TL;DR: WooCommerce Cart Not Working
Most cart issues come down to a misconfigured page, a plugin conflict, or a caching problem. Start with the fastest checks first:
- Confirm items are actually in the cart – an empty cart won’t show a view cart button
- Check your cart page is assigned – go to WooCommerce » Settings » Advanced and verify the Cart Page dropdown
- Deactivate plugins one by one – a plugin conflict is one of the most common causes
- Switch to Storefront or a default theme – rules out theme conflicts immediately
- Clear your cache and reset permalinks – if the page is assigned but still blank, stale cache is often the culprit
I’ve seen the WooCommerce cart not working issue trip up store owners more than you’d expect. When shoppers can’t view their cart, they often give up and leave.
Here are 11 fixes to work through, starting with the quickest checks.
In This Guide:
- How to Fix WooCommerce Cart Not Working (11 Proven Solutions)
- 1. Confirm Items Are Added to the Cart
- 2. Check Products for Missing Details
- 3. Update WooCommerce to the Latest Version
- 4. Deactivate/Reactivate WordPress Plugins
- 5. Change Your WooCommerce Theme
- 6. Check Your WooCommerce Cart Page Settings
- 7. Fix WooCommerce Cart Redirects to Homepage
- 8. Reset Your Permalinks
- 9. Clear Caching Plugin Data
- 10. Check for Customization/Code Errors
- 11. Contact Your Host for Server Side Issues
- More Ways to Customize WooCommerce
How to Fix WooCommerce Cart Not Working (11 Proven Solutions)
These steps will help you fix WooCommerce cart issues that prevent customers from completing their purchase.
1. Confirm Items Are Added to the Cart
The first step in tackling the ‘view cart not working’ issue is checking if items are being added to the cart correctly. This seems simple, but the empty cart issue is often overlooked.
WooCommerce automatically creates a dedicated page for the shopping cart, which shows the items a customer selects. However, if it has a problem, the ‘view cart’ button may not work because it’s technically empty.
To check this, visit your WooCommerce site as a customer and add an item to the cart. Then click the ‘view cart’ button or link.
If the item is in the cart, there may be no problem at this stage.
2. Check Products for Missing Details
Sometimes the view cart button not showing is a symptom of missing product information that prevents WooCommerce from generating the cart link. This could be a missing product category, price, or SKU (Stock Keeping Unit).
To check this, go to Products » All Products from your WordPress dashboard and click a product title to open the editor.
On this screen, check all necessary fields are filled in, including:
- Product name
- Product description
- Product category
- Product image
- Regular and sale price
- SKU
If you find any missing details, fill them in and click ‘Update’ at the top-right corner of your screen.
Once you’ve filled in the missing details across all your products, try again to see if the ‘view cart’ option works on your WooCommerce store.
3. Update WooCommerce to the Latest Version
One potential solution to the WooCommerce view cart not working issue involves ensuring your WooCommerce plugin is up-to-date. Outdated versions could be the source of your problems, so double-check yours.
Developers frequently release updates to fix bugs and create improvements. If you’re using an old version of WooCommerce, you might face an issue already resolved in newer versions.
To check if your WooCommerce plugin is up-to-date, click Plugins » Installed Plugins from your WordPress admin and look for the WooCommerce plugin.
If an update is available, you should see a link labeled ‘Update Now.’ Click it to install the latest WooCommerce version.
4. Deactivate/Reactivate WordPress Plugins
WordPress Plugins on your site can sometimes cause compatibility issues with the WooCommerce plugin. To pinpoint plugin conflicts, do a simple test by deactivating your plugins one by one.
Navigate to Plugins » Installed Plugins and click the checkmark box for each plugin. Then, select the ‘Deactivate’ option under the ‘Bulk Actions’ dropdown and click Apply.
After deactivating your plugins, check if the ‘View Cart’ button works. If the button works, reactivate each plugin individually until you find the one causing the problem.
5. Change Your WooCommerce Theme
WooCommerce theme conflicts can also lead to the ‘view cart’ button not working. Not all WordPress themes and templates play nicely together, and WooCommerce is no exception.
To check if your theme is causing issues, switch to a default WordPress theme or Storefront, the official WooCommerce theme.
After changing themes, try viewing your WooCommerce cart again. If the issue is resolved, it’s clear that your theme was causing the conflict.
In this case, you may need to update your theme or contact the theme’s developer to inform them about the issue.
Another way to solve this is by creating your own WordPress theme.
If the theme conflict keeps coming back, or you’d rather not troubleshoot a third-party theme, SeedProd’s Elite plan lets you build a fully custom WooCommerce cart, checkout, and shop page using the drag-and-drop editor.
You design the pages. WooCommerce handles the commerce. No theme compatibility issues.
6. Check Your WooCommerce Cart Page Settings
Even a minor error in your cart page settings can cause issues with your online store. If your website lacks a dedicated cart page or your settings are misaligned, you’ll likely face problems with the ‘view cart’ button.
If no page is set, visitors may land on a 404 or experience a WooCommerce cart page error when trying to view their cart.
To check your cart page settings, go to WooCommerce » Settings from your WordPress admin menu and click the ‘Advanced’ tab.
Here, you’ll see various page settings, including ‘Cart Page.’ Click the dropdown menu to ensure your site’s cart page is selected.
If you don’t have a dedicated cart page, you’ll need to create one.
To do this, go to Pages » Add New and name it ‘Cart.’ Alternatively, follow this guide to create a custom shopping cart page with SeedProd.
Next, return to the WooCommerce settings page and select your new page from the dropdown menu.
Finally, save the changes and check if the ‘view cart’ button works.
If the cart page is assigned but still shows blank, open it in the editor and check it contains the WooCommerce Cart block (if using the block editor) or the [woocommerce_cart] shortcode (if using classic editor).
A page with no cart block renders blank even when correctly assigned in WooCommerce settings.
7. Fix WooCommerce Cart Redirects to Homepage
If adding an item sends you to the homepage instead of the cart page, a redirect rule may be overriding the assigned cart page.
First, confirm the cart page is set under WooCommerce » Settings » Advanced. If it’s assigned correctly, check for redirect rules in security plugins like Wordfence or the Redirection plugin that may be intercepting the cart URL.
Deactivate those plugins one by one to identify the culprit. If no plugins are the cause, check your theme’s functions.php for any custom redirect code.
8. Reset Your Permalinks
Permalinks are crucial as they define the online address of your pages and posts. If your WooCommerce cart is not updating after adding items, it may be due to a caching issue or permalink conflict.
To reset them, go to Settings » Permalinks from your WordPress dashboard. In the ‘Permalinks settings’ tab, scroll down and click on the ‘Plain’ option.
Now click the ‘Save Changes’ button at the bottom of the page.
Once saved, revert to your previous permalink settings by reselecting your initial options and hitting ‘Save Changes’ once more.
9. Clear Caching Plugin Data
Another cause behind the WooCommerce view cart not working could be your site’s caching.
Caching helps speed up your WordPress site by storing copies of your pages and serving them to your visitors. Sometimes, this can create inconsistencies between your website’s cached and live versions.
One solution to combat this is to clear your site’s cache.
From your Installed Plugins page in WordPress, find your caching plugin. Then, click the ‘clear cache’ option in the plugin settings.
Depending on the plugin you’re using, the option’s name could also be ‘Delete cache’ or ‘Empty cache.’
Clearing your cache can immediately resolve the issue by offering users a clean, updated version of your site.
10. Check for Customization/Code Errors
Sometimes, the cause of your view cart button not working is down to custom code snippets and shortcodes. If you’ve modified your WooCommerce theme or added custom functions to your functions.php file, the alterations might conflict with your cart.
To address these issues, look for custom code snippets on your WordPress site. Then, back up your website and remove the snippets one by one.
After removing each snippet, check whether the view cart button works. If it is, you’ve found your culprit.
If you find a problem piece of code, consider hiring a professional developer to inspect and fix the issue. Correcting it yourself without the necessary expertise can do more harm than good.
Alternatively, you can add code to your site using a code snippets plugin like WPCode. It allows you to turn snippets on and off individually, making it easier to troubleshoot.
11. Contact Your Host for Server Side Issues
If you’ve tried the previous steps and the WooCommerce view cart not working issue persists, it may be server-side. In this case, it’s time to loop in your hosting provider.
Server bottlenecks or issues with your website hosting company can cause interruptions with WooCommerce and your webpage performance.
Contact your hosting service provider and tell them as much as possible about your issue. This helps them debug the problem and find the perfect solution.
Some specific things to mention include:
- The exact error message you see, if any.
- When the issue began.
- The troubleshooting steps you’ve already taken.
- If the problem is constant or intermittent.
Most web hosts have strong customer support who will work with you to resolve the issue.
However, if they can’t assist, consider moving to a different host offering better WooCommerce compatibility and support. Here are some of our top recommended WordPress hosting providers.
More Ways to Customize WooCommerce
Fixing the view cart not working error is just one of the many ways to tweak your store. For more WooCommerce customizations, please see the following guides:
- How to Customize the WooCommerce Additional Information Tab
- How to Add View Cart Button in WooCommerce
- How to Change Shop Page Title in WooCommerce
- How to Create a Stunning Product Image Gallery in WooCommerce
- How to Add Star Rating to WooCommerce Product Pages
- How to Display Related Products in WooCommerce
- How to Display Product Categories and Tags in WooCommerce
- How to Get and Display Product Descriptions in WooCommerce
- How to Display Featured Products in WooCommerce
- How to Hide Out of Stock Products in WooCommerce
FAQs About WooCommerce Cart Not Working
Here are some common questions and answers about the WooCommerce cart not working issue.
Why is the continue to checkout button missing from my cart?
A missing checkout button is usually caused by missing payment gateways. Ensure at least one is active and configured correctly in your WooCommerce settings. The button can also be unavailable if shipping is required but not configured, or if you have a minimum order amount set and the cart value is below that threshold.
Why am I getting a blank page when I try to view my cart?
If you see a blank page when viewing the cart, try refreshing or using a different browser. Browser extensions can also interfere, so try disabling them. If the cart page is assigned in WooCommerce settings but still blank, open the page in your editor and confirm it contains the WooCommerce Cart block or the [woocommerce_cart] shortcode.
Why does my WooCommerce cart keep emptying itself after I add items?
This usually comes down to cookies or caching. Your browser may have cookies disabled, or a caching plugin isn’t excluding the /cart/ page from being cached. An SSL/HTTPS mismatch can also cause session loss, which empties the cart after each page load. Try clearing your cache, switching to a private browser window, and confirming your store URL uses https consistently.
Next, How to Fix Shopping Cart Abandonment
Work through these fixes from the top, and most cart issues resolve in the first few steps.
If you’re ready to take full control of your WooCommerce store, SeedProd’s Elite plan includes custom cart, checkout, and product page templates built with the drag-and-drop editor.
For the bigger picture, check out my guide on how to fix shopping cart abandonment.
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