Shopify Subcategories Not Showing on the Catalog Page? Check /collections vs /collections/all

A very common Shopify support case starts like this: the merchant has already built a clean category tree inside Breadcrumbs & Categories, the subcategories look right in the app, but nothing seems to “transfer” to the storefront when customers click the Catalog menu item.

In many cases, the app setup is not the problem. The issue is the Shopify menu link. A menu item called Catalog can point to different Shopify routes, and those routes do not behave the same way.

The two URLs that usually cause confusion are:

• /collections — often used by Shopify themes as an all collections list page.
• /collections/all — Shopify’s all products / catalog collection page.

If your subcategories are configured correctly but do not appear from the Catalog menu, check whether the menu item is linked to /collections instead of /collections/all. That small URL difference can completely change what the theme renders.

The Short Answer

For a catalog page powered by Breadcrumbs & Categories, your store’s Catalog menu should usually link to:

/collections/all

not:

/collections

The /collections route is commonly a list of all collections. It may show every collection separately, and many themes do not treat it as the same kind of collection page where an app subcategory block should appear. The /collections/all route is the all products collection page, so it is usually the correct place to show a catalog-style category or subcategory section.

Why This Happens in Shopify

Shopify collections and Shopify navigation are related, but they are not the same thing. A menu item is just a link. It can point to a collection, a page, a product, a blog post, a custom URL, or a system route. Shopify’s own menu editor lets merchants add, edit, and change menu links from the admin, and the exact menu location can depend on the current Shopify admin interface and theme setup.

That means a menu item named Catalog does not automatically guarantee that customers are landing on the page you intended. The label can say “Catalog” while the link points to /collections, /collections/all, a specific collection, a page, or a custom URL.

For this reason, when subcategories do not show on the storefront, the first troubleshooting step should not be rebuilding the whole category tree. First, confirm the destination URL of the menu item.

/collections vs /collections/all: What Is the Difference?

URL	What it usually represents	What shoppers may see	When to use it
/collections	Shopify’s all collections list page in many themes	A page that lists collections separately, often without normal collection-page context	Use it only if you intentionally want a native list of all collections
/collections/all	The all products / catalog collection page	A normal collection-style catalog page, often with product grid and collection sections	Use it when the Catalog menu should open the store catalog and show app-managed subcategories

This distinction is especially important for stores that use Breadcrumbs & Categories to create a more structured category experience. The app can organize subcategories based on your app tree, but the storefront still needs to load the correct page context.

How Breadcrumbs & Categories Fits Into This

Breadcrumbs & Categories helps Shopify merchants build a category tree, display breadcrumbs, and show subcategory sections without manually hard-coding every category relationship into the theme. For example, a catalog page can show parent categories or popular subcategories based on how the tree is configured in the app.

However, the app does not turn every Shopify route into the same kind of page. If a customer lands on the native /collections list page, the theme may render a simple “all collections” template rather than the catalog collection page. In that situation, the app tree can be correct while the storefront still looks wrong.

A practical way to think about it:

• The app tree controls your intended category and subcategory structure.
• The Shopify menu link controls where the customer lands.
• The theme template controls what layout appears on that route.

All three need to line up. If one part points to a different page type, the result can look like the app is not working even when the category setup is fine.

Step-by-Step Fix: Point the Catalog Menu to /collections/all

Use this process when your app subcategories are set up correctly but do not appear after clicking the Catalog menu.

1. Open your Shopify menu settings. In the current Shopify admin, menus are commonly managed under Content > Menus. In older interfaces or some merchant instructions, this may appear as Online Store > Navigation.
2. Open the menu that contains your Catalog item. This is often the Main menu, but it can vary by theme.
3. Edit the Catalog menu item. Click the existing Catalog link rather than creating a duplicate menu item.
4. Replace the destination with /collections/all. If Shopify does not show it as a normal selectable option, paste the path manually into the link field.
5. Select the matching option if Shopify suggests it. Some admin versions show a suggested result after you paste the URL.
6. Apply the change and save the menu. Do not forget the final menu save step.
7. Test the storefront. Open the store, click Catalog, and confirm that the URL is now /collections/all.

Once the Catalog menu points to the correct route, the subcategory block from Breadcrumbs & Categories should appear on the catalog page if the app block and theme placement are configured for that page.

What If Shopify Does Not Show /collections/all as an Option?

This is where many merchants get stuck. In some Shopify admin experiences, /collections/all may not appear as a simple selectable menu destination. That does not mean the URL cannot be used. It may need to be entered manually.

In the menu link field, paste:

/collections/all

Then save the menu and test the storefront directly. If the admin still does not accept the path, try entering the full store-relative destination exactly as a custom link. The important part is that the final storefront URL should open the all products / catalog page rather than the all collections list page.

Why the App Does Not Simply Show Subcategories on /collections by Default

It may seem easier to display the app subcategory block on both /collections and /collections/all, but that can create a messy catalog experience.

The /collections page already lists collections in many Shopify themes. If the app also shows the same category tree there, shoppers can end up seeing duplicated collection/category content on one page. That is why a cleaner setup is usually:

• Use /collections/all as the customer-facing Catalog page.
• Use Breadcrumbs & Categories to show the curated category or subcategory section there.
• Avoid duplicating the same category list on the native all-collections route unless you have a very specific theme strategy.

This keeps the customer journey simpler: the Catalog menu opens one clear catalog landing page, not two competing collection lists.

When the Catalog Page Shows Products Above the Categories

Another common follow-up is: “Now the subcategories show, but the page also shows the product grid. Can I hide the products and only show the category section?”

Yes, but this is more of a theme layout decision than a category-tree decision. The all products page naturally tends to show products because that is what the catalog collection is for. If you want the catalog page to behave like a category landing page, there are three practical options:

Goal	Recommended approach	Best for
Show categories first, products below	Move the subcategory block above the product grid in the theme editor	Stores that still want shoppers to browse all products
Show only categories on Catalog	Hide the product grid on the catalog page template	Stores that want Catalog to act as a category landing page
Different layout for Catalog only	Create or assign a dedicated collection template for the all products page	Stores that need a custom landing-page experience

In the support case behind this article, the merchant wanted the catalog page to focus on collections/categories only. After the menu target was corrected, the product grid was hidden on the catalog page so the category section became the main experience.

Troubleshooting Checklist

Before rebuilding your category tree, run through this checklist:

• Confirm the URL after clicking Catalog. If it ends at /collections, you may be on the all collections list page.
• Test /collections/all directly. Type it into the browser and check whether the app subcategories appear there.
• Check the app tree. Make sure the parent categories and child subcategories are saved in Breadcrumbs & Categories.
• Check app block placement. Confirm the subcategory section is enabled on the relevant collection or catalog template.
• Check theme templates. Some themes treat the collections list page, all products page, and collection pages differently.
• Check for duplicated category output. If both native theme collections and app categories show together, decide which one should be visible.
• Clear storefront cache or test in a fresh browser. Theme and app changes may need a clean refresh before they are obvious.

SEO and UX Notes

From an SEO perspective, a catalog page should not just dump every category and product into one confusing view. It should help shoppers and search engines understand the store structure.

A clean catalog setup can help in three ways:

• Better internal discovery: Customers can move from Catalog to category pages faster.
• Cleaner hierarchy: Important collections can be surfaced as parent categories instead of being buried in a flat list.
• Less duplicate-looking content: Avoiding both native all-collections output and app category output on the same page can make the page easier to scan.

For more background on category structure, you can read our guide to using Shopify subcategories to improve collection hierarchy. If you also want breadcrumbs across product and collection pages, see the guide on adding Shopify breadcrumbs without code. For structured data considerations, review our article about Shopify breadcrumb schema and JSON-LD.

Developer Handoff Notes

If a developer or support team is fixing this for a merchant, the handoff should be simple and precise:

1. Check the current Catalog menu destination.
2. Change the Catalog link from /collections to /collections/all.
3. Confirm that the app subcategory section appears on /collections/all.
4. If the merchant wants a category-only catalog page, hide or remove the product grid only on the catalog/all-products template.
5. Do not globally hide product grids on normal collection pages unless the merchant explicitly wants that behavior.
6. Retest desktop and mobile layouts after the change.

This avoids over-fixing the wrong thing. The solution is usually not to rebuild the whole tree. It is to align the Shopify menu URL, the app tree, and the theme layout.

When to Use Breadcrumbs & Categories

If your Shopify theme only gives you a flat collections list, Breadcrumbs & Categories can help you create a clearer category experience with breadcrumbs, subcategory sections, and a managed category tree. The practical benefit is that merchants can control the storefront navigation structure from the app instead of relying only on Shopify’s flat collection setup or theme-specific menu behavior.

For setup details, theme placement, and common configuration questions, you can also check the Breadcrumbs & Categories documentation.

Final Takeaway

When Shopify subcategories do not show on the Catalog page, do not assume the app tree is broken. First, check the Catalog menu link.

If the menu points to /collections, customers may be landing on Shopify’s all collections list page. If your goal is a catalog page with app-managed subcategories, point the menu to /collections/all instead. After that, adjust the catalog template only if you want to hide the product grid and make the page focus entirely on collections/categories.

That one change can turn a confusing “why are my subcategories not transferring?” issue into a clean catalog browsing experience.