Use a File Attribute Export and a File Update import to make many different updates across many files (images, videos, and documents) at once. You export the files' details to a spreadsheet, change them row by row, and import the sheet back. Each row can carry a different change.
You can update captions, Org Units (Regions), roles, manual label tags, and file attribute values such as alt text.
Which method should I use?
PXM has two ways to bulk update files. This article covers the spreadsheet method. For the same change across many files, see Bulk Update Files with Modify Metadata and Permissions.
You want to… | Use |
Make different changes to different files (a new caption on each image, different Org Units per file, file attribute values that vary file by file) | File Attribute Export + File Update import (spreadsheet) |
Make the same change to every selected file (add one tag, remove a role, move a set of files to one Org Unit, publish a batch) | Modify Metadata and Permissions (bulk drawer) |
Review or back up file-level data (captions, Org Units, roles, labels, file attributes) in a spreadsheet | File Attribute Export (export only) |
Before you start
The files must already be in PXM. This import updates existing files; it doesn't upload new ones.
You need access to Upload / Import > Data Import. What you can see and change depends on your role and account.
Attributes you want to fill in must already exist in PXM. Each file attribute gets its own column in the export.
Use Excel, Google Sheets, or another spreadsheet editor. Keep the file in the format it downloaded in (.xlsx).
Try it on a few files first, especially with Strict Edit.
Part A: Export the files' details
Step 1. Open a Files view: a folder's or product's Files tab, the Files tab of search results, or Unassociated Files at the top of the folder list.
Step 2. Tick the checkbox on each file you want to update. To select every file on the current page, use Select All above the grid. It selects the files on the current page, based on the Results/Page setting at the top right. If more than 1,000 files are available, a prompt asks whether you want to select all available assets; confirm to select them all. There is an "n selected" counter to tell you how many files are selected. When files are selected, the bottom right shows ••• and Export Custom Template.
Step 3. Click ••• at the bottom right. The menu lists: Add to lightbox, Add to Folder, Move to Folder, Download, File Attribute Export, Share, Convert, Start Approval Flow, Modify Metadata and Permissions, Generate Image, Delete.
Step 4. Click File Attribute Export. It starts straight away, with no dialog and no Cancel. You'll see Exporting…, then File downloaded successfully, and export_FileAttributesExportTemplate_<timestamp>.xlsx downloads in your browser.
Part B: Edit the spreadsheet
Step 5. Open the downloaded .xlsx. There's one row per file. The Import Type column is blank.
Step 6. In Import Type, enter Edit or Strict Edit on every row you're importing (see the column reference below for what each does).
Step 7. Change the values. Separate multiple values in one cell with commas, for example Admin, Contributor, General User. Org Unit and role names must match PXM exactly (see the warning under Tips and gotchas).
Step 8. Keep only what you're changing. Delete rows for files you don't need to update. With Strict Edit, also delete any column you don't want to touch: a filled-in cell fully replaces the existing value, and a blank Caption or Manual Labels cell clears it.
Step 9. Don't change the Filename column; it's how PXM matches each row to a file. Save the file.
Part C: Import the sheet
Step 10. Clear your file selection. Click Upload / Import at the bottom right. The Upload drawer opens with two tabs: File Upload and Data Import.
Step 11. Click Data Import. Under Choose an Import Type you'll see Data, Draft Data, Media Stack, Folder Tagging, File Update, and Attribute.
Step 12. Click File Update. A File Update Template link appears at the top right if you want a blank template; the export you edited already has the right columns.
Step 13. Click Launch Import and choose your saved spreadsheet. Follow the on-screen steps to review the columns and fix any errors, then run the import. (Click Cancel Uploads to stop.)
Step 14. When it finishes, open a few of the files and check their Visibility (Org Units and roles), Attributes, and tags to confirm the changes. Always check permissions after an import that changes Region or Roles.
Column reference
In the PXM screens, Region is called Org Units. They're the same thing.
Column | What it holds | Edit | Strict Edit |
Import Type | Edit or Strict Edit. Blank in the export; required on every row. | — | — |
Filename | The file the row updates. Don't change it. | — | — |
Caption | The file's caption (one text value). | Replaces the caption | Replaces the caption; a blank cell removes it |
Region (Org Units) | Org Units that can see the file, comma-separated (e.g. Default, Marketing). Names must match exactly. | Adds to the file's current Org Units | A filled cell fully replaces them. A blank cell (or a missing column) is ignored, with no error; the current values are kept |
Roles | Roles that can see the file, comma-separated, e.g. Admin, Contributor, General Plus User, General User, Super Admin. Names must match exactly. | Adds to the file's current roles | A filled cell fully replaces them. A blank cell (or a missing column) is ignored, with no error; the current values are kept |
Auto Labels | Label tags PXM added automatically. Export only: the import ignores this column, with no error. | Ignored. Changes don't apply; use Manual Labels | Ignored. Changes don't apply; use Manual Labels |
Manual Labels | Label tags added by hand, comma-separated. | Adds to the current tags | Replaces them; a blank cell removes them |
One column per file attribute (header = attribute name) | The file's value for that attribute. | Adds the value; single-value attributes are replaced | Replaces the value |
Edit vs Strict Edit in one line
Edit adds. It replaces Caption and single-value attributes, and adds to Org Units, Roles, Manual Labels, and multi-value attributes. Use it to add without losing anything.
Strict Edit fully replaces each value you fill in. A blank Caption or Manual Labels cell clears that value. A blank (or missing) Region or Roles cell is ignored, so the current Org Units and roles are kept. Use it when filled-in values must be the exact final state.
Example
Example only. Filenames and values are invented to show the format.
Import Type | Filename | Caption | Region | Roles | Manual Labels | Alt Text |
Edit | demo-backpack-front.jpg | Front view of the trail backpack | Marketing |
| summer, hero |
|
Edit | demo-backpack-side.jpg |
|
| General Plus User | side view | Trail backpack, side view |
Strict Edit | demo-spec-sheet.pdf | Spec sheet, 2026 | Default | Admin, Contributor, Super Admin |
| Trail backpack spec sheet |
Strict Edit | demo-unboxing.mp4 | Unboxing video | Default, Retail Partners | Admin, Contributor, General Plus User, General User, Super Admin | video | Unboxing the trail backpack |
Row 1 (Edit): sets the caption, adds the Marketing Org Unit, and adds two tags. The blank Roles and Alt Text cells change nothing.
Row 2 (Edit): adds a role and a tag, and sets Alt Text (a single-value attribute, so it's replaced). The blank caption is left as it is.
Row 3 (Strict Edit): Org Units become only Default and roles become only those three, because those cells are filled in. The blank Manual Labels cell removes the file's tags, and Alt Text is replaced.
Row 4 (Strict Edit): every column is set to exactly what's in the row.
Tip: Edit and Strict Edit rows can sit in one sheet, but it's easier to keep Strict Edit rows in their own file with only the columns you mean to replace.
Tips and gotchas
Warning: Org Unit and role names must match exactly. A name that doesn't match an existing Org Unit or role is dropped with no error. If none of the names in a cell match, the file gets ALL of the account's roles (an over-sharing risk), or falls back to the primary Org Unit. Copy names from the export, separate them with commas, and spot-check permissions on a few files after every import.
File Attribute Export starts as soon as you click it. There's no dialog to cancel. Check your selection first.
Fill in Import Type on every row. The export leaves it blank.
Auto Labels is export-only. The File Update import ignores the Auto Labels column with no error, so the job can still show as completed even if you edited it. Changes there won't apply; put tag changes in Manual Labels instead.
Strict Edit: blank clears Caption and Manual Labels. A blank Caption or Manual Labels cell removes that value. If a column should only change for some files, remove the column or put those files in a separate sheet.
Blank Region or Roles is ignored. In Strict Edit, a blank Region or Roles cell, or a missing Region or Roles column, keeps the file's current Org Units and roles, with no error. To change them, enter the full list you want.
Edit can't remove values. It only adds (except Caption and single-value attributes, which it replaces). To take a value off, use Strict Edit with the full list you want to keep, or use Remove in Modify Metadata and Permissions.
Keep filenames exact. If your spreadsheet tool changes a filename (auto-correct, extra spaces), PXM can't match the row.
File-level data only. For product fields, use Export Global Attributes from the Products tab.
Start with a few files, check the result, then run the full sheet.