set the options on the upload screen:

  • Upload a CSV file — choose the .csv file from your computer.
  • Shipped date format — pick DD-MM-YYYY or MM-DD-YYYY. This has to match how the dates are actually written in your file; if it doesn’t, every row fails on the date.
  • Replace tracking information — tick this to clear any tracking already on the order before the new row is added. Leave it unticked to add alongside what’s there.
The CSV Import upload screen, with the file picker, the shipped date format selector and the replace tracking checkbox

2. Watch it run

The import starts as soon as you continue, and reports each row as it goes. Successful rows show the order they were added to; failed rows say why — an invalid order ID, a carrier that isn’t enabled, an empty tracking number, or a date that doesn’t match the format you chose. A failed row doesn’t stop the rest of the file.

The CSV import running, listing each row as it succeeds or fails

3. Review the summary

When the import finishes you get a summary of the successful and failed rows. Fix the failed rows in your file and import just those again.

The CSV import summary showing counts of successful and failed rows

Need more?

Advanced Shipment Tracking PRO extends importing with:

  • Scheduled FTP/SFTP import — AST picks the file up from your server on a schedule, so you don’t upload anything by hand.
  • Bulk Paste — paste order numbers and tracking numbers straight into the screen, without making a file at all.
  • Tracking per item — extra sku and qty columns, so each shipment records which items it contains. See the AST PRO CSV import guide.