How to Set Up WooCommerce Pages
WooCommerce needs Shop, Cart, Checkout and My Account pages, plus Terms, Privacy and Refund policy pages for a live Indian store. Assign Shop under Settings → Products and the others under Settings → Advanced → Page setup. If a core page is missing, WooCommerce → Status → Tools → Create default WooCommerce pages rebuilds it.
For WooCommerce store owners setting up a new shop or repairing missing, blank or broken store pages.
knowledge
- Read time
- 4 min
- Sections
- 7
- Updated
- 14 Nov 2026
- Written by
- WebJi® team
Last editorial update: 14 November 2026. Prices follow the dated sources on this page; checkout confirms current charges.
Which pages does a WooCommerce store need?
WooCommerce needs four core pages — Shop, Cart, Checkout and My Account — and a live Indian store should add Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy and Refund Policy pages. Setup creates the four core pages plus a draft Refund and Returns Policy; you create and assign the terms page yourself.
| Page | Content | Assigned under |
|---|---|---|
| Shop | Product archive; no shortcode needed | WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Shop page |
| Cart | Cart block, or [woocommerce_cart] | Settings → Advanced → Page setup |
| Checkout | Checkout block, or [woocommerce_checkout] | Settings → Advanced → Page setup |
| My Account | Account block, or [woocommerce_my_account] | Settings → Advanced → Page setup |
| Terms and Conditions | Your terms text | Settings → Advanced → Page setup |
| Privacy Policy | Your privacy text | WordPress Settings → Privacy |
Recent WooCommerce versions use the Cart and Checkout blocks on new installs; older stores often still use shortcodes. Both work, but do not mix a block and a shortcode on the same page.
How do you check that the pages are set up correctly?
Confirm each page exists under Pages, is assigned in WooCommerce settings, and contains the right block or shortcode, then place a test order in a private browser window. A setting showing "Select a page" breaks checkout even when the page exists.
- Pages → All Pages: Shop, Cart, Checkout and My Account should be listed and published.
- WooCommerce → Settings → Products: the Shop page dropdown names your Shop page.
- WooCommerce → Settings → Advanced → Page setup: Cart, Checkout, My Account and Terms each name a page.
- Open Cart and Checkout in the editor; each should hold its block or shortcode, not plain text.
- In a private window, add a product, view the cart and reach the payment step.
How do you recreate a missing WooCommerce page?
Go to WooCommerce → Status → Tools and run "Create default WooCommerce pages"; it creates only the missing core pages and leaves existing ones untouched. Then re-check the assignments.
- Run the tool and note which pages it created.
- Re-assign the Shop page under Settings → Products and the others under Advanced → Page setup.
- If a page exists but is blank, paste its block or shortcode back in and update.
- Visit Settings → Permalinks and click Save to refresh rewrite rules.
- Test
/shop/,/cart/and/checkout/in a private window.
What are My Account endpoints, and why do slugs matter?
Endpoints are the sub-pages of My Account — orders, view-order, downloads, edit-address, edit-account, payment-methods, lost-password and customer-logout — served as URLs like /my-account/orders/. They are configured under Settings → Advanced → Page setup → Account endpoints.
Renaming the My Account page slug changes every endpoint URL and breaks links in old order emails. If another page or post already uses a slug such as orders, the endpoint can return a 404; rename the conflicting page and re-save permalinks.
Which policy pages should an Indian WooCommerce store publish?
Publish Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, Refund and Cancellation Policy, and Shipping Policy pages, and show contact details with a grievance contact before taking payments. Indian payment gateways review these pages during merchant onboarding, and India's Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 require sellers to display return, refund and grievance information.
- Edit the draft Refund and Returns Policy WooCommerce created, and add Terms, Shipping and Privacy pages.
- Assign Terms under Advanced → Page setup so a checkbox appears at checkout.
- Assign the privacy page under WordPress Settings → Privacy.
- Link all policy pages in the footer and from the checkout page.
Gateway onboarding requirements are covered in payment gateways in India, and invoices in GST invoices in WooCommerce.
How do you fix common WooCommerce page errors?
Most broken store pages come from a missing assignment, stale permalinks, a shortcode pasted as plain text, or a slug clash. Diagnose the symptom before reinstalling anything.
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Cart shows [woocommerce_cart] as text | Shortcode inside a paragraph block | Use a Shortcode block or replace with the Cart block |
/shop/ returns 404 | No Shop page set, or stale rewrite rules | Assign it under Settings → Products, then re-save permalinks |
| Checkout says the cart is empty | Cart and Checkout assigned to the same page, or cache | Separate pages; exclude cart and checkout from page caching |
| Account sub-pages 404 | Endpoint slug clash | Rename the conflicting page, re-save permalinks |
| Checkout fails at payment | Gateway plugin or webhook issue | See WooCommerce checkout not working |
Checkout reliability also depends on hosting: PHP memory, database speed and cache rules that skip cart and checkout. WooCommerce hosting is set up for that; shared plans start at ₹299 a month before 18% GST.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a page builder for the Cart and Checkout pages?
Yes, as long as the page still contains the Cart or Checkout block, or its shortcode, inside the builder layout. Remove it and WooCommerce has nothing to render. Test a full order after every layout change.
Can I rename the Shop page URL?
Yes. Change the Shop page slug, for example to /store/, then re-save permalinks. Add a 301 redirect from the old /shop/ URL so links and search results keep working.
Should I switch from cart and checkout shortcodes to blocks?
Blocks are WooCommerce's current default, but some payment, shipping or field plugins still support only the shortcode checkout. Confirm every extension you use supports blocks, test on staging, then switch.
Why is the cart empty for logged-out visitors?
A page cache is usually serving a copy of the cart page. Exclude cart, checkout and my-account from caching, and make sure the cache honours WooCommerce session cookies.
Last editorial update: 15 November 2026. Prices follow the dated sources on this page; checkout confirms current charges.
Ready to get started with WebJi®?
Join 12,000+ businesses across India and overseas. INR pricing, 18% GST shown before payment and 24/7 email support in Hindi and English — average first reply under 60 minutes.