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Hide out-of-stock products by asking

A free plugin adds a chat to your WP dashboard. Ask it to hide out-of-stock products. Nothing changes until you press the button, and undo is one click.

Tried once on a WP shop we run to test tasks. Not yet on single products.

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Or do it yourself
Needs WP 6.3 to 7.1 and PHP 8.0 or newer. What it installs

Needs WP 6.3 to 7.1, PHP 8.0 or newer, and an administrator login. One site per install.

The download is a plugin. Turning it on connects your site to cmshands.com and adds 3 small rescue files. Deleting the plugin removes them and everything it stored. What we send

Plugins are installed from a computer. Get the plugin here instead

  • Nothing changes without your OK
  • Undo in one click, or a warning first
  • No account, no password to share

What it does here

  • It prepares the change as a card, a box in the chat that shows exactly what would change. Nothing changes before you press.
  • In our test run it said first what would happen: 24 out-of-stock products would leave the shop.
  • Undo switched the setting off again and checked it. The sold-out mug came back on the Mugs page.
More it does here (2)
  • It said before we pressed that a direct link to a hidden product still works.
  • The card itself is plain: it shows the setting going from no to yes. The message with it says what that means.

How to hide out-of-stock products in WooCommerce yourself

Checked on WP 7.1, Oct 14, 2026

  1. 1. In your WP dashboard, the screens you log in to at yoursite.com/wp-admin, go to WooCommerce › Settings.

  2. 2. Click the Products tab at the top.

  3. 3. In the row of links under the tabs, click Inventory.

  4. 4. Find Out of stock visibility and tick Hide out of stock items from the catalog.

  5. 5. Press Save changes at the bottom of the page.

  6. 6. Open your shop in a new tab. Products marked out of stock are gone from the shop and category pages.

The setting hides only products whose stock status is Out of stock. Products set to On backorder still show. In our run on Oct 14, 2026, the Mugs page went from 4 mugs to 3: the sold-out Sage tall mug dropped off. WooCommerce is a trademark of Automattic Inc.

Why it won't wreck your site

  • Nothing changes until you press the button. Every change comes as a card that names it. Nothing happens until you press the button or Not now.
  • You see it first. Old words in red, new words in green.
  • One click undoes it. When something can't be undone, like deleting a page or a plugin, the card says so before you press.

What it won't do here

  • Hiding one product, not all sold-out onesOur run switched the shop-wide setting. We haven't tested hiding a single product or changing its stock yet.
  • Prices, sales and couponsWe haven't tested changing prices, putting a category on sale or making coupons yet.
  • Shipping, taxes, payments and refundsIt won't change those. They handle your customers' money, so they stay with you.
  • Other shop pluginsThe setting it switched comes with the shop plugin our test shop runs. Other shop plugins keep stock their own way. We haven't tried those.

Questions

How do I hide out-of-stock products in WooCommerce?

Go to WooCommerce › Settings › Products › Inventory and tick Hide out of stock items from the catalog, next to Out of stock visibility. Then press Save changes. Sold-out products leave your shop and category pages until they're back in stock. WooCommerce is a trademark of Automattic Inc.

Can people still open a hidden product?

Yes, with a direct link. The setting takes sold-out products out of your shop and category lists, but each product's own page still opens. In our test run, CMSHands said so before we pressed: “a direct link to one still works.”

Will a product show again when it's back in stock?

Yes. The setting hides products whose stock status is out of stock. When you restock, or set Stock status to In stock in the product's Inventory tab, it shows in your shop again. You don't need to switch the setting off.

Can I hide one out-of-stock product?

Yes, by hand. Open the product, and in the Publish box click Edit next to Catalog visibility. Choose Hidden, press OK, then Update. Asking CMSHands to hide one product: we haven't tested that yet.

Is it free?

To start, yes: 3 changes with no account, then 10 a month once you add your email. Questions are free, up to 30 a day.

Written by CMSHands team.

Try it on your own store

Download the free plugin

Get the plugin here instead
  • Nothing changes without your OK
  • Undo in one click, or a warning first
  • No account, no password to share

Free to startNo account: 3 to try itWith your email: 10 every monthWhat's free

Download the free plugin