Shopify emails your order export for anything over 50 rows, and the default view hides orders older than 60 days. Every method, with those limits spelled out.
There are five ways to get Shopify data into Excel: admin CSV exports for orders, products, and customers; analytics report exports on higher plans; third-party Shopify apps like Matrixify or Zapier; the Admin API via Power Query for developers; and connector add-ins that refresh on a schedule. The CSV exports work on any plan but come with two habits that trip people up repeatedly: any export over 50 orders arrives as an email link rather than an immediate download, and the default orders view hides anything older than 60 days. Here is every method, with those limits made clear before you build a workflow around them.
Method 1: Admin CSV exports (any plan)
Shopify can export orders, products, and customers as CSV files directly from the admin. For orders: go to Orders, filter the view you want, click Export, choose which orders to include and select a file format, then click Export orders. Products and customers have their own Export buttons on their respective list pages.
The catch: if you select more than 50 orders (or choose to export by date range), Shopify does not download the file immediately. It generates the CSV in the background and emails a download link to both the store owner and the account that triggered the export. For a store with thousands of orders, a large export can take an hour or more to arrive. There is no setting to force an immediate download for bulk exports. Additionally, the Orders page defaults to showing only the last 60 days. Older orders still exist, but you must manually change the date filter each time, and even then the Admin API caps results at 60 days without the read_all_orders permission, which Shopify grants on a case-by-case basis.
Method 2: Analytics report exports (Shopify plan and above)
The Analytics section of the Shopify admin includes pre-built reports for sales, sessions, conversions, and more. Each report has an export button that downloads a CSV for the selected date range. These reports are more structured than raw order exports and are easier to drop into a pivot table.
The catch: analytics reports are locked to the Shopify plan and above. The Basic plan gets a stripped-down overview; the full reporting suite requires upgrading. If you are on Basic and the reports you need are behind the paywall, the raw order export is your only built-in option.
Method 3: Shopify app store add-ons (Matrixify, Zapier)
Several Shopify App Store apps export store data directly to Excel or automate the delivery on a schedule. The most widely used for Excel exports is Matrixify (formerly Excelify), which handles bulk export of products, orders, customers, inventory, and more into Excel or CSV format. It supports large datasets that exceed the built-in admin export limits and can handle formats the default export does not, such as order line items in a single row per order rather than one row per line item.
For event-triggered delivery, Zapier can connect Shopify to Microsoft Excel via OneDrive: when a new order is placed, Zapier adds a row to an Excel worksheet automatically. This is useful for order intake logs where you want every new order appended in near real time without manual exports.
The catch: Matrixify has a free tier limited to small export jobs; larger exports require a paid plan. Zapier requires a paid Zapier plan for most multi-step workflows and adds an ongoing monthly cost. Both approaches also depend on OneDrive for the Excel file, so they do not work with locally stored workbooks or network-drive files.
Method 4: Admin API via Power Query
Shopify's Admin API exposes orders, products, customers, and more over REST and GraphQL. Power Query in Excel can call REST endpoints directly: go to Data, then Get Data, then From Web, paste the endpoint URL with your access token in the header, and parse the JSON response into a table. For pagination, M code handles the Link header that Shopify uses to indicate the next page.
The catch: the GraphQL API uses a leaky-bucket cost model; large or complex queries get throttled when they exceed the per-request point budget. REST is being phased out in favor of GraphQL as of late 2024, which means long-running Power Query solutions built on REST endpoints may need rebuilding. Power Query is also only available on Windows and Mac desktop Excel, not Excel on the web. And the 60-day order history limit still applies unless your custom app has the extended permission.
Method 5: Brooked for Excel (scheduled, any plan)
Brooked for Excel is an add-in that connects to your Shopify store and pulls orders, products, and customers into the worksheet. It runs inside Excel's ribbon, works on desktop (Windows and Mac) and Excel on the web (where Power Query is not available), and includes an AI analyst you can ask questions like "which products had the most refunds last quarter" in plain English.
Honest framing: Excel support is in beta. Manual imports and the AI analyst work today; scheduled refresh is rolling out through the beta. The Google Sheets version of the same connector is fully live, so the Shopify plumbing itself is mature.
Setting up the Shopify connection
Open Brooked in the Excel ribbon, choose Shopify as the source, and authenticate with your store credentials. Pick the entity you want (orders, products, or customers), set filters like date range or status, and import into the active worksheet. No CSV step and no manual header cleanup.
Brooked AI, ShopifyMethod comparison
| Method | Cost | Works on | Refresh | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admin CSV export (orders) | Free, any plan | Any Excel | Manual re-export | One-off order snapshots under 50 rows |
| Admin CSV export (products, customers) | Free, any plan | Any Excel | Manual re-export | Catalog or customer list snapshots |
| Analytics report exports | Shopify plan and above | Any Excel | Manual re-export | Pre-built sales and traffic summaries |
| Shopify app (Matrixify, Zapier, etc.) | Free tier or paid plan depending on app | Any Excel (OneDrive required for Zapier) | On-demand or event-triggered | Large exports, multi-row-per-order formats, or auto-append on new orders |
| Admin API via Power Query | Free (developer setup) | Windows & Mac desktop Excel | Manual refresh in Power Query | Technical teams comfortable with REST/GraphQL |
| Brooked for Excel | Free during beta | Desktop, Mac & web Excel | Scheduled (rolling out in beta) | Recurring order, product, or customer reports |
What ecommerce teams build with this
- Daily order summary: new orders, revenue, and average order value refreshed each morning
- Inventory planning: product export joined with sales velocity to flag low-stock SKUs
- Customer cohort analysis: repeat purchase rates by acquisition month
- Refund tracking: refunded orders by SKU and reason code, updated weekly
- Sales channel comparison: online store vs POS vs draft orders in one pivot table
Troubleshooting common issues
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Frequently asked questions
Can I export Shopify orders directly to Excel?
Shopify exports orders as CSV, not as a native .xlsx file. You can open the CSV in Excel and save it as an Excel workbook, or use a connector like Brooked that delivers data directly into an Excel sheet. The built-in export goes to CSV only, so the .xlsx step is always manual unless you use a connector.
Why does my Shopify order export arrive as an email link instead of downloading?
Shopify sends the export as an email link whenever you select more than 50 orders or export by date range. It is a hard rule in the admin, not a setting you can change. The email goes to the store owner and the account that requested the export. For smaller pulls you can select up to 50 orders on the current page and get an immediate download.
Why do I only see 60 days of orders in Shopify?
The Shopify admin Orders page defaults to showing orders from the last 60 days. You can manually change the date filter to see older orders, but the Admin API also limits results to the last 60 days unless the app or custom integration has the read_all_orders permission, which requires Shopify's approval. This is why some third-party exports seem to stop at 60 days even when older orders exist.
Does Shopify have a native Excel add-in?
No. Shopify has no official Excel add-in. The built-in export tools produce CSV files. Third-party connectors fill that gap, including Brooked for Excel, which connects orders, products, and customers and can refresh on a schedule.
Can I get Shopify reports in Excel automatically?
Not with the built-in admin exports; each one is a manual step. Shopify Analytics on higher plans adds pre-built reports, but those also export as one-time snapshots. For automatic refresh you need a connector. Brooked for Excel pulls Shopify data into the workbook and refreshes on a schedule as that feature rolls out through the beta.
Do the CSV export and API work the same on Windows, Mac, and Excel on the web?
The CSV export works everywhere because it is just a file download. Power Query for the Admin API works on Windows and Mac desktop Excel but is not available in Excel on the web. Brooked for Excel works on desktop (Windows and Mac) and on Excel on the web, which is the gap that Power Query leaves.
What is Matrixify and is it a good alternative to Shopify's built-in export?
Matrixify is a Shopify App Store app built for bulk data export and import. It handles large datasets that exceed what the built-in admin export can produce and gives you more control over the output format, including options like collapsing all line items for an order into a single row. It exports to Excel or CSV. The free tier handles small jobs; larger exports require a paid plan. It is a practical option if the default export's column structure or row-per-line-item layout does not fit your spreadsheet model.
Get live Shopify data in Excel without the email-link dance.
Brooked for Excel is in beta and free to try. Working in Google Sheets instead? Read the Sheets version of this guide.
See Brooked for Excel →
