---
title: Add or remove single Shopify variant barcodes
date: 2026-10-01
description: The new Variant Barcodes Command column adds, removes, or replaces the barcodes listed in Variant Barcodes on Shopify product variants.
tags: ["Products","Imports","Exports"]
categories: ["Changelog"]
url: https://www.getaltera.com/changelog/2026-10-01-add-or-remove-shopify-variant-barcodes/
---
You can now add one barcode to a variant, or remove one, without listing every barcode the variant already has. The new `Variant Barcodes Command` column tells the import what to do with the barcodes in `Variant Barcodes`.

---

### 🚀 What's New

- **Variant Barcodes Command** - `MERGE` adds the listed barcodes, `DELETE` removes them, and `REPLACE` sets the complete list (see [Variant Barcodes Command](https://support.getaltera.com/en/articles/11490229-product-fields#variants-variant-barcodes-command)).
- **Exports write REPLACE** - an exported file imports back without changes, because each exported cell holds every barcode of the variant.

### 🔧 Improvements

- **Find variants by any barcode** - `Variant Barcode` and `Variant Barcode [ID]` match any barcode of a variant, not only the first one (see [variant matching](https://support.getaltera.com/en/articles/11490229-product-fields#variant-matching-within-products)).
- **Match by Variant Barcodes** - a row without a SKU updates the variant that has every barcode listed in the cell.
- **Clear error for unknown barcodes** - a row whose barcode no variant has now fails with a message that names the barcode (see [PRD103](https://support.getaltera.com/en/articles/17229126-product-error-codes#PRD103)).

### ⚠️ Heads-up

- **MERGE is the default** - in a file without the command column, `Variant Barcodes` now adds barcodes and no longer removes the ones you left out. Add the column with `REPLACE` to set the complete list.
- **Variant Barcode is a legacy column** - new exports can't select it, saved export jobs keep it, and imports read it with a warning (see [Variant Barcode](https://support.getaltera.com/en/articles/11490229-product-fields#variants-variant-barcode)).