Hide Out-of-Stock Variants in Shopify With These Easy Steps

When you sell multiple product variations, like different styles of shirts or pants, you might want to hide specific variations when they're out of stock. If you're not sure how to do this, don't worry—it's a common challenge for many Shopify store owners.

This guide will show you how to hide out-of-stock variants in Shopify so you can make it easier for customers to navigate your store.

» Explore Shopify's variant inventory policy to handle out-of-stock products better

How to Hide Out-of-Stock Variants in Shopify

Knowing how to handle your product variants can help you maintain a tidy, organized store and improve your customers' shopping experience. Here are two methods you can try to hide out-of-stock variants in Shopify:

Using the Shopify Dashboard

Before we get into the guide, it's important to know that when you follow these steps, out-of-stock variants will:

• Show as "Sold Out" or "Unavailable" to customers.
• Be prevented from being purchased.
• Still appears in the variant dropdown (grayed out or crossed out).

They won't completely disappear from view unless you use a third-party app or customize your theme code (we'll mention that option at the end).

Step 1: Navigate to Your Product

Log in to your Shopify admin and click on Products in the left sidebar.

Find and click on the product that has the variant you want to manage.

Step 2: Select the Variant

Scroll down to the Variants section on the product page.

Click directly on the variant you want to mark as out of stock (for example, "Size: 2" or "Color: Red").

Step 3: Enable Inventory Tracking

In the Inventory section, make sure inventory tracking is turned on by toggling the "Inventory not tracked" setting to activate it.

This allows Shopify to monitor stock levels for this variant.

Step 4: Disable "Continue Selling When Out of Stock"

Look for the "Sell when out of stock" option in the Inventory section. Click on it. Or you can easily expand the Inventory section for more details.

Make sure "Continue selling when out of stock" is NOT checked or selected.

This ensures customers cannot purchase the variant when inventory reaches zero.

Step 5: Set Quantity to Zero

In the quantity section, right under the Available column, enter 0 (zero) in the New box from the dropdown menu for the stock quantity. This marks the variant as out of stock.

Step 6: Save Your Changes

Click the Save button at the top right of the page.

Your variant is now marked as out of stock, and customers won't be able to purchase it.

What Customers Will See

When customers visit your product page:

• The out-of-stock variant will appear in the variant selector (dropdown or buttons).
• It will be grayed out, crossed out, or labeled "Sold Out" depending on your theme.
• Customers cannot select or purchase this variant.
• Other available variants remain fully purchasable.

Want to Completely Hide Variants Instead?

If you want out-of-stock variants to completely disappear from the variant selector (not just show as unavailable), you'll need one of these solutions:

Option 1: Use a Shopify App

• Search the Shopify App Store for "hide out of stock variants".
• Apps can automatically remove unavailable options from your product pages.
• Many offer free trials or affordable monthly plans.

Option 2: Customize Your Theme

• Hire a Shopify Expert or developer to modify your theme code.
• They can add custom Liquid code to filter out zero-inventory variants.
• This is a one-time customization.

» Explore our detailed guide for more comprehensive instructions on setting products as "Out of Stock" in Shopify

Using a Third-Party App

Managing all your variations via an app is an even easier option to successfully hide out-of-stock items and their variables in Shopify. Apps like Out-of-Stock Police by Egnition can help you manage product visibility by:

• Pushing out-of-stock products down: This functionality automatically moves products with out-of-stock variants to the bottom of collection pages, reducing their visibility without completely hiding them.
• Hiding out-of-stock products: For more comprehensive management, the app can completely hide out-of-stock products (and their variants) from your store until they're back in stock.

» Read this Out-of-Stock Police review to find out more

Stay Stocked, Stay Organized

Focus on running your business instead of constantly checking your inventory levels

Boost your SEO and get more assisted conversions for temporarily out-of-stock products

Get in-app or email alerts when supplies run low or out

Avoid losing organic traffic by strategically hiding out-of-stock items

Export and download sold-out and out-of-stock products for restock planning

Start Free Trial

Simplify Hiding Unavailable Variants in Shopify

Apart from finding ways to hide out-of-stock variants in Shopify, we recommend using stock alerts to track when a product or product variant will run out of stock. This will help you better maintain control over your inventory.

Effectively managing your out-of-stock variants improves the customer experience and helps you stay on top of your inventory needs. By implementing these strategies, you can create a more efficient and user-friendly Shopify store.

» Find out if you should hide your out-of-stock products