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Set up inventory tracking

Who is this article for?
  • Sellers with general items permissions. Set permissions in the Square Dashboard.
  • About inventory tracking

    Square’s inventory management gives you basic tools to keep a clear count of in-stock items in your item library, and manage your inventory from anywhere. For items with inventory tracking enabled, the stock count will update based on sales from the Square app, Square Invoices, and for orders shipped through your online store.

    Before you begin

    You have two options for managing your inventory tasks:

    • Make updates to your inventory from the Square Dashboard on a laptop or desktop computer. When updating your inventory in the Item Library on Square Dashboard, you can make manual changes to individual items, or use the import tool to update stock levels in bulk. This option is best suited for the back office, when you may have larger updates to make. 

    • Update your inventory from the Square Point of Sale apps and POS devices. This option is best suited for quick updates.

    In order to use inventory features, you need to have items in your item library on Square. Learn more about how to create and edit items with Square.

    To use inventory management, make sure you’re running the latest version of the Square app on your mobile device.

    Adjust inventory levels

    Stock actions allow you to adjust stock levels and apply reasons. For instance, you are able to add or remove stock and assign reasons such as Stock received, Inventory Re-count, Damage, Theft, Loss, and Restock return.

    Square Dashboard

    Item with no variations:

    1. Sign in to your Square Dashboard and click Items & Orders > Items > Item Library.
    2. Click on the selected item from the list.
    3. Toggle on Tracking within the Variations section.
    4. Click Edit variation details next to Variations, then click Manage stock.
    5. Next to Stock Action, select the reason for adjusting your stock, then enter a stock amount.
    6. Toggle on Low stock alert to receive notifications when stock counts hit a certain level.
    7. Click Done.
    8. Click Save.

    Item with variations:

    1. Sign in to your Square Dashboard and click Items & Orders > Items > Item Library.
    2. Click on the selected item from the list.
    3. Click Manage stock.
    4. Select the reason for adjusting your stock, then enter a stock amount for each variation.
    5. Click Done.
    6. Click Save.

    Square POS apps and devices

    1. Open the Square app and tap ≡ More.
    2. Tap Items > All items.
    3. Tap on the selected item from the list.
    4. Under the Price and inventory section, tap Stock on hand.
    5. Select the reason for adjusting your stock, then enter a stock amount.
    6. Tap Done or Save.
    7. Tap Save.

    Adjust inventory levels in bulk

    The Import tool allows you to download a report of your current inventory and update your inventory quantities in bulk. This is especially helpful for adding new inventory and verifying current stock. The import tool is only available in your Square Dashboard.

    1. Sign in to your Square Dashboard and click Items & orders > Items > Item library.

    2. Click Actions > Export Library.

    3. In this report, update your New Quantity values and save the Excel (.xlsx) or CSV (.csv) file to your computer.

    4. Click Actions > Import Library from your Item library.

    5. Drag and drop or browse your saved file to the Import Inventory window and click Next.

    6. Review the data and click Next to confirm.

    Once the steps are complete, your stock is instantly updated.

    At this time, Excel and CSV file templates are the only supported file types for bulk import. Custom templates aren’t supported.

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