Goal: Successfully transfer metafields and their definitions from one Shopify store to another, ensuring your custom data remains visible and manageable in the Shopify admin.
Prerequisites:
You have Altera installed on both source and destination Shopify stores
Products with metafields exist in your source store
Understanding that metafields require definitions to be visible in Shopify admin
Step 1 - Export Metafield Definitions from Source Store
In your source store, go to Altera and click Export. Select Metafield Definitions.
Choose the relevant owner types (Products, Variants, Customers, etc.) based on what metafields you want to transfer.
Click Export to download the metafield definitions file.
Step 2 - Export Product Data with Metafields
In the same source store, go to Export and select Products.
In the field selection, make sure to include:
General category (for basic product information)
Metafields and SEO category (for the metafield data)
Click Export to download your products with metafields.
Step 3 - Import Metafield Definitions to Destination Store
In your destination store, go to Altera and click Import. Upload the metafield definitions file you exported in Step 1.
Review the import preview and click Run Import to create the metafield definitions in your destination store.
Step 4 - Import Products with Metafields
After the metafield definitions import is complete, go to Import again and upload your products file from Step 2.
Review the import preview and click Run Import to transfer your products and their metafield data.
Outcome
Your metafields and their definitions are now successfully transferred to the destination store. You can verify this by:
Viewing your products in the Shopify admin to see metafields are visible
Checking Settings → Metafields and metaobjects to confirm definitions were created
Important Notes
Why Metafield Definitions Matter:
Without metafield definitions, metafields won't appear in the Shopify admin interface
Metafields will still exist and work on your storefront, but you can't manage them through the admin
Definitions provide data validation and structure for your metafields
Special Case: Category Metafields:
Shopify category metafields must be set up manually in the destination store first
Altera cannot create category metafield definitions through the API
Set up category metafields in your destination store before importing products that use them
Transferring Metaobjects Between Stores
Metaobjects can also be transferred between stores using a similar process:
Export Metaobject Definitions and Metaobjects from your source store
Import Metaobject Definitions and Metaobjects to your destination store
Reference fields in metaobjects (like product_reference or file_reference) automatically export as handles or filenames instead of GIDs, making them work seamlessly across different stores.
Alternative Method
If you've already imported products without their definitions:
Go to Settings → Metafields and metaobjects → Products in your Shopify admin
Click "View unstructured metafields"
Create definitions for any metafields that appear in this list
Configure the data type and validation rules for each metafield