Shopify’s new 2,048 variant limit
Shopify finally did it. The long-standing limit of 100 product variants per item is gone. You can now create up to 2,048 variants for a single product.
That might sound like a small technical tweak, but for many store owners, it’s a huge operational shift. It means fewer workarounds, fewer apps, and much easier product management.
Let’s look at what changes in practice and how you can take advantage of it.
Fewer product splits, smoother product management
Before this update, many stores had to split a single product into multiple listings just to handle all their variations. For example, if you sold a t-shirt in 12 colors and 12 sizes, that’s 144 combinations. Shopify’s old limit of 100 variants meant you had to split it into two separate products.
That workaround came with a cost:
It made product management harder. You had to track stock, prices, and SKUs across multiple listings.
It affected the presentment on with sales channels like Meta or Google Shopping.
It required extra apps or custom code to “recombine” products on the storefront.
It slowed down the user experience when switching option values.
Now, you can keep all those variations in a single product record. That’s simpler for both you and your customers.
Calculated pricing can now work natively in some cases
Another big impact is for merchants using “calculated price” setups. Think about businesses selling by size, weight, or measurement - like materials, cables, or custom-length items.
Before, you had to rely on an app to calculate dynamic pricing, since you couldn’t list enough variants to cover every option. Now, you can - as long as the "steps" are below the new 2048 variant limit.
For instance, if you sell products in lengths from 20mm to 2000mm, that’s 1,980 variants. You can now create each one natively in Shopify, either with the API or a simple CSV import.
This opens up a few benefits:
No more recurring app fees for something core to your product setup.
Fewer external dependencies that could break at some point (e.g. app server going down).
More accurate reporting and inventory tracking inside Shopify.
Better bundle creation possibilities
Bundles have been tricky under the 100-variant rule.
Let’s say you wanted to bundle three products, each with 12 variants. That’s 12 × 12 × 12 = 1,728 combinations. Under the old limit, impossible. Under the new one, easy.
That opens up creative new ways to package and sell products without hitting technical limits.
Clothing sets (top + bottom + accessories)
Meal kits with multiple ingredient options
Custom gift boxes with different color or size options
What to watch out for
A few details are still worth keeping in mind:
The number of product options (for example, color, size, style) is still limited to 3.
If you go over 100 variants, check your theme and apps for compatibility. Some older ones may not yet support the new variant structure.
Larger product records can increase sync time with some integrations, so test before rolling out large imports.
FAQ
Can I use this feature on all Shopify plans? Yes, the 2,048 variant limit applies to all plans, not just Shopify Plus.
Do I need to update my existing products? No, your existing products remain as they are. You can edit or expand them as needed within the new limits.
Will this affect my store’s speed? Not directly, but large variant lists can slow down loading times if your theme is unoptimized. Test your product pages after making big changes.
What happens to apps I used for variant splitting? You might not need them anymore. Still, review your workflows before uninstalling anything to avoid breaking storefront displays or data syncs.
Wrapping up
This variant limit increase removes one of the biggest pain points for Shopify merchants.
It simplifies product management and lets you run more of your store natively - without extra apps or workarounds.
For many, it’s the kind of quiet upgrade that changes everything behind the scenes.
