# Exporting the PrestaShop catalogue or orders as CSV, Excel or PDF

> The Export button at the bottom of the back office’s Orders and Catalogue lists only exports the columns currently visible on screen, and it honours whatever filters are active on the list. An export that looks empty is almost always down to a filter left active, a date range or a status, excluding all the rows you expected.

- Source canonique : [https://allaux.fr/en/prestashop/problemes/export-catalogue-commandes-csv](https://allaux.fr/en/prestashop/problemes/export-catalogue-commandes-csv)
- Langue : EN
- Dernière mise à jour : 2026-09-30

## Direct answer

> Before clicking Export, click Reset at the top of the Orders or Catalogue > Products list: the button only exports the rows and columns currently on screen, filters included. An empty export nearly always comes from a date or status filter left over from an earlier search. Add the columns you need first.

## What the Export button actually does

On back-office lists like Orders or Catalogue > Products, the export button builds a file from whatever is on screen at the moment you click: same columns, same filters, same sort order. If a date or status filter is still active from an earlier search, the export will only contain rows matching it, even if the intention was to export the whole catalogue or every order.

That’s the most common cause of an export that looks empty or incomplete: the list itself is filtered, not the export tool malfunctioning.

The generated file is CSV, to be opened or imported into Excel depending on the machine’s regional settings. Invoices and delivery slips, by contrast, exist as PDF by default: they sit among the documents PrestaShop generates natively as PDF, alongside credit slips (HTMLTemplateOrderSlip) and merchandise return slips (HTMLTemplateOrderReturn), all produced by the classes in classes/pdf/ with content and layout driven by a template specific to each shop.

## What the Export button doesn’t do

- Choose exactly which fields to include: only columns already shown in the list end up in the file.
- Schedule a recurring export, to an FTP server or a scheduled task.
- Generate a PDF other than the invoice or delivery slip PrestaShop already produces.
- Combine data from several screens into one file, such as a catalogue enriched with stock or order information.

## One-off export or automated export

> For a one-off export of what’s on screen, the native button is enough and needs no development. For a custom export, chosen fields, a specific format, automatic delivery to an FTP server or a scheduled run, a dedicated script or module is needed, usually paired with a scheduled task.

## Related pages

- **Bulk-importing products via CSV** — The reverse operation, with its own pitfalls around encoding and duplicate references. ([/prestashop/problemes/import-produits-masse-csv](/prestashop/problemes/import-produits-masse-csv))
- **Syncing your catalogue with Amazon, Cdiscount or eBay** — When exporting to a marketplace needs more than a one-off file: a connector and a seller account. ([/prestashop/problemes/synchroniser-catalogue-marketplaces](/prestashop/problemes/synchroniser-catalogue-marketplaces))
- **Custom PrestaShop module development** — For a custom, automated or scheduled export beyond the native button. ([/prestashop/module-sur-mesure](/prestashop/module-sur-mesure))

## FAQ

### My order export is empty, why?

Check the active filters on the list first, particularly the date range and order status: those are the two filters most often left over from an earlier search.

### Can I export only certain catalogue fields?

With the native tool, only columns already visible in the list get exported. To choose fields freely, a custom-built export is needed.

### How can I automate an export to an FTP server every night?

That isn’t a native back-office feature. It needs a script paired with a scheduled task, generating the file and dropping it where required.

### Can the catalogue be exported in the format Amazon or an accountant expects?

The native format generally doesn’t match exactly what a marketplace or accounting firm expects. A custom export, with the precise column structure required, is built specifically for that need.

### The exported file opens badly in Excel, with columns all mixed up, why?

That’s usually a separator or encoding issue at the point of opening, not with the file’s content. The right CSV import setting in Excel depends on the machine’s regional settings.