Short answer. Commerce Manager shows “Incorrect number of columns” when some rows of a CSV or TSV have more or fewer fields than the header row, which happens when a field containing a comma (a description, a title) is not enclosed in double quotes. Quote every field that contains a comma, double any quote inside such a field, remove unused columns, and re-upload.
| Shown in Commerce Manager as | Incorrect number of columns |
|---|---|
| Effect | Whole feed blocked |
| Where to find it | Catalog → Products → a product’s Status and issues; feed-level errors under Catalog → Data sources → Download issue report |
| Free check | Not something a feed file shows; see below for what the check can tell you instead |
What Commerce Manager means by “Incorrect number of columns”
A CSV or TSV is a header row followed by rows that must have exactly as many fields. Meta’s data feed troubleshooting page explains the usual failure: a field containing a comma, a description or a title, that was not enclosed in double quotes, so the comma was read as a separator and every column after it shifted. The page adds the escaping rule for quotes inside a quoted field (double them) and notes that Excel and Google Sheets handle all this on export, so the error belongs to files written by text editors and scripts.
The whole upload fails, not just the affected rows, because Meta cannot trust any row once the columns have moved.
Why it happens
- Unquoted commas in descriptions, titles or size lists.
- Unescaped quotes inside a quoted field, ending it early.
- Line breaks inside a field that was not quoted, splitting one product over two rows.
- Trailing separators or extra empty columns on some rows.
- A header with unused columns that the rows do not carry.
How to fix it
In Shopify
A Shopify CSV export is spreadsheet-generated and quoted correctly; this error on a Shopify feed means it was edited afterwards in a text editor or produced by a script. Re-export, or open and re-save from a spreadsheet program before uploading.
In WooCommerce
Prefer XML for a WooCommerce feed: our free plugin serves Google-format XML, which Meta accepts and which has no column alignment to break. If you must use CSV from a script, wrap every text field in double quotes and double any quote inside it.
In a CSV or XML feed
Open the file in a spreadsheet: rows whose last columns are shifted or empty are the broken ones. Quote every field containing a comma, a quote or a line break; write quotes inside a field as two quotes, Meta’s example being "This product meets ""XYZ"" standards"; remove columns you are not using. Re-upload.
How long until Commerce Manager clears it
Immediately on the next upload of a well-formed file. The feed’s overview shows the upload summary instead of the error.
What FeedRobin does about it
The free feed check parses CSV and TSV with the standard quoting rules and counts the rows it had to skip because they lacked a required field, which is what shifted columns look like after parsing. A high skipped count on a file you believe is complete is this error seen from the other side. The feeds we serve are generated, never hand-edited, so the columns cannot drift.
Questions merchants ask
I made the CSV in Excel. Do I need to add quotes?
No. Meta’s page says spreadsheet programs such as Excel and Google Sheets quote fields correctly on export. The rule applies to files written by a text editor or a script.
How do I write a quote mark inside a quoted field?
Double it. Meta’s example: “This product meets ““XYZ”” standards”. A single unescaped quote inside a field ends the field early and shifts every column after it.
Would XML avoid this?
Yes, and so would TSV for most catalogues, since tabs rarely appear in product text. XML has its own constraint: one field per line and a 5 MB limit per line.
Sources
- Troubleshoot data feed errors in your catalog — Meta Business Help Centre
- Product data specifications for catalogs in Commerce Manager — Meta Business Help Centre