Subcategory Menu Setup Guide

This guide explains how to set up the Subcategory Menu so customers can move between related collection pages using navigation pills.

Where to Set It Up

1. Open Shopify Admin.
2. Go to Online Store, then Themes.
3. Select Customize.
4. Open a collection template.
5. Select the Main collection section.
6. In Collection navigation settings, configure the Subcategory Menu options.

Section Settings

Subcategory Menu is controlled in Main collection.

Setting	Default	What it controls
Show subcategory pills	Off	Shows or hides subcategory navigation pills above collection results.
Subcategory menu	blank	Selects the Shopify navigation menu used for pill links.
Subcategory pill limit	8	Maximum number of subcategory pills shown from the selected menu.

Shopify Admin Setup

Subcategory pills use links from a Shopify menu.

1. Open Shopify Admin.
2. Go to Content, then Menus.
3. Create a menu for your subcategory navigation, or open an existing one.
4. Add menu links that point to the collection pages you want customers to browse.
5. Order links in the sequence you want pills to appear.
6. Save the menu.
7. In Theme Editor, select this menu in the Subcategory menu setting.

How It Works for Customers

1. Customers see one pill for each menu link, up to the configured pill limit.
2. Clicking a pill opens that linked collection page.
3. The active collection page is shown with an active pill state.
4. If sorting is selected, the sort order is preserved when customers move between subcategory pills.

Link Setup Best Practices

• Use clear, shopper-friendly menu labels.
• Link to collection pages that are closely related so navigation feels natural.
• Keep the menu concise for easier scanning on smaller screens.
• Place the most important subcategories first in the menu.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Check	Fix
Subcategory pills do not appear	Show subcategory pills is off	Turn on Show subcategory pills in Main collection settings.
No pills render after enabling	No menu selected or menu has no links	Select a Subcategory menu and confirm it contains links.
Some expected pills are missing	Subcategory pill limit is too low	Increase Subcategory pill limit.
Active state appears on the wrong pill	Menu link points to a different collection URL	Update menu links so each points to the intended collection page.
Order is not what you want	Menu link order in Shopify is different	Reorder links in the Shopify menu and save.

Final Check Before Publish

1. Open the target collection page in Theme Editor preview.
2. Confirm subcategory pills are visible.
3. Click each pill and verify it opens the expected collection page.
4. Confirm the active pill updates correctly for each page.
5. Confirm sort selection remains applied when switching pills.