How-to basket order Kite Zerodha import basket bulk orders CSV import

How to import a file to create a basket of trades on Kite

From WebNotes, a public knowledge base. Last updated 21 June 2026. Reading time ~8 min. Level: Intermediate.

Key facts

Where it works	Kite web only; the import facility is not on the Kite app
What you import	A basket file, the .JSON Kite exports from a basket, loaded into a new basket via the Import basket icon
Per-leg data	Each row carries instrument, exchange, transaction type, quantity, order type, price, and product code, the same fields a basket leg needs
After import	The imported basket can be edited or executed as it is
Use case	Building a large or recurring basket in one step instead of searching and adding instruments one by one

Procedure

Prepare the basket fileUse a basket file exported from Kite, the .JSON download from Export basket, or one shared with you. It already holds each leg’s instrument, exchange, side, quantity, order type, price, and product.
Open Baskets on Kite webOn Kite web click Orders, then Baskets. The import facility is on Kite web only, not the app.
Create the target basketClick New Basket, enter a name, and click Create. The import loads into this new, empty basket.
Import the fileClick the Import basket icon and select your file. Kite reads each row into a basket leg.
Review every legCheck each leg’s instrument, side, quantity, order type, price, and product. Update stale limit prices against the live market.
Edit or executeThe imported basket can be edited or executed as it is. For an F&O basket, order buy options first, then execute and confirm each leg.

Importing a file to create a basket of trades on Kite means loading a basket file into a new basket in one step, instead of searching for and adding each instrument by hand. On Kite web , you create an empty basket, click the Import basket icon, and select the file; Kite reads each row into a basket leg, complete with the instrument, side, quantity, order type, price, and product code . The imported basket can then be edited or executed as it is. The facility is Kite web only; the Kite app cannot import a basket file.

This guide is for traders who build large or recurring baskets and want to skip the manual instrument-by-instrument entry: a multi-stock rebalance, an index-replication set, or a structure prepared offline. It covers what the basket file is, how each row maps to a Kite leg, the import flow on Kite web, and the review you must do before executing an imported basket.

Conflict-of-interest disclosure. This guide is published by the WebNotes Editorial Team for informational purposes and is written independently. WebNotes operates a Zerodha account-opening referral programme, disclosed on the pages that carry the referral link; this guide does not carry it and earns no referral commission from the procedure described here.

What the basket file is

The file you import is a basket file, the artefact Kite itself produces when you export a basket. Zerodha’s share flow exports a basket as a download “in .JSON format” named after the basket, and the same import facility reads that file back into a new basket. So the cleanest source of an import file is Kite’s own Export basket control, which guarantees the structure Kite expects on the way back in.

Each leg in the file carries the fields a basket leg needs: the instrument (its trading symbol), the exchange, the transaction type (buy or sell), the quantity, the order type (limit , market , SL , or SL-M ), the price for a limit leg or the trigger for an SL leg, and the product code (CNC , MIS , or NRML ). These are the same parameters you would set by hand when configuring a leg in the basket panel, so an imported leg arrives fully specified and ready to review.

The practical value is bulk creation. A basket can hold up to 20 orders, and Zerodha allows up to 50 saved baskets. Building a 20-leg basket by searching and adding each instrument is slow and error-prone; importing a prepared file populates all 20 legs at once. For an index-replication basket or a large rebalance, the import turns a long manual entry into a single click.

Step-by-step import

The procedure infobox above lists the sequence. The detail below covers preparing the file, the import flow, and the review that an imported basket demands.

1. Prepare the basket file

Start from a Kite-exported basket file wherever you can. Build the basket once in Kite, export it with the Export basket control to get the .JSON, and reuse that file as your import template. If someone has shared a basket with you, their exported .JSON is already a valid import file. Working from a Kite-generated file avoids format guesswork, because the file matches exactly what the import reads.

2. Open Baskets on Kite web

On Kite web, click Orders, then Baskets. This is a Kite web feature; Zerodha states the import “is only available on Kite web and not on the Kite app.” If you are on mobile, switch to a desktop browser to import.

3. Create the target basket

Click New Basket, enter a name, and click Create. The import loads into this new, empty basket, so name it for the strategy you are about to build, for example a rebalance date or an index name.

4. Import the file

Click the Import basket icon and select your file. Kite reads each row into a basket leg, populating the instrument, side, quantity, order type, price, and product for every row. The basket fills in one step.

5. Review every leg

Treat an imported basket the way you would treat any saved basket reused later: review it before you act. Go leg by leg and check the instrument, the buy-sell direction, the quantity, the order type, the price, and the product. Pay particular attention to limit prices, since a file prepared earlier may carry prices the market has moved past. Update any stale limit against the live quote before executing.

6. Edit or execute

Zerodha confirms the imported basket “can be edited or executed as it is.” Make any final edits, then execute. For an F&O basket, order the legs so buy options come first, which shows the lowest required margin . After executing, confirm the status of every leg in the basket or the order book , since a basket is not atomic and any leg can reject while others fill.

Bulk creation and per-order limits

The import shines for large baskets, and it pairs with two limits worth keeping in mind. Kite sets maximum per-order limits when you trade stocks and F&O; an order above the freeze quantity must be split. Zerodha notes that baskets simplify this, especially with the duplicate-order function, so a large position can be entered as several legs under the per-order cap. And a basket holds at most 20 orders, so a set larger than 20 instruments needs more than one basket. Plan the file around those limits: keep each order under the freeze quantity, and split a list longer than 20 instruments across multiple baskets.

What can go wrong

Trying to import on the app. The import facility is Kite web only. The Kite app cannot import a basket file; switch to a desktop browser.
A hand-built file Kite cannot read. The reliable source is a Kite-exported .JSON. A file assembled from scratch in the wrong structure may not import; export a basket from Kite and reuse that file as the template.
Stale limit prices. An imported leg carries the price saved in the file. In a moved market, a limit far from the last traded price will not fill. Update prices before executing.
Exceeding 20 legs. A basket holds up to 20 orders. A larger list must be split across baskets; the import will not extend a single basket beyond the cap.
Per-order freeze limit. A single order above the freeze quantity rejects. Split it with the duplicate-order function into orders under the cap.
Assuming atomic execution. An imported basket is still not atomic. After executing, check every leg’s status and re-place any that rejected .

External references

References

Zerodha support, How do I import files to execute trades on Kite? (Orders, Baskets, New Basket, Create, Import basket icon; edit or execute as it is; Kite web only; as of 21 June 2026).
Zerodha support, How to share Kite baskets? (Export basket produces a .JSON download named after the basket; as of 21 June 2026).
Zerodha support, How to place basket orders on Kite? (up to 20 orders per basket, up to 50 baskets; duplicate function for per-order limits; as of 21 June 2026).
NSE circulars on freeze quantities and per-order limits in the cash and derivatives segments.

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Last reviewed: 21 June 2026
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