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I get it.
There are lots of reasons why you wouldn’t want every shopper to see every category.
You might want to sell wholesale products separately or even customize the store for individual clients.
Regardless of your reasons, the plugins below can help.
Each plugin listed here has its own approach to removing categories from the store. Some simply hide them, others add password protection, and some do both.
The plugin you choose will depend on your exact needs, so I recommend reviewing the features of each one carefully.
Let’s take a look at the first plugin now.
WooCommerce plugins to hide categories
Only highly-rated plugins from reputable developers have been listed here, and each of these plugins includes category hiding capabilities.
Here are my top picks for the best category hiding WooCommerce plugins.
1. WooCommerce Products Visibility
Plugin Description
Normally when I write these posts, there are many similar options, but this time is different. The WooCommerce Products Visibility plugin has many unique features that no other plugin includes, and it is likely the right choice for your site. Let’s review what it can do now.
This plugin smartly organizes the “rules” based on user roles. For instance, you can add a set of rules specifically for guests, i.e., visitors that aren’t logged in. You can choose to hide specific products, tags, categories, and custom taxonomies for each user role. Here’s a look at that now:
If there’s a category you want to hide, all you have to do is add it in the category section. When you hide a category with this plugin, it excludes the category from the shop page, menu, and widgets.
Furthermore, since these options are based on user roles, you can add a wholesale section to your site or cater to different buyer groups. You can show/hide products and categories based on what type of account the customer has.
Overall, the WooCommerce Products Visibility plugin offers a comprehensive solution for hiding categories from your WooCommerce shop, and it’s easy to set up too. Click the link below to see more screenshots and a live demo.
2. WooCommerce Protected Categories
Plugin Description
Another excellent plugin to hide a specific category from the shop page is the WooCommerce Protected Categories plugin. It goes beyond removing the categories and gives you a password-protecting system for special client-only categories.
This plugin differs from others because it works especially well for websites that cater to individual customers. You can hide a category from your site and lock it with a password. Then give that password to your client, and they can view a gallery of products hand-selected for them. That said, you also have the option to limit protected categories to “user roles” rather than individual users.
If you want a simple plugin to hide categories from your shop and protect them with passwords, this is probably the best plugin for you.
3. YITH WooCommerce Category Accordion
Plugin Description
Here’s another interesting way to control the categories you display on your site. With this plugin by YITH, you can a beautiful and user-friendly accordion dropdown for your categories. Instead of using the default category list widget, you can replace it with this widget instead.
Besides a better design, you have more control over which categories you display with this plugin. You can hide empty categories and choose whether to display sub-categories and limit the total number of categories included.
If you want to remove all traces of a category from your site, this isn’t the best plugin to choose. However, if you’re looking for a replacement widget for listing your product categories so you can exclude empty categories and sub-categories, then this plugin is perfect.
4. Password Protected Categories & Store
Plugin Description
Password Protected Categories & Store is an interesting alternative for limiting access to categories. Rather than outright hiding the category from your site, this plugin allows you to set password protection instead.
Using this plugin, you can either lock your entire store or select individual categories. You can add password protection from the category editing page in the admin dashboard. The password option is included at the bottom of the page.
Since this plugin adds a new form to your site, it includes various customization options for the password entry form, allowing you to change the colors and add a background image.
5. WooCommerce Password Protected Categories
Plugin Description
This is a robust plugin for hiding categories with passwords. Links to the category archives will still show up on your site, but when visitors arrive on a category page, they’ll be presented with a password entry form to view it. There are customization options included for the form.
Beyond protecting categories, the WooCommerce Password Protected Categories plugin also lets you lock down individual products. Plus, a simple reporting dashboard lets you track how many times passwords have been used on your site.
Which category removing plugin is best?
If you want a bit more guidance, here are some parting thoughts on which plugin to select.
WooCommerce Products Visibility gets the #1 recommendation because it is a truly comprehensive solution for hiding categories and products on your site. It is so flexible that I’m sure you can accomplish your goals with it.
WooCommerce Protected Categories is my next suggestion because it’s easy to use and can quickly hide categories from your shop. It also has the added benefit of password protection for any hidden categories.
While the other plugins included here can work great, those two stood out to me in particular.
I hope this collection of the best WooComemrce plugins to hide categories helped you out today, and if it did, please consider using the buttons below to share it with someone else.
