How to Unpublish Products on Shopify | Apps for Hiding Sold-Out and Out-of-Stock Products

If you run an online store on Shopify, there are likely scenarios where you need to unpublish a product depending on inventory status or sales conditions.

There are many reasons to unpublish a product on Shopify. You might temporarily unpublish an out-of-stock product until it's restocked, or unpublish an old product when switching over a seasonal lineup to keep your store page tidy. You might also unpublish a product while updating its price or description, to avoid displaying incorrect information during that work.

This article introduces how to unpublish or hide products on Shopify, along with handy Shopify apps that can hide products for you.

The blog article below introduces not only unpublishing products when out of stock, but also 5 other things you can do. Please use it as a reference.

5 Things You Can Do When Out of Stock on Shopify | Pre-Orders, Halting Sales, Unpublishing, and More
A thorough explanation of measures you can take when out of stock on Shopify! We introduce in detail how to halt sales, unpublish products, run pre-orders, set up back-in-stock notification forms, and notify admins. Packed with tips to boost customer satisfaction and turn stockouts into a business opportunity.

How to Unpublish/Hide Products

There are several ways to unpublish or hide a product.

Change the Product Status to Draft

Here's how to change the product status to draft. By changing the product status to "Draft," you can unpublish the product from your online store.

Steps to Change the Product Status to Draft

1. From Products, click the product you want to unpublish
2. On the product detail page, select "Draft" from the Status field on the right
3. Click Save at the top right of the screen

Change the Product Status to Hidden

Here's how to change the product status to hidden. By changing the product status to "Hidden," the product stays published online, but only users who know the URL can access it.

With this setting, the target product is also hidden from collection pages and search result pages, and it also avoids being indexed by search engines.

Steps to Change the Product Status to Hidden

1. From Products, click the product you want to unpublish
2. On the product detail page, select "Hidden" from the Status field on the right
3. Click Save at the top right of the screen

Set a Metafield for Hiding

Here's how to set a metafield for hiding.

Setting the following value in a product metafield lets you hide a specific product from search results.

namespace: seo
key: hidden
value: 1
type: number_integer

Source: Shopify.dev

Example of Creating a Metafield

Example of Setting the Metafield on a Product You Want to Unpublish

Result

If you apply this setting to the second-from-right product in the attached image above, "The 3p Fulfilled Snowboard," then visiting the search results again produces the result shown in the attached image below.

Use Shopify Flow

Here's how to use Shopify Flow.

Using Shopify Flow, you can automatically change a product's status to draft the moment it goes out of stock. The benefit of using Shopify Flow is that it's free to use. On the other hand, the drawback is that it has one of the higher setup barriers among the features available on Shopify. You'll need to understand the available triggers, actions, and Shopify's data structure, and it takes time to get used to.

The attached image below shows an example of an actual Shopify Flow setup. Note, however, that this is a simplified setup and doesn't account for products that have multiple variants.

Use a Shopify App

Here's how to use a Shopify app.

Using a Shopify app lets you automatically hide out-of-stock products with a simple setup. The benefit of a Shopify app is that it can hide products with a simple setup, though the drawback is that it comes with a monthly fee. See "Shopify Apps That Can Hide Products" below for Shopify apps that can hide products; please use it as a reference.

Shopify Apps That Can Hide Products

Hide&Seek

Hide&Seek is a Shopify app that automatically or manually switches products between published and unpublished based on your online store's inventory status. Out-of-stock products are automatically unpublished, and they're automatically republished once stock is replenished. It also supports manual bulk switching and redirect settings for when a URL of an unpublished product is accessed. Using the app lets you streamline store operations and improve the customer experience at the same time.

The blog article below introduces Hide&Seek's features, pricing plans, and setup steps in detail. Please use it as a reference.

The Shopify App "Hide&Seek" That Automatically Unpublishes Out-of-Stock Products
The Shopify app "Hide&Seek | Unpublish at Zero Stock" links to your inventory status, automatically unpublishing out-of-stock products and automatically republishing them once stock is restored. Manual bulk switching and redirect settings are also available. Streamline store operations and improve the customer experience.

Hide&Seek Pricing Plans

Nada

Nada is a Shopify app that can automatically hide out-of-stock products. Like Out of Stock Police, it not only automatically hides out-of-stock products, but can also move them to the bottom of collection pages.

Nada Pricing Plans

Out of Stock Police

Out of Stock Police is a Shopify app that can automatically hide out-of-stock products. Beyond just hiding them, it can move out-of-stock products to the bottom of a collection page, and display custom messages on out-of-stock product pages, such as an expected restock date or alternative products. It can also automatically hide a product once its stock falls below a specified threshold.

Out of Stock Police Pricing Plans

Product Search Result Hider

Product Search Result Hider is a Shopify app that lets you restrict products from appearing in search results within your Shopify store or in search engines. It's available in Japanese, and one of its features is that it's inexpensive, at $5/month.

Product Search Result Hider Pricing Plan

Locksmith Locksmith

Locksmith is a Shopify app that lets you control access to products and pages. You can hide pages based on specific customer groups, tags, or membership levels. It lets you lock or hide a wide range of content — products, collections, blog posts, pages — based on conditions such as customer tags, email lists, passwords, or IP addresses. Pricing varies depending on your Shopify plan, and if you're on the Basic plan, you can use it starting from $12/month.

The blog article below introduces Locksmith's plans, how to set it up, and specific usage examples. Please use it as a reference.

[With Images] Setting Up and Using Locksmith! Enable Restricted Access on Your Shopify Store
A detailed explanation of the Shopify app "Locksmith"'s features, setup steps, and configuration process. Use its restricted-access and access-control features to build pages for specific customers and run efficient marketing.

The blog article below introduces various other ways to restrict access on Shopify, beyond restricting access to specific pages. Please use it as a reference.

How to Implement Purchase Limits on Shopify | Order Restrictions by Age, Quantity, Amount, Region, Period, and Membership
For anyone who wants to set up purchase limits on a Shopify store. A detailed explanation of the various types of purchase limits and how to implement them, to help prevent resale, restrict by region or age, and run limited-time sales. We also introduce recommended Shopify apps and key points for choosing the right one, helping streamline your store operations.

Locksmith Pricing Plans

In Closing

There are several ways to hide products on Shopify, each with its own trade-offs. Hiding products you don't want customers to see also improves the overall look of your store. Be sure to find the method that works best for your own store, and put it to good use.

This time, we introduced Shopify apps for hiding out-of-stock products, but the blog article below introduces a Shopify app that can hide payment methods rather than products. Please use it as a reference.

3 Shopify Apps with Simple Setup to Hide Payment Methods | Automatically Hide Payment Options
3 Japanese-supported apps that let you hide payment methods on your Shopify checkout page under specific conditions. We introduce the features and pricing plans of RuffRuff Order Limits, Kakureru Pay, and Ato Pura, comparing Japanese-supported apps that meet needs such as "hide cash-on-delivery only for high-value products" or "restrict specific payment methods for pre-order products."

The blog article below introduces various other recommended apps by category, covering areas such as "customer acquisition," "sales growth," and "blog post enhancement." Please use it as a reference.

Recommended Shopify Apps: A Complete Guide to Boosting Sales, Improving Efficiency, and Free Apps!
A thorough guide to recommended apps that streamline Shopify operations! We introduce carefully selected apps by purpose, covering customer acquisition, CVR improvement, reduced workload, SEO measures, newsletter creation, and more. Packed with useful information for beginners through advanced users! Not ranked by popularity, but genuinely recommended Shopify apps we've actually used ourselves — from free apps to top-quality Shopify-certified apps!