Which gallery field should I use when importing WooCommerce variation images?

What the export proves

Create or use a non-destructive test copy of the product, then manually configure exactly one variation with its intended gallery images. Export that variation using the same export workflow that will generate the import template. Treat the exported column headers, value format, separators, and image references as the authoritative fixture for this job.

The source distinction is between the retired Additional Variation Images extension and the native WooCommerce variation gallery. Because the supplied facts do not provide the literal field names, do not substitute a remembered name, a similarly labelled column, or a field from a different exporter. The correct choice is the field that your current export shows for the manually approved variation.

Minimal diagnostic fixture

Illustrative exercise: define Asset A as variation SKU RED-TEE, manually configured with a primary image plus two gallery images. Define Asset B as variation SKU BLUE-TEE, a disposable import target with a distinguishable blue-shirt photo. Keep Asset A unchanged as the approved structural reference. Export Asset A and record the exact variation identifier, the gallery-related column header, the number and order of its image references, and whether the primary image is represented in the same field or a separate field.

Before importing anything, make a copy of the CSV and change only the row for Asset B, using the field and value structure observed in Asset A. Keep the original export unchanged so the evidence remains available. The exercise passes only when the imported test copy associates the intended gallery images with the intended variation, preserves their order where the importer supports order, and leaves unrelated variation media unchanged. It fails if images attach to the product instead of the variation, appear on the wrong variation, disappear, or require a different unverified field.

Action sequence and branch

If the export contains a native variation-gallery field and the test import reproduces the approved gallery structure on Asset B, using Asset B’s intended media and leaving Asset A untouched, continue with that field for matching native records. If it contains the retired extension’s custom field, stop and verify that the current site still uses that extension’s data model before importing; do not convert the column by renaming it. If neither expected gallery representation appears, inspect the exporter’s selected fields and the variation’s actual media assignment, then create a new export fixture rather than guessing.

1. 1. Manually approve one variation’s gallery in the current WooCommerce setup.
2. 2. Export that variation and isolate its exact gallery field and value pattern.
3. 3. Compare the import file’s headers with the export; copy the observed field and format exactly.
4. 4. Import only the non-destructive test copy, then inspect the variation editor and storefront result.
5. 5. Record the result before changing the production file.

Evidence to inspect

Migration boundary

The native gallery and the retired extension are separate data models for this decision. If the site has moved to the native gallery, use the native field demonstrated by the current export. If the old extension’s field is present, treat that as evidence of a different model, not as an interchangeable alias. The supplied source also warns that reactivation after native migration can be blocked, so do not reactivate an old extension merely to test a guessed field.

Scope of the documentation

The official references below support tool behavior and feature boundaries. The test fixture, branching decisions and acceptance criteria are Itemlume editorial recommendations; citation does not imply endorsement. Illustrative sizes, names and timings are not your production specifications.