Recently viewed
Browsing a page with the theme’s main Product section records that product even when Recently viewed is not on that page. Add Recently viewed only where you want to show the history. The current product is excluded. The row stays hidden until at least one available product card is returned; deleted or unavailable links do not leave an empty heading. Browser storage and JavaScript are required.
Recently viewed shows each shopper the products they looked at earlier in their visit — picked up from their own browser, right on your page.
What it does
Section titled “What it does”Place it anywhere — often above the footer or on the cart page — to give shoppers a one-tap way back to products they almost bought.
The list is personal and local: it fills from the shopper’s own browsing in their browser. It stays invisible until they have actually viewed some products, and it isn’t shared across devices.
Add it to a page
Section titled “Add it to a page”- In Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Themes and click Edit theme. (Older admin versions label this button Customize.)
- Open the template where you want the section.
- Click Add section and choose Recently viewed.
- Set the count and columns, then save.
Choose a style
Section titled “Choose a style”No layout setting — just how many products and how they sit:
| Setting | Default | Options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of products to show | 4 | 2–8, step 1 | How many products appear at most |
| Columns on desktop | 4 | 2–5, step 1 | Cards per row on wide screens |
Set it up: quick start
Section titled “Set it up: quick start”- Add the section — in the editor preview it may stay empty, which is expected.
- Optionally retype the Heading, then set Number of products to show and Columns on desktop.
- Save. To test, stay in the same browser: preview this theme (or open your live store if this theme is published), open a few product pages, and come back — the row now shows them. A fresh browser has no history, so the section stays hidden there.
Settings
Section titled “Settings”Section settings
Section titled “Section settings”See the table under Choose a style, plus the Heading — those three settings are everything there is.
| Setting | Default | Options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heading | “Recently viewed” | Text | Section title |
| Number of products to show | 4 | 2–8, step 1 | Maximum products shown |
| Columns on desktop | 4 | 2–5, step 1 | Cards per row on wide screens |
Images and content tips
Section titled “Images and content tips”- Nothing to prepare — cards are the theme’s standard product cards and inherit the global product card settings (hover effects, tints).
- Put the section late in the page: it means most to shoppers who are already browsing.
Good to know
Section titled “Good to know”- Empty until it isn’t. Shoppers who just arrived see nothing here — the section appears only once they’ve opened product pages in the same browser.
- Per browser, not per account. The history lives in the shopper’s browser storage; it doesn’t follow them to another device or browser, and clearing site data clears the list.
- Products stay in the shopper’s language and currency — the row respects the sales channel they’re browsing.
Example setups
Section titled “Example setups”Cart page companion. 4 products, 4 columns — placed on the cart template under the items.
Home page return path. 8 products, 5 columns, above the footer — a soft reminder for returning visitors.
Common questions
Section titled “Common questions”The section doesn’t show at all. Until the shopper has viewed products in that browser, the section stays hidden — open a few product pages first and come back.
It shows different products for me and my customer. It’s personal by design — each browser builds its own history.
Why can’t I pick which products appear? The list is the shopper’s own history; there’s nothing to curate. For a chosen set of products, use Featured collection instead.