Add category metafields
You can add category metafields to your store and migrate your existing products to category metafields.
When you assign a standard category, it unlocks a set of pre-defined category metafields. Each category metafield comes with related, default entries. Additionally, you can connect these to your variant options.
For example, if you add the product category Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Clothing Tops > Shirts
, then you can add category metafields for size
, neckline
, sleeve length type
, top length type
, age group
, fabric
, target gender
, clothing features
, and color
. You can use color
as a variant option and add colors such as black
and red
.
You can edit the color entry for black
to be graphite
in a single location, and then your variant values are updated anywhere that color is connected. When you use color entries as variant options, you can display variant options as swatches for color options on your storefront products pages.
Learn more about Shopify's Standard Product Taxonomy.
On this page
Add category metafields
You can add category metafields when you assign a standard category to one of your products.
Based on information added in your product details, you might have a suggested category displayed in the Category field. After you save your product, any unedited suggestions are confirmed.
Steps:
Desktop
From your Shopify admin, go to Products.
Click a product or add a new one.
-
In the Category section, complete one of the following steps:
- Search for your product’s category, and then select the most accurate result from the Category list.
- Click through each level of the categories and subcategories to find your product category.
-
Category metafields display in the Category metafields section with the category name, if they're available. Click the field next to the category metafield, and then click again to complete any of the following steps:
- Select an entry from the drop-down menu.
- Click Add new entry to create a new metaobject entry for the category metafield. Fill in any of the predefined fields, and then adjust any base values, which connect your entry to Shopify's standardized list of values. Click Save.
- Select an entry. To edit the entry, click the name and Edit. Edit or change any of the predefined fields, and then adjust any base values, which connect your entry to Shopify's standardized list of values. Click Save.
Click Save.
iPhone
- From the Shopify app, go to Products > All products.
- Tap a product or add a new one.
- In the Category section, complete either of the following steps:
- Tap Select category, search for your product’s category, and then select the most accurate result from the Category list.
- Tap Select category, tap through each level of the categories and subcategories to find the most accurate product category, and then tap the category to select it.
- Category metafields display in the Metafields section. To select and add entries to your product attributes, tap View all, tap the category metafield, and then tap again to complete any of the following steps:
- Tap an entry to select it.
- Search for an entry and tap to select it.
- Tap + to add a new entry, fill out the fields, and then tap Save.
- Tap Save.
- Tap Save to save the product.
Android
- From the Shopify app, go to Products > All products.
- Tap a product or add a new one.
- In the Category section, complete either of the following steps:
- Tap Select category, search for your product’s category, and then select the most accurate result from the Category list.
- Tap Select category, tap through each level of the categories and subcategories to find the most accurate product category, and then tap the category to select it.
- Category metafields display in the Metafields section. To select and add entries, tap View all, tap the category metafield, and then tap again to complete any of the following steps:
- Tap an entry to select it.
- Search for an entry and tap to select it.
- Tap + to add a new entry, fill out the fields, and then tap Save.
Create custom category metafields
You can assign one or more categories to your custom product metafields. You can create or update an existing product metafield, and assign one or more categories to it. Once assigned, they will display in the Category Metafields card on the Product Detail page.
Steps:
Desktop
- From your Shopify admin, to go Settings
- Click Custom data from the left navigation menu and click Products within the Metafield definitions section.
- Create a new metafield or update an existing product metafield.
- In the Category assignments card, click the Assign categories button and complete the following steps:
- Select one or more categories from the category picker.
- Click Done.
- Click Save.
Steps:
Desktop
From your Shopify admin, go to Products.
Click the product that you want to edit.
In the Variants section, click Edit next to the option that you want to disconnect from your category metafield.
Click the category metafield name, and then click Disconnect. The option is removed from the Variants section and placed in the Metafields section.
Click Save to save the product.
iPhone
- From the Shopify app, go to Products > All products.
- Tap the product that you want to edit.
- In the Options section, tap Edit, and then tap the option that you want to disconnect from your category metafield.
- Tap Connected to metafield, and then tap Disconnect.
- Tap Save to save the product.
Android
- From the Shopify app, go to Products > All products.
- Tap the product that you want to edit.
- In the Options section, tap Edit, and then tap the option that you want to disconnect from your category metafield.
- Tap Connected to metafield, and then tap Disconnect.
- Tap ✓ to save the product.
Migrate existing variant options to category metafields
If you've already created a product with variant options, then you can migrate your values to category metafields and quickly generate multiple new variant combinations. If you use category metafields to create your variant options, then you can edit variant option names in a single location and the names update wherever that category metafield is connected.
For example, if you currently offer three sizes (Small, Medium, and Large) and two colors (Red and Blue), and you want to add a third color Yellow, then this method will create the 3 possible sizes of yellow variants at one time.
Connect the category metafield to an existing option by clicking the dynamic source icon ⛁;
Desktop
Steps:
From your Shopify admin, go to Products.
Click the product with variant options that you want to migrate to category metafields.
-
Optional: If your product doesn't have a Category, then complete one of the following steps:
- Enter your product’s category, and then select the most accurate result from the Product category list.
- Click through each level of the categories and subcategories to find your product category.
- Click Suggested to accept the suggested category.
-
To connect the your variant option to a category metafield, complete either of the following tasks:
- Click an existing option, click the dynamic source icon, and then click the category metafield that you want to connect.
- Click Add another option, and then click the category metafield that you want to connect.
Click Save.
iPhone
- From the Shopify app, go to Products > All products.
- Tap the product with variant options that you want to migrate to category metafields.
- Optional: If your product doesn't have a Category, then complete one of the following steps:
- Tap Select category, enter your product’s category, and then select the most accurate result from the Category list.
- Tap Select category, tap through each level of the categories and subcategories to find the most accurate product category, and then tap the category to select it.
- In the Options section, tap Edit.
- To connect the your variant option to a category metafield, complete either of the following tasks:
- Tap an existing option, tap No connected source, and then tap the category metafield that you want to connect.
- Tap Add option, and then tap the category metafield that you want to connect.
- A dialog displays with a message that the existing values will be cleared. Tap Continue.
- Tap Save.
Android
- From the Shopify app, go to Products > All products.
- Tap the product with variant options that you want to migrate to category metafields.
- Optional: If your product doesn't have a Category, then complete one of the following steps:
- Tap Select category, enter your product ’s category, and then select the most accurate result from the Category list.
- Tap Select category, tap through each level of the categories and subcategories to find the most accurate product category, and then tap the category to select it.
- In the Options section, tap Edit.
- To connect the your variant option to a category metafield, complete either of the following tasks:
- Tap an existing option, tap No connected source, and then tap the category metafield that you want to connect.
- Tap Add option, and then tap the category metafield that you want to connect.
- A dialog displays with a message that the existing values will be cleared. Tap Continue.
- Tap ✓.
Edit or add entries for category metafields
You can edit or add new entries to your category metafields. You can edit entries from the product page in your Shopify Admin or from Content > Metaobjects. When you add new entries, they become available to add to any product connected to the category metafield. When you edit existing entries, they update everywhere that entry is connected.
Edit or add category metafields from the product page
You can add or edit category metafields from the product page for a specific product.
Steps:
Desktop
From your Shopify admin, go to Products.
Click the product with category metafields that you want to edit or add.
-
To edit or add category metafields on a specific product, do either of the following:
- For category metafields connected to variant options: Click the variant option, and then click the option value field.
- For category metafields that aren't connected to variant options: In the Category metafields section, click the category metafield.
Click the entry that you want to edit, and then click Edit.
Edit the fields as needed.
Click Save.
iPhone
- From the Shopify app, go to Products > All products.
- Tap the product with category metafields that you want to edit or add.
- To edit category metafields on a specific product, do either of the following:
- For category metafields connected to variant options: In the Options section, tap Edit, and then tap the variant options that you want to edit or add values to. Tap Add value, and then View all. Select additional values. Tap Save.
- For category metafields that aren't connected to variant options: In the Metafields section, tap View all, and then tap the category metafield. Select additional values. Tap Save.
- To add category metafields to a specific product, do either of the following:
- For category metafields connected to variant options: In the Options section, tap Edit, and then tap the variant options that you want to edit or add values to. Tap Add value, and then View all. Tap +. Fill in the fields for the new entry for your category metafield. Tap Save.
- For category metafields that aren't connected to variant options: In the Metafields section, tap View all, and then tap the category metafield. Tap +. Fill in the fields for the new entry for your category metafield. Tap Save.
Android
- From the Shopify app, go to Products > All products.
- Tap the product with category metafields that you want to edit or add.
- To edit category metafields on a specific product, do either of the following:
- For category metafields connected to variant options: In the Options section, tap Edit, and then tap the variant options that you want to edit or add values to. Tap Add value, and then View all. Select additional values. Tap Save.
- For category metafields that aren't connected to variant options: In the Metafields section, tap View all, and then tap the category metafield. Select additional values. Tap Save.
- To add category metafields to a specific product, do either of the following:
- For category metafields connected to variant options: In the Options section, tap Edit, and then tap the variant options that you want to edit or add values to. Tap Add value, and then View all. Tap +. Fill in the fields for the new entry for your category metafield. Tap ✓.
- For category metafields that aren't connected to variant options: In the Metafields section, tap View all, and then tap the category metafield. Tap +. Fill in the fields for the new entry for your category metafield. Tap ✓.
Edit or add entries for category metafields from the Content page
You can edit entries for your category metafields from the Content page in your Shopify admin on both desktop and in the Shopify app.
Steps:
Desktop
- From your Shopify admin, go to Content > Metaobjects.
- Click the definition name for the category metafield that you want to edit or add entries to.
- Click the entry.
- Edit the fields as needed.
- Click Save.
iPhone
- From the Shopify app, go to … > Content.
- Tap Metaobjects.
- Tap the entry that you want to edit.
- Edit the fields as needed.
- Tap Save.
Android
- From the Shopify app, go to ☰ > Content.
- Tap Metaobjects.
- Tap the entry that you want to edit.
- Edit the fields as needed.
- Tap ✓.
Add entries to category metafields from the Content page
You can add new entries related to category metafields from the Content page in your Shopify admin on desktop. After you add a new entry, you can use that in any product with the category metafield.
Steps:
From your Shopify admin, go to Content > Metaobjects.
Click the definition name for the category metafield that you want to edit or add to.
Click Add entry.
Fill out the fields for your new entry.
Click Save.
Shopify's Standard Product Taxonomy limitations
Product options created with Shopify's Standard Product Taxonomy have the following limitations:
- In order to use Shopify's Standard Product Taxonomy to power swatches on Dawn, you must be using the latest version.
- New categories might not be compatible with sales channels. Review your product's sales channels before modifying a published product's category.
- Unit of measurement and dimension type attribute aren't currently available.
- Custom attributes are currently not supported.
- Attributes aren't supported in the following Shopify apps: Search and Discovery and Shopify Bundles.