Copy Rules to Another Collection in Shopify with Rule Templates
If you run a lot of similar collections, such as one per vendor, one per product type or one per season, you end up building the same rules over and over. Rule templates in Awsm Collections fix that: save a collection's rules as a template once, then load that template into any other managed collection and change only what is different. This guide walks through saving a template, loading it into another collection and checking the result before it syncs. To change rules on many existing collections in one go, use Bulk Actions instead.
Don't have Awsm Collections yet? Install it from the Shopify App Store →
1 Get the source collection right first
A template copies the rules of a collection you already have, so start with one that works. Open a managed collection whose rules you trust, or build one as described in Build a rule-based collection.
Check its product groups: the AND/OR logic inside each group, and whether each group is set to Include or Exclude (excludes win). A rule set that is easy to adapt usually has one value that changes per collection, for example:
• Include: Vendor equals Acme AND Available for sale is true
• Exclude: Tags contains clearance
2 Save the rules as a template
In the collection editor, open Import, export & templates and click Save as Template. Enter a Template name that says what the rules do, such as "Vendor collection, in stock, no clearance", so you can pick it out later, add an optional description, and click Save template.
The template stores the product groups as they are in the editor at that moment, including edits you haven't saved yet. Saving a template does not change the source collection or its products.
3 Open the collection you want to copy the rules into
Create a new managed collection or open an existing one that should use the same rule set. Templates are loaded inside the collection editor, so this is where you work from now on.
If the target collection already has rules, note them first: loading a template replaces all of its existing product groups with the template's groups. Nothing changes in Shopify until you save, and you can undo the load in the editor before then.
4 Load the template
Click Load Template (under Import, export & templates), then click Load next to the template you saved. The template's product groups and rules appear in the editor, where you can edit them like any rules you added by hand.
Nothing is synced to Shopify yet. The collection only changes once you save it.
5 Change what is different for this collection
Edit the values that make this collection unique, for example swap the vendor Acme for Northwind, or change a tag or a price range. Everything else stays as it was in the template.
Then review the settings, since a template carries each group's own settings but nothing at collection level:
• Carried over per group: the rules, AND/OR, Include/Exclude, variant matching, max products, the active from / active until dates, the sort and tie-breaker sorts, and Push out-of-stock products to the bottom. Check that copied dates still make sense for this collection.
• Picked again: a group sorted by a metafield or by similarity to a product keeps the sort type but not the metafield or the product, so choose it again.
• Not carried: pinned products and the Safety net (Minimum products, Max product drop %) stay as this collection had them.
6 Save and let the collection sync
Save the collection. The app syncs it right after saving and keeps re-syncing it on a schedule, so new matching products join as they appear.
If the copied rules would shrink the collection a lot, the Safety net can hold the sync for review instead of applying it. That is a useful check when you load a template into a collection that already had products.
7 Know when to use Bulk Actions instead
Rule templates are for starting a collection from a proven rule set. If you need to make the same change to many collections that already exist, for example add a rule to every group, remove rules that match a condition, or find-and-replace a value, use Bulk Actions. It applies the change to every collection you select and reports the result per collection.
Frequently asked questions
Can I copy the rules from one Shopify collection to another?
Yes, for collections managed by Awsm Collections. Save the source collection's rules as a rule template, then load that template into the other collection, adjust any values and save.
If I edit a template later, do the collections I loaded it into update?
No. Loading a template copies its rules into the collection, so there is no live link. Templates can't be edited in place either: to update one, load it, change the rules, save them as a new template, and delete the old one with Delete in the Load template list. To change rules across many existing collections at once, use Bulk Actions, which can add, remove or find-and-replace rules on every collection you select.
What is the difference between rule templates and Bulk Actions?
A rule template copies a whole rule set into one collection at a time, which suits building new collections that follow the same pattern. Bulk Actions applies one rule change to many selected collections in a single run and reports the outcome for each.
Will this change my existing Shopify collections?
No. Awsm Collections only manages the collections it creates, and it leaves your other Shopify collections untouched. Loading a template only affects the managed collection you are editing, once you save it.
Can I save rules the AI wrote as a template?
Yes. A collection built with Create with AI is an ordinary managed collection with editable rules, so you can save those rules as a template like any other. Create with AI is available on every plan.
Which plan do I need for rule templates?
Rule templates are available on every plan, including Starter. They are part of the rules engine, not the Pro and Enterprise AI toolkit. All plans include a 7-day free trial.