Collection Manager

The Collection Manager provides a central interface for viewing, creating, editing, and managing all your Shopify collections.

Opening Collection Manager

Open using one of these methods:

  • Menu: Tools > Collection Manager
  • Toolbar: Click Collections button
  • Keyboard: Ctrl+Shift+C

Understanding Collections

Shopify has two types of collections:

Type Description Product Assignment
Manual Hand-picked products You add/remove products manually
Smart Rule-based, automatic Products auto-added based on conditions

Interface Overview

Collection List (Left Panel)

Lists all collections with:

  • Name - Collection title
  • Type - Manual or Smart badge
  • Count - Number of products
  • Image - Collection image thumbnail

Collection Details (Right Panel)

Shows selected collection:

  • Title and handle
  • Description
  • Image
  • Products (for manual) or Rules (for smart)

Viewing Collections

Sort Options

Sort the collection list by:

  • Name - Alphabetical
  • Product Count - Most/least products
  • Updated - Recently modified
  • Created - Newest/oldest

Filter Options

Filter collections:

  • All - Show all collections
  • Manual - Manual collections only
  • Smart - Smart collections only

Type in the search box to find collections by name.

Creating Collections

Create Manual Collection

  1. Click New Collection
  2. Select Manual Collection
  3. Fill in details:
    • Title - Collection name (required)
    • Handle - URL slug (auto-generated)
    • Description - Collection description
    • Image - Upload or URL
  4. Click Create

Create Smart Collection

  1. Click New Collection
  2. Select Smart Collection
  3. Fill in details (same as manual)
  4. Add rules (see Smart Collections)
  5. Click Create

Editing Collections

  1. Select a collection from the list
  2. Click Edit or double-click
  3. Modify details in the Collection Editor
  4. Click Save

Editable Fields

Field Description
Title Collection name
Handle URL slug
Description HTML description
Image Collection image
SEO Title Meta title
SEO Description Meta description

For Smart Collections

Additional options:

  • Add/remove/modify rules
  • Change rule logic (AND/OR)
  • Preview matching products

Managing Products

Manual Collections

Add or remove products manually:

Add Products:

  1. Select a manual collection
  2. Click Add Products
  3. Select products from the picker
  4. Click Add

Remove Products:

  1. Select products in the collection
  2. Click Remove from Collection
  3. Confirm removal

Smart Collections

Products are managed by rules. To change which products appear:

  1. Edit the collection
  2. Modify the rules
  3. Save changes
  4. Products update automatically

Deleting Collections

  1. Select the collection
  2. Click Delete
  3. Confirm deletion

Note: Deleting a collection does NOT delete the products in it.

Collection Actions

Duplicate Collection

  1. Select a collection
  2. Click Duplicate
  3. New collection created with "(Copy)" suffix
  4. Edit as needed

Copy Products to Collection

Copy products from one collection to another:

  1. Select a collection with products
  2. Right-click and choose Copy Products to...
  3. Select the target collection
  4. Products are added to target (remain in source)

Move Products to Collection

Move products from one collection to another:

  1. Select a collection with products
  2. Right-click and choose Move Products to...
  3. Select the target collection
  4. Products are moved (removed from source, added to target)

View on Shopify

  1. Select a collection
  2. Click View in Admin
  3. Opens Shopify admin in browser

Bulk Operations

Add Products to Collection

From the main product grid:

  1. Select products
  2. Click + Collection button
  3. Choose the target collection
  4. Confirm the operation

Remove Products from Collection

From the main product grid:

  1. Filter by collection (optional)
  2. Select products
  3. Click - Collection button
  4. Choose the collection to remove from
  5. Confirm

Collection Statistics

View collection stats:

  • Product Count - Total products
  • Active Products - Published products
  • Total Inventory - Combined stock
  • Average Price - Mean product price

Best Practices

  1. Use descriptive names - Clear, customer-friendly titles
  2. Optimize handles - SEO-friendly URL slugs
  3. Add descriptions - Help with SEO and navigation
  4. Include images - Visual appeal in store
  5. Smart vs Manual - Use smart for dynamic groupings
  6. Regular review - Clean up unused collections

Common Scenarios

Seasonal Collection

Create a manual collection for holiday products:

  1. Create "Holiday 2024" manual collection
  2. Add relevant products
  3. Feature in navigation during season
  4. Archive after season

Sale Items

Create a smart collection for products on sale:

  1. Create "On Sale" smart collection
  2. Rule: "Compare At Price" is greater than 0
  3. Products auto-appear when sale-priced

New Arrivals

Smart collection for recent products:

  1. Create "New Arrivals" smart collection
  2. Rule: "Created" within last 30 days
  3. Products auto-rotate as new items arrive

Troubleshooting

"Collection not showing on store"

  • Check collection is published
  • Verify navigation menu includes it
  • Check collection has products

"Products not appearing in smart collection"

  • Review rule logic (AND vs OR)
  • Verify product data matches rules
  • Check product status is Active

"Cannot edit collection"

  • Verify you have edit permissions
  • Check for sync errors
  • Refresh the collection list

"Products removed unexpectedly"

  • Smart collection rules may have changed
  • Product data may have been modified
  • Check rule conditions

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut Action
Ctrl+N New collection
Delete Delete selected
Enter Edit selected
Escape Close manager

See Also