How to switch from Sortly to ItemTally
Export Sortly's Inventory Summary report, save it as CSV and upload it. ItemTally recognises Sortly's columns, rebuilds your folder tree, fetches photos from their public links and attaches your barcodes. Then decide which items you lend.
What you need
- Access to Reports in your Sortly account
- An ItemTally workspace, free for one editor and ten borrowers
- Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets, to save the export as CSV if it downloads as Excel
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Export the Inventory Summary from Sortly
In Sortly, open Reports → Inventory Summary, clear any filters so every item is included, and choose Export as CSV or Excel. Sortly's help centre says the export carries item details, custom fields, tags, quantities, prices, the folder structure and public links to item photos.
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Save it as CSV if needed
If you exported Excel, open it and save as CSV UTF-8. ItemTally imports CSV files up to 5 MB and 10,000 rows. Don't rename the columns: the original names are how Sortly's layout is recognised.
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Upload it to ItemTally
Open Imports and upload. When the file has Sortly's Entry Name column, the Match columns step says it's a Sortly export and maps every column for you.
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Check what will be created
Folder rows in the export are skipped, not imported as items; your folders arrive through each item's folder columns instead. The Check step lists the items, the new folders, how many photos will be fetched and the reason for any row that would be skipped.
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Mark the items you lend as unique
Sortly counts everything, so a camera arrives as counted stock with a quantity of 1. For things you lend and want to track by person, add a Type column with
uniquebefore importing, or change those items afterwards. Counted stock keeps its minimum and maximum. -
Print labels, or keep Sortly's
Barcodes and QR codes from Sortly's barcode columns are attached to the items, so labels you already printed keep working when they hold your own codes. Print ItemTally labels for anything else from the import receipt.
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Invite the team and start lending
Viewers are free. Add editors and borrowers as you need them. Hand things to people with a due date; Sortly's check-outs, which move items to a folder, don't come across as custody.
How Sortly’s columns map
| Sortly column | ItemTally field |
|---|---|
| Entry Name | Name |
| Entry Type | Row type (folder rows are skipped) |
| Quantity | Quantity |
| Min Level | Low-stock alert at |
| Max Level | Restock to |
| Price | Value |
| Value | Not imported (it’s quantity × price) |
| Unit | Unit |
| Tags | Tags |
| Notes | Notes |
| Primary Folder, Subfolder-level1 to 4, Folder, Location | Location (one folder path) |
| Photo1 to Photo8, Photo URLs | Photo links (fetched on import) |
| Barcode/QR1-Data, Barcode/QR2-Data | Barcode or code |
| Sortly ID, Barcode/QR-Type | Not imported |
| Anything else | Custom field with the same name |
These names come from Sortly’s bulk import template and its inventory export. Sortly doesn’t publish its export columns in full, so if a column of yours is named differently, set it in the Match columns step. Checked on Sortly’s help centre on 16 October 2026.
After the import
- Set minimums per location on the Stock levels page if you keep the same item in several places.
- Make kits for things that always go out together.
- Send each regular borrower their My things link.
Try it on your own stuff. Free for one editor and ten borrowers, with unlimited items. No card.
Start freeQuestions people ask
Do my Sortly photos come across?
Yes, when the export includes public image links. ItemTally fetches up to eight photos per item during the import; any that fail are counted in the receipt, and the import carries on.
Do custom fields come across?
Yes. Columns from a Sortly export that ItemTally doesn't have a field for are set to custom fields automatically, named after the column.
What doesn't come across?
Activity history, check-out history and user accounts. Sortly's Value column is quantity × price, so it's left out; the price per item becomes Value.
Can I keep using Sortly while I try ItemTally?
Yes. Export again later and import with Update items I already have ticked. Items are matched by barcode, serial, then exact name and unit, and only changes are applied.
How does pricing compare?
Sortly prices by plan with limits on unique items. ItemTally never meters items: Shelf is free for one editor and ten borrowers, Stockroom is €19 a month and Warehouse €49. See the full comparison.