How to Hide Shopping Cart Icon in Shopify Store

Are you setting up a new Shopify store but not quite ready to add products? You might be wondering how to hide the shopping cart icon to prevent users from accessing an empty cart page. While it’s not possible to completely disable the shopping cart functionality in Shopify, there are ways to hide the cart icon from view. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of hiding the cart icon in your Shopify theme, with a focus on the popular Studio theme.

Understanding the Need to Hide the Cart Icon

Why Hide the Cart Icon?

When launching a new e-commerce site, it’s common to start with a basic structure before adding products. During this phase, having a visible cart icon can be confusing for visitors and may lead to unnecessary clicks on an empty page.

Benefits of Hiding the Cart Icon

Hiding the cart icon can:

1. Improve user experience by removing non-functional elements
2. Reduce confusion for early visitors to your site
3. Allow you to focus on other aspects of your site design and content

When to Unhide the Cart Icon

It’s important to remember that hiding the cart icon is a temporary solution. Once you’re ready to add products and start selling, you’ll want to make the cart visible again to facilitate purchases.

Methods to Hide the Cart Icon in Shopify

Using Theme Code Editor

The most effective way to hide the cart icon is by editing your theme’s code. This method works across various Shopify themes, including the free Studio theme.

Step 1: Access the Theme Code Editor

1. Log in to your Shopify admin panel
2. Navigate to “Online Store” > “Themes”
3. Find your current theme and click “Actions” > “Edit code”

Step 2: Locate the Header File

In the code editor:

1. Scroll down to the “Sections” folder in the left sidebar
2. Look for and click on the “header.liquid” file

Step 3: Find the Cart Icon Code

To locate the specific code for the cart icon:

1. Open your store’s frontend in a new tab
2. Right-click on the shopping cart icon
3. Select “Inspect Element” from the context menu
4. This will highlight the relevant HTML code in the browser’s developer tools

Step 4: Comment Out or Remove the Code

Once you’ve identified the cart icon code in the header.liquid file:

1. You can either comment out the code using HTML comment tags:
2. Or, if you’re certain, you can delete the entire code block related to the cart icon

Step 5: Save and Test

After making changes:

1. Click “Save” in the code editor
2. Refresh your store’s frontend to ensure the cart icon is no longer visible

Alternative Methods

While editing the theme code is the most direct approach, there are other methods that some store owners have found useful:

Color Matching Method

For those less comfortable with coding:

1. Go to your theme settings
2. Find the option to change the cart icon color
3. Set the icon color to match your header background color

This method makes the icon invisible but doesn’t remove it from the DOM.

Considerations When Hiding the Cart Icon

Theme-Specific Variations

Different Shopify themes may have varying code structures. For example:

• In the Craft theme, the cart icon code might be in a different location within header.liquid
• The Ride theme users reported finding the relevant code between lines 722-739 in header.liquid

Keeping Track of Changes

It’s crucial to:

1. Make a note of any code you remove or comment out
2. Keep a backup of the original code
3. Remember to restore the cart functionality when you’re ready to sell products

Testing Across Devices

After hiding the cart icon:

1. Check your store on various devices (desktop, tablet, mobile)
2. Ensure the layout hasn’t been negatively affected by the change
3. Verify that other header elements are still properly aligned

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Icon Still Visible

If the cart icon is still visible after editing:

1. Clear your browser cache and refresh the page
2. Double-check that you’ve saved the changes in the theme editor
3. Verify that you’ve modified the correct code section

Layout Problems

If hiding the cart icon causes layout issues:

1. Inspect the surrounding code to ensure you haven’t accidentally removed too much
2. Consider adding placeholder CSS to maintain the header structure

Theme Updates

Be aware that theme updates might overwrite your changes. Always:

1. Keep a record of your customizations
2. Test your site after any theme updates
3. Be prepared to reapply your changes if necessary

By following this guide, you should be able to successfully hide the shopping cart icon in your Shopify store until you’re ready to start selling. Remember, this is a temporary solution, and you’ll want to make the cart visible again once you add products to your store. Happy building!