Fix the Notify me button not showing

Use this guide if the ‘Notify me’ button doesn’t appear on a product, or if it appears on a variant that is in stock. By the end, you’ll know which setting is hiding or showing the button and how to change it.

The button needs several things to be true at once. Check them in the order below, because the first few explain most cases.

Before you begin

Requirement	Detail
An Online Store 2.0 theme	STOQ loads through a theme app embed, which Online Store 1.0 themes don’t support
Access to your theme editor and the STOQ app	You’ll check settings in both

Check the usual causes

1. Turn on the STOQ app embed

   1. In Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Themes.
   2. Click Customize on your live theme.
   3. Open App embeds (the puzzle-piece icon in the left sidebar).
   4. Switch STOQ on and click Save.

   A theme update or a theme switch resets this, which is the most common reason a button that worked yesterday has vanished. Each theme has its own app embed setting. See Enable STOQ on your theme.

2. Turn on the Notify me widget

   1. In the STOQ app, click Back in stock alerts.
   2. Open the Settings tab, then the Signup widget sub-tab.
   3. Make sure the ‘Notify me’ widget toggle is on.

   See Turn the Notify me widget on or off.

3. Confirm the variant is out of stock

   By default the button only shows when the selected variant is out of stock. In Shopify admin, open the product and check the Inventory section. If the available quantity is above 0, the variant counts as in stock and the normal Add to cart button shows instead.

   A variant with 0 quantity and Continue selling when out of stock turned on also counts as available to Shopify. The button stays hidden unless you use one of the overrides in the next section.

4. Check the per-variant setting

   1. Click Back in stock alerts, then the Products tab.
   2. Find the product and variant.
   3. Look at its Button visibility. Never show hides the button even when the variant is sold out.

5. Check for a product tag that hides the button

   1. Click Back in stock alerts → Settings tab → Signup widget sub-tab → Customize widget.
   2. On the Button tab, click Products.
   3. If Specific products is selected with Hide ‘Notify me’ widget, compare the listed tags with the tags on the product in Shopify admin. Remove the tag from the product or change the rule.

   See Choose which products show the button.

6. Make sure the product is active and published

   A product set to Draft, or not published to the Online Store sales channel, doesn’t appear on your storefront at all, so the button can’t either. Open the product in Shopify admin, set the status to Active, and confirm Online Store is checked under Publishing.

Show the button on products that are in stock

There are two ways to show the button when the selected variant is in stock:

• Per variant: on the Products tab, set Button visibility to Always show. Choosing this turns off automatic back in stock alerts for that variant, so you’ll send notifications yourself. See Customize the Notify me widget for specific products.
• Per product: in the widget editor, on the Button tab under Products, turn on Show ‘Notify me’ widget if any variant is out of stock. The button then shows on every variant of a product as long as at least one variant is out of stock.

If the button is showing on in-stock products and you don’t want it to, check that neither of these is turned on. Also check Show ‘Notify me’ widget on preorder products, which shows the button on in-stock variants that are on preorder.

Collection, home, and search pages

Each page type has its own setting. If the button shows on product pages but not on collection pages, turn it on for that page type. See Show the button on collection, home, and search pages. On collection pages the button appears only when the product itself is sold out, unless Show if any variant is out of stock is on.

Troubleshooting

The button was working and then disappeared

1. Check whether you updated or switched themes. If so, turn the STOQ app embed back on for that theme.
2. Check whether the product was restocked. The button hides by design once the variant is in stock.
3. If the button is back but sits in the wrong place after a theme change, you may need new placement selectors. See Advanced placement and custom CSS.

The button shows on some products but not others

Compare a product where it works with one where it doesn’t. The usual differences are a hide tag on one product, a per-variant Button visibility setting, a variant that is in stock while others are sold out, or a product that isn’t published to the Online Store.

The variant says Sold out but there is no button

The variant probably has 0 inventory with Continue selling when out of stock on, so Shopify treats it as available. Either turn that setting off for the variant, or turn on Show ‘Notify me’ widget on preorder products in the widget editor.

The button doesn't show on any page after a theme switch

Turn the STOQ app embed on for the new theme (step 1 above). If your new theme is an Online Store 1.0 theme, STOQ can’t load on it.

Another app changed the product form

Apps that rebuild the add to cart area, and heavily customized themes, can stop STOQ from finding where to place the button. Set a custom placement with dev mode, or contact STOQ support with a link to the product.

Limitations

• STOQ requires an Online Store 2.0 theme.
• The disable-tag rule hides the button on every variant of a tagged product.
• If the STOQ app embed is off in the theme, nothing from STOQ loads, including preorder buttons and badges.

FAQ

Does the Notify me button show for in-stock variants? Not by default. Use Always show on a variant, or turn on Show ‘Notify me’ widget if any variant is out of stock.

Why does the button show on one variant but not another of the same product? STOQ checks each variant on its own. A sold out variant shows the button. An in-stock variant shows it only if an override applies to it.

Does STOQ work with Online Store 1.0 themes? No. STOQ loads through a theme app embed, and 1.0 themes don’t support them. Upgrade to a 2.0 theme.

Do these settings change anything for people who already signed up? No. They only decide where the button appears. Existing signups stay on the waitlist.

Related guides

Choose which products show the buttonTags, preorder products, and multi-variant rules.

Design the Notify me buttonChange the button's text, look, and position.

Enable STOQ on your themeTurn on the app embed and check your theme.