How to Update Bundle Product Options Using Magento 2 Import

Updating existing bundle product options in Magento 2 can be tricky, especially when multiple options share the same title, or you need to change individual selections without affecting the rest of the bundle. A regular product import in Magento 2 may not reliably identify which existing option or selection to modify.

Fortunately, you can update Magento 2 bundle product options using import with the Improved Import & Export extension. The module supports two important identifiers — option_id and selection_id — that let you target existing bundle options and their selections.

In this guide, we’ll explain why these identifiers matter and demonstrate how to change a bundle option title and an individual selection’s default quantity. For a broader explanation of bundle configurations, see our complete Magento 2 bundle product guide.

Why Updating Magento 2 Bundle Product Options Can Be Difficult

A Magento 2 bundle product contains options that organize its associated products into selectable groups. Each option can contain one or more selections, and each selection references a product in your catalog.

When you export bundle products, this configuration appears in the bundle_values attribute. It contains information such as option titles, product SKUs, selection quantities, pricing settings, and other parameters.

The problem arises when you need to update an existing option while preserving its identity.

For example, two bundle options may have identical titles. If an import process relies on these titles to identify existing records, it may struggle to determine which option should be updated. Changing an option’s title creates an additional matching problem because the original name no longer matches the imported value.

The solution is to identify bundle options and selections by their IDs rather than their names.

Improved Import & Export supports two identifiers for this purpose:

• option_id: Identifies an existing bundle option. Multiple selections belonging to the same option share this ID.
• selection_id: Identifies an individual product selection within the bundle option. Each existing selection has its own ID.

By including these identifiers in bundle_values, the extension can match imported data to the corresponding existing records instead of relying on option titles alone.

What about the default Magento 2 importer?

Native Magento 2 import supports updating bundle product data by exporting a product, editing its bundle_values, and importing it again using the Replace behavior. However, this approach replaces the existing bundle data rather than providing the same identifier-based update workflow described here.

You can find the native procedure in the official Adobe Commerce documentation.

How to Update Bundle Product Options Using Magento 2 Import

Let’s demonstrate how the Improved Import & Export extension updates existing Magento 2 bundle product options while keeping their identifiers intact.

Our example involves one bundle option containing two product selections. We want to rename the option and change the default quantity of the first selection without modifying the second.

Step 1: Identify the Existing Bundle Options and Selections

First, open the bundle product you want to update in the Magento 2 admin panel.

Our example contains two selections, each with a default quantity of 1.

Next, export the bundle product using Improved Import & Export.

You can find the export functionality under System → Improved Import/Export → Export Jobs. Create or configure a product export job, select the relevant bundle product, and export its data.

In the resulting file, locate the bundle_values column. Along with the existing bundle configuration, the extension provides the option and selection identifiers.

For our example, the exported data contains:

Notice that both selections belong to option_id=25, but each has a different selection_id.

This distinction is essential. The option ID identifies the group whose title we want to change, while the selection ID identifies the individual product whose quantity we want to update.

Alternative: You can also retrieve these identifiers directly from the Magento 2 database if you have the appropriate access. However, exporting the bundle through Improved Import & Export is usually more convenient because it gives you the relevant product attributes and identifiers in the same file.

Step 2: Edit the bundle_values Attribute

Now that we have the identifiers, we can modify the exported bundle configuration.

In our example, we need to make two changes:

1. Update the option title. Change Bundle Option One1 to Bundle Option One1 Update.
2. Update the first selection’s default quantity. Change default_qty=1 to default_qty=90 for selection_id=49.

The identifiers must remain unchanged:

In other words, we update the attributes associated with the existing option and selection, not their identities.

When editing bundle_values, preserve the original structure. Magento uses commas to separate parameters within an individual selection and pipe characters (|) to separate selections.

Be particularly careful not to remove existing option or selection data unintentionally. The safest approach is to start with the exported configuration and modify only the values you intend to change.

Also, remember that option and selection IDs are database-specific. Always obtain them from the same Magento installation that will receive the import.

Step 3: Import the Updated Bundle Product

After editing the file, import the updated data using Improved Import & Export.

The process follows the regular Magento 2 bundle product import workflow:

1. Navigate to System → Improved Import/Export → Import Jobs.
2. Create a new import job or open an existing one.
3. Select Products as the import entity and configure the appropriate update behavior.
4. Choose the source containing your modified bundle product data.
5. Verify that the bundle_values attribute contains the original option_id and selection_id values.
6. Save the import job, validate the data, and run the import.

Before importing a large number of bundle products, test the procedure with a single product. This helps identify formatting mistakes, incorrect identifiers, or unexpected changes to existing selections.

Step 4: Verify the Updated Bundle Product Options

Once the import finishes, open the bundle product in the Magento 2 admin panel and check its configuration.

In our example, the result should be:

• Option title: Bundle Option One1 Update
• First selection quantity: 90
• Second selection quantity: 1
• Existing option and selection identities: Preserved

As you can see, the option has been renamed successfully, and only the intended selection quantity has changed.

The process works because Improved Import & Export recognizes the existing records through their identifiers.

If the imported changes do not appear as expected, check that the IDs match the target installation, the edited values are correctly formatted, and the import job has completed without errors. Also, verify the results on the storefront after refreshing relevant Magento caches if necessary.

Updating Bundle Product Options with Improved Import & Export: Additional Advantages

Using option_id and selection_id addresses the main problem described in this guide. However, Improved Import & Export for Magento 2 also simplifies the surrounding import workflow.

Instead of manually preparing and uploading CSV files every time a bundle option changes, you can take advantage of several additional capabilities:

• Multiple file formats. Import and export product data using CSV, XML, JSON, XLSX, and ODS instead of relying exclusively on CSV.
• Flexible import sources. Retrieve updated bundle configurations from Google Drive, Dropbox, FTP/SFTP servers, URLs, or Google Sheets.
• Scheduled imports and exports. Configure cron-based jobs to synchronize product information automatically at predefined intervals.
• Attribute and value mapping. Match external file columns and values to Magento attributes without manually restructuring every source file.
• API integrations. Exchange product data with compatible external systems through API-based workflows.

These capabilities are particularly useful when bundle configurations change frequently or product data comes from suppliers, PIM systems, or other external sources.

For example, if a supplier regularly changes the quantities of components in predefined product kits, you can configure an import job to process those updates automatically. By preserving existing option and selection IDs, you can maintain the correct associations between bundle options and their products.

Final Words: Update Magento 2 Bundle Product Options Without Unnecessary Changes

Updating Magento 2 bundle product options through import becomes much more manageable when you can reliably identify existing options and selections.

The key is to preserve option_id and selection_id when editing the bundle_values attribute. These identifiers allow Improved Import & Export to recognize existing records, helping you update option titles, quantities, and other supported configuration values without relying on ambiguous option names.

Whether you’re modifying a single bundle or maintaining a larger catalog, the extension provides a practical way to manage these updates. It also supports automated imports, multiple file formats, and external data sources to reduce repetitive manual work.

Get Improved Import & Export for Magento 2 to simplify bundle product updates and other catalog data transfers.

For more practical Magento tutorials, explore our Magento 2 Developer’s Cookbook.

Magento 2 Bundle Product Options Import FAQ