> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.strm.design/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.strm.design/help/troubleshooting.md). # Troubleshooting Fixes for the most common "why doesn't this show?" questions in Stratum. Most problems come down to a setting in the theme editor or a piece of store setup that a feature depends on. Find your symptom below. {% hint style="info" %} Before anything else: make sure you are looking at the right theme. **Preview** and **Customize** show the theme you opened; the live store shows the **published** theme. And remember to click **Save** in the editor. {% endhint %} ## Products and swatches ### Color swatches don't show on product pages or cards An option shows swatches when **one** of these is true: 1. The option uses **Shopify swatches**: in the product's admin page, the option is linked to a category metafield with colors or images (for example **Color**). 2. Its name is listed in **Theme settings › Swatches › Show swatches for options named** (default "Color, Colour") **and every value has a visual**. A value gets its visual from, in order: its Shopify swatch; your **Swatch colors** list; a common color word in its name ("Cosmos Black" → black); or the variant's image when **Use the variant image when no color is found** is on. **Fixes** * Your option has another name ("Màu sắc", "Farbe", "Finish")? Add it to **Show swatches for options named**, separated by commas. * One value has no color and no image? Add it to **Swatch colors** as `Name: #hex` (one per line), or give that variant an image and keep **Use the variant image when no color is found** on. If any value has nothing, the whole option shows as buttons instead, so there are never empty circles. * On product cards, swatches need the **Swatches** block inside the **Product card** (it is included by default in collection and search grids). See [Variants and color swatches](/products/swatches.md). ### The add to bag button is missing on product cards * **Sold-out products** never show it. * In the **Product card**, select the **Product media** block and check **Show add to bag / choose options button**. * On large screens it appears on hover unless **Theme settings › Product cards › Add to bag / Choose options button** is set to **Always show**. ### Star ratings don't show Ratings come from the standard product review metafields (`reviews.rating` and `reviews.rating_count`) that review apps write. Install a review app that supports them (most do), and ratings appear on cards and product pages automatically. ### Clicking a product image doesn't open it full screen Check **Open images full screen on click** in the **Product information** section of the product template. Videos and 3D models don't open in the viewer; only images do. ## Collections and filters ### There are no filters, or only Availability and Price Filters come from Shopify's free **Search & Discovery** app, not from the theme. 1. Install **Search & Discovery**. 2. In the app, open **Filters** and add the filters you want: product type, vendor, tags, color, size, metafields… 3. Filters only show values that exist in the products being viewed. ### My color filter shows a plain list, not swatches * In **Search & Discovery**, set the filter's display to **Swatch**; or * add the filter's name to **Theme settings › Filters › Color filter names** (default "Color, Colour"). Colors come from Shopify swatches, then your **Theme settings › Swatches › Swatch colors** list, then common color words. ### "New this month" or another product row is empty The section shows the products of the collection you picked. If none is picked, it uses **All**. Pick a collection that has products and is available on the Online Store sales channel. ## Header, footer and navigation ### The country/region or language selector doesn't show The country/region selector needs **more than one country** in an active market (**Settings › Markets**); the language selector needs **more than one published language** (**Settings › Languages**). Then check the switches in the **Footer** (**Show country/region selector**, **Show language selector**) or the **Header** (**Show country and language selectors**, off by default). See [Markets, languages and currency](/selling-internationally/markets-and-languages.md). ### Payment icons don't show in the footer Activate a payment provider in **Settings › Payments** and turn on the card brands and wallets you accept, then check **Show payment methods** in the **Footer**. ### My dropdown menu doesn't open Large dropdown panels need links nested **under** a main menu item in **Content › Menus**. A top-level link without children is a plain link. ### The mobile bottom bar doesn't appear It shows only on phones (screens narrower than 768 px), and only when the shopper scrolls **up**; it hides again when they scroll down. Check **Theme settings › Navigation › Show bottom navigation bar on mobile**. See [Mobile navigation](/header-and-footer/mobile-navigation.md). ## Cart and checkout ### The free delivery bar doesn't show * **Theme settings › Cart › Free delivery progress bar threshold** must have an amount. * The bar only shows when the shopper's currency is your store currency. * The bar is a message only; set up the actual free shipping rate in **Settings › Shipping and delivery**. ### Shoppers can check out without ticking the terms box **Ask shoppers to agree to terms** gates the checkout buttons in the cart drawer, notification and cart page. Accelerated checkout buttons (Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay) can't be gated by a theme; hide them in the cart sections if every order must agree. ## Overlays ### The cookie banner doesn't show * **Show banner** is set to **Only where Shopify's privacy settings require it** by default. Visitors in regions where consent isn't required don't see it. Choose **To every visitor until they choose** to show it to everyone. * You already made a choice in this browser. Open the site in a private window to see it again. * The banner needs Shopify's Customer Privacy API, which is always present on live stores; it doesn't show if that API is unavailable. * Turn off Shopify's own cookie banner (**Settings › Customer privacy**) so visitors see only one. See [Cookie consent](/overlays/cookie-consent.md). ### The newsletter popup doesn't open It never opens on a timer alone. With **Open** set to **After cookie choice, else on scroll or exit**, it opens shortly after the shopper makes a cookie choice, or after they scroll past half the page or move to leave. Once dismissed, it stays away for the number of days set in **Show again after**, counted from when it last appeared. Open the site in a private window to test again. See [Newsletter popup](/overlays/newsletter-popup.md). ## Compare ### There are no "Compare" checkboxes Turn on **Theme settings › Product compare › Enable product compare**. ### The compare bar has no "Compare" button Pick the page that shows the comparison in **Theme settings › Product compare › Compare page**. Create a page in **Online Store › Pages** first and give it the **compare** template. See [Product compare](/products/compare.md). ## Content sections ### The countdown doesn't show It hides itself once the end time has passed, and needs the date in the format `YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM` (for example `2026-12-31 23:59`) in your store's time zone. ### Recently viewed is empty It shows products this visitor viewed **on this device**; the list is stored in their browser. A new visitor, a private window or the theme editor has no history, so the section hides (the editor shows a note instead). ## The theme editor and the theme files differ **Symptom:** you or a developer changed a template in the theme files (or uploaded a new version), but the store still shows the old layout; or a setting in the files doesn't match what the editor shows. **Why:** once a template or section group is saved in the theme editor, Shopify keeps that saved version for the theme. Changing the default file doesn't replace what you saved. **Fix:** make the change in the theme editor itself, or start from a fresh copy of the theme where nothing has been saved yet. When updating Stratum, use Shopify's update flow, which carries your saved layouts across. ## Still stuck? * Try the store in a **private window** with no browser extensions: cached data, ad blockers and extensions cause many "it doesn't work for me" reports. * Turn off app embeds one by one in the editor's **App embeds** panel to see if an app is interfering. * Then contact us: see [Getting support](/help/support.md).