Mobile navigation, search, and floating tools
What these settings control
Section titled “What these settings control”Three Theme settings groups control the phone experience: the icons in the mobile header, the bottom navigation bar and search panel, and the two floating tools (back-to-top and floating search). All three groups live under Theme settings, affect only narrow screens under about 990 px, and never change the desktop layout.
Where to find them
Section titled “Where to find them”- In your Shopify admin, go to Online store → Themes → Customize.
- Open Theme settings on the left: Mobile header, Mobile navigation and search, and Mobile floating tools appear one after another.
Mobile header
Section titled “Mobile header”Toggles for the icons on the right side of the phone header:
| Setting | Default | Options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show Menu | On | On / Off | Header menu button |
| Show Search | On | On / Off | Header search button |
| Show Account | Off | On / Off | Header account button. Requires customer accounts to be enabled in your store |
| Show Cart | On | On / Off | Header cart button |
With everything off, the header keeps only the logo (and the announcement bar, if present). The account button needs customer accounts enabled in your Shopify admin — that is a store setting, not a theme one.
Mobile navigation and search
Section titled “Mobile navigation and search”The bottom navigation bar holds up to five entries, each with its own toggle:
| Setting | Default | Options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show Home | Off | On / Off | Goes to your storefront home |
| Show Menu | Off | On / Off | Opens the mobile menu |
| Show Shop | Off | On / Off | Goes to the all-products listing |
| Show Search | Off | On / Off | Opens the mobile search panel |
| Show Cart | Off | On / Off | Goes to the cart, with an item-count badge |
| Bottom navigation visibility | Show when scrolling up | Show when scrolling up / Always show | The bar steps aside while the shopper scrolls down and returns on the way up; Always show keeps it fixed |
| Featured search collection | Not selected | — | Products shown in the search panel before anything is typed. Leave blank to show the search prompt only |
All five entries are off by default — turn on what fits your store; you do not need all five. The Shop entry always goes to the all-products listing and does not follow your menu configuration. To guide shoppers to a specific collection, use the Menu entry or a collection section on your home page.
Mobile floating tools
Section titled “Mobile floating tools”| Setting | Default | Options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show back-to-top button | On | On / Off | Back-to-top button on long pages |
| Back-to-top position | Right | Left / Right | Which side of the screen the button sits on |
| Floating search button | Off | Off / Show when scrolling up / Always show | A separate floating search button lower on the page; opens the same search panel as the header and bottom navigation |
The floating search is off by default. With Show when scrolling up, it appears after the shopper has scrolled down a stretch and swipes back up. With Off, shoppers can still search from the header or the bottom navigation — as long as at least one of those entries is on.
Suggested setups
Section titled “Suggested setups”- Content-led store: enable Home, Shop, and Cart in the bottom navigation, keep visibility at Show when scrolling up, and leave the floating search off — the header already has a search button.
- Large catalog: enable Shop, Search, and Cart, and point Featured search collection at a curated collection so the empty search panel still gives shoppers a starting point.
- Long editorial pages: keep back-to-top on and set Back-to-top position to Left, away from third-party bubbles that often sit bottom-right.
Common questions
Section titled “Common questions”The bottom navigation bar disappeared? Check three things: at least one entry is enabled; you are viewing at phone width (it never shows on desktop); and if visibility is Show when scrolling up, swipe up — the bar steps aside while reading downward.
The floating search button never appears? It only shows after the shopper has scrolled partway down the page (in every mode except Off), and only at narrow widths.
If I hide the header search and never enable the bottom-bar or floating search, can shoppers still search? No — keep at least one of the three search entries on, or phones will have no way to search.