How to Hide Category in WooCommerce: A Comprehensive Guide

WooCommerce is a powerful platform for building and managing an online store. However, there may be occasions when you want to hide a category from your shop’s front end. This could be for promotional reasons, inventory management, or simply to streamline the shopping experience. In this guide, we’ll explore how to easily hide categories in WooCommerce without affecting your store’s performance or SEO.

Why Hide a Category in WooCommerce?

Before diving into the steps, it’s essential to understand why you might want to hide a category:

• **Seasonal Products**: Temporarily remove categories not in season.
• **Exclusive Offers**: Hide categories that are exclusive to certain customers.
• **Streamline Navigation**: Simplify the shopping experience by displaying only relevant categories.
• **Inventory Management**: Conceal categories that are out of stock or being replenished.

Methods to Hide Categories in WooCommerce

1. Using WooCommerce Settings

WooCommerce does not provide a direct option to hide categories, but you can manage visibility through product settings. Here’s how:

• **Step 1**: Navigate to your WordPress dashboard.
• **Step 2**: Go to **Products** > **Categories**.
• **Step 3**: Find the category you want to hide and click **Edit**.
• **Step 4**: Change the **Display type** to “None” or adjust visibility settings to control display on the shop page.

2. Using a Plugin

Plugins can make the process seamless and offer more flexibility. Here are a few popular plugins:

• **WooCommerce Catalog Visibility Options**: This plugin allows you to hide categories and products from certain users.
• **Hide Categories Or Products On Shop Page**: Easily hide specific categories from the shop page.

#### Steps to Use a Plugin

• **Install and Activate**: Go to **Plugins** > **Add Read more about How To Customize Woocommerce Pages New** and search for the plugin. Install and activate it.
• **Configure Settings**: Follow the plugin’s instructions to hide categories. Typically, this involves navigating to a new menu in your dashboard and selecting categories to hide.

3. Custom Code Solution

For those comfortable with code, custom snippets can effectively hide categories. Here’s a basic example:

• **Step 1**: Access your theme’s functions.php file via FTP or the WordPress editor.
• **Step 2**: Read more about How To Create Coupon Code In Woocommerce WordPress Add the following code:

 function exclude_category_from_shop($query) { if ( $query->is_main_query() && !is_admin() && is_shop() ) { // Replace 'category-slug' with your category slug $query->set('tax_query', array( array( 'taxonomy' => 'product_cat', 'field' => 'slug', 'terms' => array('category-slug'), 'operator' => 'NOT IN', ), )); } } add_action('pre_get_posts', 'exclude_category_from_shop'); 

• **Step 3**: Save the changes.

4. CSS Solution

If you prefer not to use PHP, CSS can also hide categories from view:

• **Step 1**: Go to **Appearance** > **Customize** > **Additional CSS**.
• **Step 2**: Add this CSS code:

 .product-cat-category-slug { display: none; } 

• **Step 3**: Replace ‘category-slug’ with the actual slug of the category you wish to hide.

Best Practices for Hiding WooCommerce Categories

• **Test Changes**: Always test any changes in a staging environment before deploying to your live site.
• **Backup**: Make sure to backup your Learn more about How To Add Sidebar To Woocommerce Shop Page website before making changes, especially when dealing with code.
• **SEO Considerations**: Ensure hidden categories do not affect your site’s SEO. Use tools like Google Search Console to monitor any changes.

Conclusion

Hiding categories in WooCommerce can significantly improve your store’s user experience and operational efficiency. Whether you’re using plugins, custom code, or simple CSS, each method has its own advantages. Choose the one that best fits your technical expertise and business needs. By following this guide, you’ll be able to manage your WooCommerce categories effectively, ensuring your store remains user-friendly and optimized for conversions.

By implementing these strategies, your WooCommerce store will not only look cleaner but will also provide a more focused shopping experience for your customers.