1/14/2025

Fixing Missing Sections in Shopify Themes: A Guide

When it comes to crafting the perfect Shopify store, nothing is more frustrating than encountering missing sections in your theme. Whether you’ve just switched to a new theme or customized your existing one, missing sections can disrupt the look & feel of your store, deter customers, & even affect your sales. But worry not! In this comprehensive guide, we'll dive deep into why your sections might be missing, how to fix them, and best practices to avoid similar problems in the future.

Understanding Shopify Themes

Shopify themes play a crucial role in defining the overall aesthetic and functionality of your online store. Each theme comes with a set of templates that dictate how content is displayed on the store pages, including headers, footers, and various sections like product listings, slideshows, and more. All these elements can be effortlessly managed through the Shopify theme editor. But sometimes, sections might go missing due to various reasons, complicating the customization process.

Common Reasons for Missing Sections

Theme Updates: When a theme is updated, the sections may be affected or not rendered as expected. This often happens because the recent update might not be fully compatible with your previous sections.
Customizations Gone Wrong: If you've been customizing your theme's code, errors or omissions could lead to sections not displaying.
Using Outdated Themes: Some themes may not support the latest features offered by Shopify, leading to missing sections that should otherwise be available.
Third-Party Apps Conflicts: Some apps that you install can interfere with how your theme displays sections. Issues arise most frequently with apps that alter the storefront or inject code.

The Fix: Steps to Restore Missing Sections

So, you’ve figured out what might be causing the issue. Here’s the step-by-step guide to restore those missing sections in your Shopify theme:

Step 1: Check if Sections are Present in Theme Editor

First things first, log into your Shopify admin panel. Navigate to Online Store > Themes and click on Customize next to the theme you're currently using. Use the dropdown in the theme editor — it allows you to select various templates. Check whether the sections you expect to see are hidden under other templates.

If the sections show up in this menu, you can start adding them back in. Just click on Add section and choose the sections you want to add from the list of available options.

Step 2: Page Templates Configuration

Sometimes, the pages you’re trying to edit may not be using the template you assumed. Each page type can have different sections available. Check your page settings to ensure you’ve selected the right template that includes the desired sections. To do this, click on the specific page in the editor, like the homepage or product pages, and identify if different templates have been applied.

Step 3: Review Theme Settings

Within the theme editor, there are a myriad of settings that might be harboring hidden sections. Always ensure you double-check these settings under Theme Settings, looking at header sections, navigation, footer, and section settings. If you find the settings for these sections are turned off, enable them.

Step 4: Testing for Code Errors

If the sections are still missing, it’s time to check for code errors that might be obstructing your theme. You may need to tweak the theme code or revert to a previous version of the theme. Access the theme code through Actions > Edit code under your current theme. Look for any reference to the missing sections in the relevant Liquid files (i.e., .liquid files) to see if they are incorrectly coded or deleted. Fortunately, if you’ve made changes and aren’t sure about them, you can roll back to an earlier version of the code. To do this, open the specific file you’ve modified, click on Older versions, and select a previous date to revert to.

Step 5: Make Sure Your Apps Aren't Causing Issues

Newly installed apps or recently updated apps might also be the culprits of missing sections. Try uninstalling apps one by one to see if it's causing the issue. If you notice that restoring the section coincided with removing a specific app, contact the app’s support team for assistance.

Step 6: Look for Shopify Status Updates

Check Shopify's status page to determine if there are any ongoing issues related to section rendering or page loading that may affect your storefront.

Best Practices to Avoid Future Section Issues

Backup Before Making Changes: Always save a backup of your theme before making any major updates or customizations. This allows you to revert at any moment you encounter problems.
Regular Updates: Keep your themes and apps updated, as developers constantly release fixes for known issues.
Test Changes: After making changes or installing new apps, preview your store to confirm all sections are functioning correctly.
Documentation Review: Familiarize yourself with Shopify’s well-maintained documentation for themes. This guides you through understanding themes better and avoiding pitfalls during customization.

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Final Thoughts

Dealing with missing sections in your Shopify theme can indeed be frustrating. However, with the strategies outlined above, you should be well-equipped to tackle this challenge head-on. From checking your theme settings to undoing code changes, most issues can be resolved with a bit of patience and troubleshooting.

Feel free to comment below if you have any questions or need assistance with a specific case. Happy selling with your now optimally functioning Shopify store!