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Hide or Show Out-of-Stock Products for WooCommerce

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Hide or Show Out-of-Stock Products for WooCommerce

by Charlie Macaraeg

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Description

By default, WooCommerce hides all out-of-stock products when the global “Hide out of stock items” option is enabled.

This plugin turns off WooCommerce’s global “Hide out of stock items” setting. Out-of-stock products remain hidden by default, and you use the plugin’s per-product controls to allow selected sold-out products to appear (shop/search). A notice on the manager page reminds you that the global setting is overridden.

What this plugin does

  • Choose visibility for out-of-stock products only
  • Forces WooCommerce’s global “Hide out of stock items” setting off so per-product control applies
  • Hide out-of-stock products by default; allow specific sold-out items to appear where you choose
  • Control whether a product appears in:
    • Shop + Search
    • Shop only
    • Search only
    • Hidden everywhere
  • Bulk-manage sold-out products with pagination and search
  • Uses WooCommerce’s native product_visibility taxonomy (safe & compatible)

Typical use cases

  • Keep sold-out products visible for SEO
  • Show catalog or discontinued items
  • Keep seasonal or returning products searchable
  • Avoid confusing customers while stock is unavailable
  • Maintain a clean shop page without hiding everything

This plugin overrides the global hide toggle but still uses WooCommerce’s native product_visibility taxonomy for safe per-product exceptions.

From your WordPress dashboard

  1. Go to Plugins Add New
  2. Search for Hide or Show Out-of-Stock Products for WooCommerce
  3. Click Install and then Activate
  4. Go to Products Out-of-Stock Visibility
  5. Choose how each out-of-stock product should appear
  1. Out-of-stock products list with visibility controls

    Out-of-stock products list with visibility controls

  2. Bulk visibility update interface

    Bulk visibility update interface

  3. Individual product visibility settings

    Individual product visibility settings

Does this disable WooCommerce’s global “Hide out of stock items” setting?

Yes. The plugin turns that setting off so it can manage out-of-stock visibility per product. Out-of-stock items remain hidden by default until you allow them via the plugin.

Does this affect in-stock products?

No. Only products marked as out-of-stock are affected.

Is this safe for SEO?

Yes. It uses WooCommerce’s built-in product_visibility terms and does not add custom hacks.

Can I bulk-update products?

Yes. Out-of-stock products can be managed in bulk with pagination and search.

Will this work with future WooCommerce updates?

Yes. The plugin relies on WooCommerce core visibility mechanisms.

2.0.3

  • Added a one-time activation notice that explains how to control per-product visibility for out-of-stock items.

2.0.2

  • Forced WooCommerce’s “Hide out of stock items” setting off so per-product visibility works; added notice in the manager UI.

2.0.1

  • Security and compatibility update
  • Added nonce and capability checks
  • Restricted updates to authenticated administrators
  • Sanitized input/output
  • Improved admin UI loading
  • Clarified plugin positioning as an out-of-stock visibility exception manager

2.0

  • Initial improvements and refinements

1.0

  • Initial release
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