Menu Close

BigCommerce V2 to V3 Migration Instructions

Depending on how many products you have, how complex your options are and whether you have Google Shopping enabled, migrating to V3 may take a couple hours, multiple days or even weeks.

BigCommerce offers their own instructions, however I found them to be incomplete and not as detailed as I would want. Therefore, I put together my own step-by-step instructions for anyone who needs them.

Disclaimer: I am offering this information free of charge, but offer no guarantees as I cannot control whether you follow the instructions as directed.

Things to Know Before Starting

Your store may need to be down for maintenance during some parts of the process. Consider this when deciding when to schedule the upgrade. In addition, make sure you have set aside enough time before beginning the steps below to minimize downtime.

If you use shared option sets, you will lose those associations by migrating to V3. This process will recreate all your options, but they will be individual options tied to each product. If you want to use shared options in V3, allow yourself more time because you’ll need to recreate them manually.

Not all of the steps below may apply to your store. Read each overview carefully to make sure you are not skipping any steps that may be required to upgrade properly.

Each set of instructions will open in a new window so you don’t lose your place in the process. Simply close the new window when you’ve completed each step to return to this page.

If you aren’t confident about doing this yourself, I offer V3 migration services. Contact me for a custom quote for your V2 to V3 migration.

Step-By-Step V2 to V3 Migration Process

Step 1: Identify & Document Non-Transferable Information

If your store uses configurable fields or options that aren’t required, these will need to be recreated as Modifiers on V3. Therefore, you’ll need to identify and document any products utilizing these features.

Get Instructions

Step 2: Verify All Options Have SKUs

Make sure that all your options have SKUs assigned so that you can export them and then re-import them after migrating to V3. If your options don’t have SKUs, you will need to manually recreate them after migration.

Get Instructions

Step 3: Disable Google Shopping

If you’ve used Google Shopping in the past, you’ll need to disable it from your products and categories before you can migrate to V3. If you’re not sure if you have Google Shopping enabled, please read this section to determine how to confirm whether you need to make any necessary changes.

Get Instructions

Step 4: Back Up Options & SKUs

Go to Products > Export and export all of your products using the Bulk Edit template. Save this file for later. This step is very important so you can re-import your options and SKUs after upgrading to V3.

(No additional instructions)

Step 5: Delete Your Option Sets

You won’t be able to upgrade to V3 until you delete all your option sets. If you use options, you must complete this step before you can proceed with your upgrade.

Get Instructions

Step 6: Migrate to V3 and Re-Import

This is the final step for most stores, with the exception of those using configurable fields or shared options. Unless that’s you, you’re almost done upgrading!

Get Instructions

Step 7: Add & Apply Shared Options (Optional)

As of right now, V3 supports shared options but doesn’t allow you to import them. This step is only required if you want to recreate your shared options after migrating to V3.

Get Instructions

Step 8: Recreate Configurable Fields or Non-Required Options (Optional)

Now that you’ve migrated your basic product information to V3, you can add your non-transferable content such as configurable fields and non-required options. These will be set up as Modifiers.

Get Instructions

Feeling overwhelmed? Don’t worry, I offer V3 migration services! Contact me for a quote.