How to hide products and categories from your store's search
In your AlFinder dashboard, open Search, then Hidden Products, and add the products you want to keep out of search, one by one or with a CSV file. To tidy the filters, add categories under Hidden Categories: the category disappears from the filters while its products stay searchable.
- 0:49 video
- Search › Hidden Products / Hidden Categories
Why hide products from search
Every catalog has products that shouldn't come up when a shopper searches: free samples, gift wrapping, discontinued lines, or items that are not for sale yet. When they appear in results, they push real products down and confuse shoppers.
Hiding a product only affects search. The product stays in your store and keeps its product page; it simply stops showing up when shoppers search.
Hidden products and hidden categories work differently
A hidden product is removed from search results entirely. A hidden category is not: its products stay searchable, and only the category itself is removed from the filters shoppers use to narrow results.
Hidden categories are for clutter. Stores often collect categories that mean nothing to a shopper: an old campaign, an internal grouping, a duplicate like All products, or a leftover with a name like 120. Removing them from the filters leaves a shorter, clearer list.
- Hide the product when shoppers should not find it at all.
- Hide the category when its products are fine but the category name only clutters the filters.
- If a product is just out of stock, use the out-of-stock settings instead, so it comes back on its own when you restock.
Hiding many products at once
For a handful of products, adding them by name is quickest. For a long list, such as a whole discontinued range or every sample in a cosmetics store, use the CSV Upload tab: download the template, list the products by SKU, and upload the file.
Review the list now and then. A product you hid before its launch will stay hidden until you remove it from the list, even after it goes on sale.
How to set it up
- 1In the dashboard sidebar, open Search, then Hidden Products.
- 2On the Manual Management tab, click Add Hidden Products, search for the products, select them and save.
- 3To hide many products, switch to the CSV Upload tab, download the template, fill in the product SKUs and upload the file.
- 4To tidy the filters, open Hidden Categories, click Add Hidden Categories, select the categories and save.
- 5Search your storefront to confirm the products are gone and the filters look right.
Common questions
Does hiding a product delete it from my store?
No. The product stays in your store with its product page. Hiding only keeps it out of search results.
If I hide a category, are its products hidden too?
No. Products in a hidden category still appear in search. Only the category is removed from the filters. To keep a product out of search, add it to Hidden Products.
How do I make a hidden product searchable again?
Open Hidden Products, find the product in the list and delete it from there. It will show up in search again. Hidden categories are restored the same way.
Should I hide products that are out of stock?
Usually not. Out-of-stock products have their own settings under Search, Customize search content, which hide them or move them below available items. There is no list to keep up to date: they return to normal once they are back in stock.
