How to change all your products to physical products in Shopify
To convert all products in your Shopify store to physical products, you need to access each product's settings and toggle off the digital option. Shopify treats products as digital by default only if you explicitly mark them that way — most stores already have physical products set as the standard. If you have a mix of digital and physical items, you'll need to edit the digital ones to remove that designation.
The fastest method is to use Shopify's bulk editor to change multiple products at once rather than editing them one by one. You can filter your product list to show only digital products, then convert them all in a single action. After conversion, you must add weight and shipping information so Shopify can calculate shipping costs at checkout.
Key Takeaways
- Physical products are Shopify's default setting; you only need to change products that are currently marked as digital.
- The bulk editor lets you change the digital setting for many products in one action, rather than editing each product individually.
- You can filter your product list to show only digital products, then bulk-edit them all to physical at once.
- After changing a product from digital to physical, you must add weight and shipping information so Shopify can calculate shipping costs.
- Test your changes by viewing a product page to confirm the digital badge is gone and shipping options now appear.
Using the bulk editor to change multiple products at once
Open your Shopify admin and go to Products. Click the Bulk actions button (usually a checkbox icon or menu option near the top of your product list). Select Edit products. This opens the bulk editor, where you can make the same change to many products without opening each one individually.
In the bulk editor, look for the column labeled Digital or This is a digital product. Click on that column header to sort by it, which groups all your digital products together. Select the checkbox next to each digital product you want to convert, or use the select-all option if all products shown are digital. Then click the Digital field and toggle it to Off or No. Shopify will apply this change to every product you selected when you save.
Filtering to find only your digital products
If you have hundreds of products and only a few are digital, filtering saves time. In your Products list, click the Filter button. Look for a filter option called Product type, Digital, or Variants — the exact name varies by your Shopify plan and any apps you use. Select the option that shows only digital products.
Once filtered, your list shows only the products marked as digital. You can then select all of them and use bulk edit to turn off the digital setting in one action. After you save, refresh the page and the filter will show no results, confirming all digital products have been converted.
Adding weight and shipping details after conversion
When you change a product from digital to physical, Shopify needs shipping information to calculate costs at checkout. Each product must have a weight entered in your store's default unit (pounds or kilograms). Open a converted product and scroll to the Shipping section. Enter the product weight and check the box that says This product requires shipping.
You can also set a shipping class if you use one — this groups products with similar shipping rules so you don't have to enter the same information repeatedly. If you converted many products at once, you may want to use bulk edit again to add weight to all of them together, rather than opening each product individually.
Checking your changes on the storefront
Visit your online store and view one of the products you converted. If the change worked, you should no longer see a Digital product or Download badge on the product page. Instead, you should see shipping options at checkout — usually a dropdown showing available shipping methods or a message about shipping cost being calculated at checkout.
If a product still shows as digital, go back to the product editor and confirm the digital toggle is actually set to off. Sometimes the change doesn't save if you navigate away too quickly. If shipping options don't appear, check that you've entered a weight and enabled shipping for that product.
What happens to orders after you convert products
Converting a product from digital to physical does not affect orders that were already placed. Customers who bought the digital version before the change will still receive their digital download if one was attached. Only new orders placed after the conversion will be treated as physical products requiring shipping.
If you want to remove a digital download file from a product you're converting, open the product, scroll to the Files or Digital downloads section, and delete the file. This prevents customers from receiving a download link for what is now a physical item.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I convert products from digital to physical without losing their descriptions or images?
Yes. Changing the digital setting does not touch product descriptions, images, pricing, or any other information. Only the digital designation changes. All your product details remain exactly as they were.
What if I have a product that is both digital and physical?
Shopify does not natively support selling the same product as both digital and physical in one listing. You need to create two separate products — one marked digital, one marked physical — and link them in the description if customers need to know both versions exist.
Do I have to add weight to every physical product?
Yes, if you use Shopify's built-in shipping rates or any shipping app. Weight is required for the system to calculate shipping costs. If you use flat-rate shipping or local pickup only, weight is optional but still recommended for inventory tracking.
Will converting products to physical change my shipping settings?
No. Your overall shipping zones and rates stay the same. Converting products just makes them subject to those existing shipping rules instead of being excluded as digital items.