Shopify or Square CSV export to a monthly sales chart

Last checked 8 Oct 2026. Items marked date-sensitive can change; follow the source links before relying on them.

How to export your sales from Shopify or Square, which columns to use (Shopify's exact headers, from its help page), and how to turn the file into a monthly chart without uploading it.

Have your export ready? Drop it into the free CSV chart previewer. It runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.

Shopify: export your orders date-sensitive

From Shopify's help page (Exporting orders):

In Shopify admin, go to Orders, then sort and filter as needed.
Click Export. Choose which orders, for example Orders by date with a start and end date, and pick a file format under Export as.
Click Export orders. Up to 50 orders (or the current page) download straight away. Larger or date-range exports are emailed to you and the store owner.

Which Shopify columns to chart

Column (exact header)	Shopify's definition	Use it for
`Created at`	When the order was completed by the customer	The date axis (order date)
`Paid at`	When payment was captured	Alternative date axis (cash date)
`Total`	The total cost of the order	Sales including shipping and taxes
`Subtotal`	Subtotal before shipping and taxes	Product sales only
`Refunded Amount`	Any refund applied to the order	Chart separately, or subtract
`Financial Status`	Paid, authorized, refunded, and so on	Breakdown chart
`Source`	Order source, e.g. web, draft order, POS	Breakdown chart (online vs POS)

Watch out: Shopify puts each extra line item of an order on its own row, with many fields (including Total) left blank. Summing Total therefore counts each order once. Summing Lineitem price wouldn't give order revenue. There's also a separate transaction history export with Created At, Kind (sale, refund, authorization), Status and Amount if you want cash movements instead of orders.

Square: export your transactions date-sensitive

From Square's UK help page (View and search transactions):

Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Orders & payments (or Invoices & payments, or Payments) › Transactions.
Set the date filter (and any others).
Click Export to download the transaction details as a CSV. Square says the CSV download is only available in Square Dashboard, not in the Point of Sale app.

Report exports work similarly: Reports › choose a report › export icon › gear icon to pick columns › Start export (Square: Print, export or email your reports).

Which Square columns to chart

Square's help pages don't publish a column list. The headers below are as they appear in exports shared on Square's own community forum (post 1, post 2). Check the header row of your file.

Column	Use it for
`Date`	The date axis
`Net Sales`	Sales after discounts (Gross Sales minus Discounts)
`Gross Sales`	Sales before discounts
`Total Collected`	Everything taken, including tax and tips
`Net Total`	What's left after Square's `Fees`, i.e. what you're paid
`Source`, `Location`, `Device Name`	Breakdown charts

The community examples show US-style dates (2/25/2023) and amounts with a currency sign, with fees in brackets. Your file's formats depend on your account. The previewer reads £/$ amounts, bracketed or minus-sign negatives, and either date order. Check the "Dates like 03/04/2026 are" setting before trusting the chart.

Turn the export into a monthly chart

Open the CSV chart previewer and drop the file in.
In Trend, set Date column to Created at (Shopify) or Date (Square). The previewer picks the first date column it finds, which for Shopify is usually Paid at.
Set Value to Total or Subtotal (Shopify), or Net Sales (Square).
Use Breakdown with Source or Financial Status to see where sales come from.

Worked example (a made-up 7-order Shopify file)

A test file uses Shopify's documented headers, with order #1002 split across two line-item rows (some columns left out here to fit):

Name,Financial Status,Paid at,Currency,Subtotal,Shipping,Taxes,Total,Created at,Lineitem quantity,Lineitem name,…
#1001,paid,2026-07-03 14:22:10 +0100,GBP,24.00,3.95,4.66,27.95,2026-07-03 14:21:55 +0100,1,Linen tote,…
#1002,paid,2026-07-11 10:05:00 +0100,GBP,42.00,3.95,7.66,45.95,2026-07-11 10:04:40 +0100,1,Ceramic mug,…
#1002,,,,,,,,,1,Linen tote,…
…

With Created at and Total selected, the previewer shows Jul 26: 95.85, Aug 26: 81.95, Sep 26: 67.90. Those match a hand calculation, and the second #1002 row isn't double-counted. August includes a fully refunded order (Refunded Amount 27.95), so chart Refunded Amount too, or net it off. The previewer doesn't subtract refunds for you. The site's automated tests run this file and a Square-style file in three browser engines.

Want this as a live dashboard?

The Offline KPI Dashboard (paid, on Contra) builds a fuller private dashboard from CSV exports like these. Or have one built from your Shopify/Square exports with the 5-day spreadsheet-to-dashboard service.

Sources

Free CSV chart previewer (runs in your browser)
How to chart a CSV without uploading it

FAQ

How do I get monthly sales from a Shopify order export?

Export orders as CSV, then sum the Total (or Subtotal) column grouped by the month of Created at. Extra line items have a blank Total, so each order is counted once. The free previewer does the grouping for you in your browser.

Why is my Shopify export emailed instead of downloaded?

Shopify downloads exports of up to 50 orders (or the current page) directly. Exports of more orders, or by date range, are emailed to you and the store owner.

Which Square column should I use for sales?

Net Sales for sales after discounts, Total Collected for everything taken including tax and tips, or Net Total for what's left after Square's fees. Check the header names in your own file.

Can I export Square transactions from the app?

Square says you can view transactions in the Point of Sale app, but you can only download them as CSV from Square Dashboard.

Does the chart subtract refunds?

No. It sums the value column you choose. In Shopify, chart Refunded Amount separately or subtract it. In Square, look at Partial Refunds and the refund rows in your export.