# Exclude products in the Categories step

{% hint style="warning" %}
Caution: By deactivating the categories, it will **deactivate** the selected categories and **exclude** the items that are matched by these categories.
{% endhint %}

It may be that you already know which categories you do/don't want to advertise with on the export channel. You can exclude these products in the **Categories** step.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Go to the Categories step

Go to the **Categories** step of the channel where the categories are set.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Open Manual Categorization

Click on the **Manual Categorization** tab.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Select the category to exclude

Locate the specific category that you want to exclude and select its checkbox.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Deactivate selected categories

At **More actions**, click the **+** icon dropdown. Select option **Deactivate selected**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### View exclusion statistics

In the statistics, you can view how many products have been excluded by deactivating this category.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="info" %}
Tip: There are also other possibilities to exclude products, for example [rules](https://helpcenter.channable.com/manage-improve-product-data/rules-bulk-edit-and-enrich/rules-in-channable).
{% endhint %}

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