Description Cleaner
reapps.com.au
Tidy the HTML behind your product descriptions across a whole catalog. The wording stays the same; the clutter around it goes.
Clean Up Product Description HTML in Bulk
A product description looks like plain text in the Shopify editor, but behind it is HTML, and that HTML collects clutter. Text pasted from Word or Google Docs brings its own fonts and colours. Descriptions migrated from another platform carry that platform's markup. Editors leave behind attributes that mean nothing to a browser. The result is descriptions that ignore your theme's fonts, show uneven spacing, and are several times larger than they need to be.
The Description Cleaner works through the Body (HTML) column of a product CSV and removes the clutter you choose, leaving the wording, headings, lists, bold text and tables in place. A preview shows what will be removed and real before and after examples from your catalog.
What It Removes
Editor Leftovers
Attributes such as data-mce-fragment and data-start that rich text editors and AI writing tools add, along with old-style font, colour and alignment attributes. They have no effect on the page and can be removed safely.
Empty and Pointless Tags
Empty paragraphs that create unexplained gaps, span tags that wrap text without doing anything, and long runs of line breaks used in place of spacing.
Scripts and Word Markup
Script and style blocks, hidden comments, and the tags Microsoft Word inserts when text is pasted from a document.
Optional: Styles, Links and Images
Inline styles, class names, links and embedded images can also be stripped. These are off to start with, because some stores set them on purpose. They are most useful on descriptions imported from a supplier or another store.
How to Clean Shopify Descriptions in 4 Steps
- Export Your Products: In Shopify admin go to Products, choose Export, and download the CSV.
- Upload and Choose: The safe options are ticked already. Add the others only if you want that formatting gone.
- Preview: See how many descriptions change, what is removed, and before and after examples.
- Download and Import: Import the cleaned CSV into Shopify with the option to overwrite existing products selected. Check a few products on your storefront afterwards.
Why Inline Styles Cause Trouble
An inline style is formatting written directly into a description, such as a font or a text colour. It overrides your theme. Change your theme's fonts later and every description with inline styles stays as it was, so the store ends up with two looks. Removing them hands control back to the theme. The exception is formatting you added deliberately, such as a styled size table, which is why this option is yours to tick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will cleaning change the wording of my descriptions?
No. The cleaner removes markup, not text. Headings, paragraphs, lists, bold and italic text and tables are kept. Descriptions that contain nothing you ticked are left exactly as they were.
How do I remove inline styles from Shopify product descriptions in bulk?
Export your products to CSV, upload the file here, tick Inline styles, preview, and download. Importing the cleaned file with the overwrite option updates every description at once.
What is data-mce-fragment and is it safe to remove?
It is an attribute left behind by the rich text editor Shopify uses. It has no effect on how the page looks or works, so removing it is safe.
Why are some options not ticked to start with?
Removing inline styles, classes, links or images can change how a description looks. Some stores add these on purpose, so they are left for you to choose.
Does it clean other columns?
No. It works on the Body (HTML) column only. Every other column is written back unchanged.