How to Hide Product Category in WooCommerce: A Comprehensive Guide

WooCommerce is a powerful eCommerce platform that offers extensive customization options for online stores. However, you might encounter situations where you need to hide certain product categories from your customers. Whether it’s for promotional reasons, inventory management, or simply to streamline the user experience, knowing how to hide product categories can be incredibly beneficial. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the steps to efficiently hide product categories in WooCommerce.

Why Hide Product Categories in WooCommerce?

Before diving into the how-to, let’s explore why you might want to hide product categories:

• **Seasonal Products**: Certain items might only be relevant during specific times of the year.
• **Member-Only Products**: You may want to offer exclusive products to registered users or members.
• **Inventory Management**: Temporarily hide categories if items are out of stock.
• **Design and User Experience**: Simplify navigation by showing only relevant categories to users.

Methods to Hide Product Categories

There are several methods available to hide product categories in WooCommerce. Below, we’ll explore the most effective options:

1. Using WooCommerce Settings

While WooCommerce doesn’t offer a direct option to hide categories, you can manage product visibility using built-in settings.

• **Step 1**: Navigate to **Products** > **Categories** in your WordPress dashboard.
• **Step 2**: Select the category you wish to hide.
• **Step 3**: Change the **Visibility** setting to “Hidden” or “Private.”

2. Using Plugins

For more advanced options, consider using a plugin. Here are some popular plugins that can help you hide product categories:

• **WooCommerce Catalog Visibility Options**: Offers options to hide prices and “Add to Cart” buttons, along with categories.
• **Product Visibility by User Role for WooCommerce**: Allows you to manage product visibility based on user roles.

#### How to Use a Plugin to Hide Categories

• **Step 1**: Read more about How To Refund In Woocommerce Install and activate your chosen plugin.
• **Step 2**: Navigate to the plugin settings in the WordPress dashboard.
• **Step 3**: Configure the settings to hide the desired product categories.

3. Using Custom Code

If you prefer a more hands-on approach, you can use custom code to hide product categories. This method is ideal for those with coding experience.

#### Example Code to Hide Categories

Add the following code to your theme’s `functions.php` file:

 function custom_exclude_product_cat( $query ) { if ( ! is_admin() && $query->is_main_query() ) { if( is_shop() || is_product_category() || is_product_taxonomy() ) { $tax_query = (array) $query->get( 'tax_query' ); $tax_query[] = array( 'taxonomy' => 'product_cat', 'field' => 'slug', 'terms' => array( 'category-slug-to-hide' ), // Replace with your category slug 'operator' => 'NOT IN' ); $query->set( 'tax_query', $tax_query ); } } } add_action( 'pre_get_posts', 'custom_exclude_product_cat' ); 

• **Step 1**: Replace `’category-slug-to-hide’` with the slug of the category you want to hide.
• **Step 2**: Save the changes to the `functions.php` file.

4. Hiding Categories from the Navigation Menu

To maintain a clean navigation menu, you might want to hide certain categories from appearing.

• **Step 1**: Go to **Appearance** > **Menus**.
• **Step 2**: Uncheck the categories you wish to hide from the menu.
• **Step 3**: Save the menu to apply changes.

Best Practices for Hiding Product Categories

• **Test Changes**: Always test changes on a staging site before applying them to your live store.
• **Backup Your Site**: Ensure you have a recent backup before making significant changes.
• **Keep SEO in Mind**: Hiding categories may impact SEO. Consider using 301 redirects for hidden categories.

Conclusion

Knowing how to hide product categories in WooCommerce can greatly enhance your store’s functionality and user experience. Whether you opt for built-in settings, plugins, or custom code, it’s crucial to choose a method that aligns with your store’s objectives. By following this guide, you’ll be well-equipped to manage your product categories effectively, ensuring a seamless shopping experience for your customers.

Remember, hiding product categories is not only about removing them from view but also about strategically managing your store’s inventory and presentation to align with your business goals.