WooCommerce Shortcodes: Complete List, Attributes and Copy-Paste Examples

On this page

1. All WooCommerce shortcodes
2. [products] attributes explained
3. Copy-paste examples
4. Where to paste a shortcode
5. Cart and Checkout blocks vs shortcodes
6. Troubleshooting WooCommerce shortcodes
7. FAQs

WooCommerce shortcodes are short tags in square brackets, such as [products limit="4"], that display products, categories, add-to-cart buttons, the cart, checkout and account pages anywhere on a WordPress page or post.

They are built into WooCommerce, so no extra plugin is needed. Paste them into a Shortcode block, and change what they show with attributes.

All WooCommerce shortcodes

Shortcode	What it shows	Main attributes
[products]	A grid of products, filtered and sorted	limit, columns, paginate, orderby, order, category, tag, attribute, terms, ids, skus, on_sale, best_selling, top_rated, visibility, class
[product_page]	A full single product page	id or sku
[product_category]	Products from one or more categories	category, limit, columns, orderby, order
[product_categories]	A grid of product categories (not products)	number, columns, orderby, order, hide_empty, parent, ids
[add_to_cart]	Price and add-to-cart button for one product	id or sku, show_price, style, class, quantity
[add_to_cart_url]	The plain add-to-cart URL (text, not a button)	id or sku
[shop_messages]	WooCommerce notices (such as "added to cart") on non-Woo pages	None
[woocommerce_cart]	The cart page	None
[woocommerce_checkout]	The checkout page	None
[woocommerce_my_account]	The customer account and login page	None
[woocommerce_order_tracking]	An order tracking form (order ID and billing email)	None

[products] attributes explained

• limit: how many products to show. -1 shows all.
• columns: products per row (default 4).
• paginate: true adds page numbers; use it with limit.
• orderby: title, date, id, menu_order, popularity, rand or rating.
• order: ASC or DESC.
• category and tag: comma-separated slugs (not names).
• attribute and terms: filter by a product attribute, for example colour = blue.
• ids and skus: show specific products.
• on_sale, best_selling, top_rated: set to true. Use only one of these per shortcode.
• visibility: visible, catalog, search, hidden or featured.

Copy-paste examples

Latest 8 products, 4 per row:

[products limit="8" columns="4" orderby="date" order="DESC"]

Products on sale:

[products limit="8" columns="4" on_sale="true"]

Best sellers:

[products limit="4" columns="4" best_selling="true"]

Featured products:

[products limit="4" columns="4" visibility="featured"]

One category, paginated, 12 per page:

[products category="t-shirts" limit="12" columns="3" paginate="true"]

Filter by attribute:

[products attribute="colour" terms="blue" limit="8"]

Specific products by ID:

[products ids="21, 35, 48" columns="3"]

Single product page and add-to-cart button:

[product_page id="99"]
[add_to_cart id="99" show_price="true"]

Top-level product categories, hiding empty ones:

[product_categories number="0" parent="0" hide_empty="1" columns="4"]

Find a product ID by hovering over the product in Products > All Products; the ID shows under the name. Find a category slug in Products > Categories.

Where to paste a shortcode

1. Open the page in the block editor (Pages > All Pages > Edit).
2. Click the + inserter and add a Shortcode block.
3. Paste the shortcode, then click Update (or Save) and view the page. The editor shows the raw tag; the front end shows the output.

In Elementor, use the Shortcode widget. In classic widgets, a Text or Custom HTML widget works. In PHP templates, use echo do_shortcode('[products limit="4"]');.

Cart and Checkout blocks vs shortcodes

Stores set up on newer WooCommerce versions use the Cart block and Checkout block by default instead of [woocommerce_cart] and [woocommerce_checkout]. Some older payment, shipping or checkout field plugins only work with the shortcode version.

To switch back to the shortcode checkout:

1. Go to Pages and edit the Checkout page.
2. Select the Checkout block and delete it (or use the block's switch-to-classic option if your version shows one).
3. Add a Shortcode block containing [woocommerce_checkout] and update the page.
4. Repeat on the Cart page with [woocommerce_cart].
5. Check WooCommerce > Settings > Advanced still points Cart and Checkout at these pages, then place a test order.

Keep the blocks if all your plugins support them; WooCommerce focuses new checkout features on the blocks.

Troubleshooting WooCommerce shortcodes

1. The shortcode shows as plain text: it was pasted into a Paragraph or Code block. Move it to a Shortcode block, and replace curly quotes copied from a document with straight quotes.
2. No products appear: the category uses a name instead of the slug, the products are drafts, out-of-stock items are hidden (WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Inventory), or the IDs are wrong.
3. Layout looks broken or columns ignored: the theme overrides WooCommerce styles. Test with a default theme such as Storefront, or add custom CSS.
4. Changes don't show: clear the page cache and any CDN cache. Shortcode output is cached like the rest of the page.
5. Checkout shortcode shows a notice instead of the form: the cart is empty, or the page is not set as the Checkout page in WooCommerce > Settings > Advanced.

Edge case: best_selling and top_rated rely on sales and review data, so on a new store with no orders or reviews the order can look random.

Need custom product layouts or a checkout that works with your plugins? Our WooCommerce developer service can set it up. New to the platform? Start with what WooCommerce is and how it works.

FAQs

Do I need a plugin for WooCommerce shortcodes?

No. The shortcodes listed here are built into WooCommerce and work as soon as it is active.

How do I show products from one category with a shortcode?

Use [products category="your-category-slug" limit="8" columns="4"], using the category slug from Products > Categories.

What replaced the old [recent_products] and [sale_products] shortcodes?

The single [products] shortcode with attributes such as orderby="date" or on_sale="true". The older shortcodes still work for backward compatibility, but [products] is the recommended one.

Can I use WooCommerce shortcodes in Elementor?

Yes. Add the Shortcode widget and paste the shortcode into it.

Should I use the Checkout block or the checkout shortcode?

Use the block if your payment and checkout plugins support it. Switch to [woocommerce_checkout] if a plugin you rely on only works with the classic checkout.