First identify your active theme: on a block theme, edit the WooCommerce Product Catalog template in the Site Editor; on a classic theme, use the Customizer or your theme’s page or builder editor. The Shop page’s visible product layout may come from that template rather than from the content you enter on the page itself.
Choose the right editing surface
Check whether your WordPress dashboard has Appearance > Editor and lets you edit templates. WooCommerce’s full store-template editing features require a block theme. Classic themes generally use Appearance > Customize for supported catalog options, while page content is edited through Pages > All Pages or a theme- or builder-specific editor. A third-party builder may provide its own shop template controls.
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| Approach | Theme compatibility | What it changes | Where to edit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product Catalog template | Block themes | Reusable catalog layout for pages using the template | Appearance > Editor > Templates > WooCommerce > Product Catalog |
| Product Catalog Customizer settings | Classic themes that expose these controls | Supported catalog display options | Appearance > Customize > WooCommerce > Product Catalog |
| Page or builder editor | Depends on the theme or builder | Ordinary page content or layouts owned by the builder | Pages > All Pages, or the editor supplied by your theme or builder |
Confirm which page WooCommerce uses for Shop
Before changing the layout, verify the Shop page assignment. Open WooCommerce > Settings > Products, select the intended page in the Shop page dropdown, then save. The Shop route has special WooCommerce behavior tied to this assignment and the page slug; it does not necessarily act like an ordinary page whose URL and displayed content are controlled only by its editor. WooCommerce says that if no Shop page is assigned, /shop/ still loads default product-listing content. See WooCommerce Pages.
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Edit the catalog layout on a block theme
- Go to Appearance > Editor > Templates > WooCommerce > Product Catalog.
- Select the Product Collection block. It dynamically displays products, so its layout and query settings shape the catalog visitors see.
- Adjust the collection’s layout, query, sorting, and pagination in the block settings. Reorder or style blocks, and add supporting blocks where needed.
- Review the surrounding template blocks, such as breadcrumbs, archive title, term description, notices, result count, catalog sorting, and filters. Keep the elements that help shoppers understand or narrow the results.
- Save the template and check the Shop page on the front end.
WooCommerce states that the Product Catalog template takes priority over the assigned Shop page. Template changes therefore affect pages that use that template, rather than just the content of one page. If you need to undo template customizations, WooCommerce documents a way to clear them and return the template to its default state. See Customizing the Product Catalog Template and Customizing your Store with Templates in WooCommerce.
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Configure product filters
The catalog template can include filters for price range, rating, attributes, stock status, category, brand, and tag. Which controls are available depends on the template and how your catalog is set up. Add or arrange filters in the template and confirm that the relevant product data exists; for example, an attribute filter needs products with usable attribute values.
Understand the Product Collection block
Product Collection is the part of the template that outputs products. It can be arranged and styled, extended with other blocks, and configured for its layout and product query. Use its settings to shape how the collection is presented and sorted, and whether shoppers can navigate through pages of results. For block-specific details, see WooCommerce’s Product Collection Block guide.
Customize catalog options on a classic theme
When your classic theme provides the controls, open Appearance > Customize > WooCommerce > Product Catalog. WooCommerce documents settings for the Shop display (products, categories, or both), category-page display, product sorting, products per row, and rows per page. The exact controls vary with the theme and WooCommerce setup. See Product Catalog.
Use the Customizer for the options it exposes. If you need to change page copy or a builder-owned layout, edit that content in the corresponding page or builder editor instead; the Customizer is not a universal replacement for theme-specific template tools.
Fix a Shop page that does not reflect your edits
- Check the assignment: go to WooCommerce > Settings > Products and confirm that the intended page is selected as Shop.
- Check the template: on a block theme, open Appearance > Editor > Templates > WooCommerce > Product Catalog. Its layout can take priority over content edited on the assigned page.
- Check the theme type: use the Site Editor for block-theme templates; for a classic theme, check the Customizer and the theme’s own editing workflow.
- Check for a builder-owned layout: if a page builder or theme supplies the shop template, make changes in that editor rather than an unrelated page editor.
For the distinction between block and classic theme workflows, see WooCommerce’s Using Blocks in WooCommerce documentation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When built-in controls are not enough
If the Site Editor, Customizer, and your theme or builder do not provide the layout or behavior you need, WooCommerce points to Marketplace extensions for additional functionality and Agency Partners for ongoing advanced support or customization. These are options for requirements that go beyond the controls available in your current setup, not prerequisites for editing the standard catalog.
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