# Products or category descriptions not showing on PrestaShop

> A product exists and is in stock, yet it doesn’t show on its category page; or a category description stays invisible despite being properly saved: in most cases the cause is a specific association or setting, not a bug.

- Source canonique : [https://allaux.fr/en/prestashop/problemes/categorie-produits-non-affiches](https://allaux.fr/en/prestashop/problemes/categorie-produits-non-affiches)
- Langue : EN
- Dernière mise à jour : 2026-09-30

## Direct answer

> Open the product in Catalogue > Products, Associations tab: it must be ticked in the category you expect, not merely have it as its default category. Then check its enabled status and its availability date, and make sure the category itself is enabled and attached to the right shop when multistore is on.

## Why a product doesn’t show in its category

I check these in order, because each one hides the product independently of the others:

The Associations tab on the product sheet: the product must be ticked for the category in question, in addition to having a default category set. A correct default category doesn’t mean the product is genuinely associated with every category it’s expected in.

The product’s online status, in the back-office product list: an active status filter on that list can also visually hide the product on screen without it actually being disabled, which often causes confusion.

Availability date: a product scheduled to go live in the future stays invisible in the shop until that date, even if it’s otherwise correctly set up.

The category itself: if it’s disabled, or if the site runs multistore and the category isn’t linked to the shop in question, none of its products will show on that shop.

Product display order within a category is set by drag and drop directly in the category’s product list in the back office: useful for featuring certain items without touching any code.

## Why the category description doesn’t show

Two distinct causes: the Display category description setting may be switched off at the category level, or the theme’s template simply doesn’t render that block at all, notably on custom themes that removed this part of the category.tpl template for a different layout.

A disabled setting is a few clicks to fix. A block missing from the template means reopening the theme file and reinstating the description, possibly in a different spot on the page — which is exactly what several merchants ask for when they want the description at the bottom rather than the top, and that stays a template tweak, not a standard setting.

## Setting or template?

> A missing association, a status or a date is fixed from the back office, no code involved. Moving or re-displaying a block in a position the theme doesn’t provide for needs an override of the category.tpl template.

## Related pages

- **Stock not updating correctly** — Stock stuck at zero or out of sync can also explain a product looking absent: diagnosing PrestaShop’s stock counters. ([/prestashop/problemes/gestion-stocks-mise-a-jour](/prestashop/problemes/gestion-stocks-mise-a-jour))
- **PrestaShop 1.6 to 1.7 or 8 migration** — Categories and how they display can behave differently after a major version change. ([/prestashop/migration](/prestashop/migration))
- **Custom module development** — Repositioning a block or changing a category page’s layout means editing the theme template. ([/prestashop/module-sur-mesure](/prestashop/module-sur-mesure))

## FAQ

### The product is associated and active, why is it still invisible?

I then check the shop in question if it’s a multistore setup, then the customer group tied to the product: a product can be restricted to a group that excludes the non-logged-in visitor.

### Can the category description be shown at the bottom rather than the top?

Yes, that’s moving it within the theme’s category.tpl template, not a back-office setting. I do it while keeping the rest of the layout intact.

### Is product order within a category automatic?

No, by default it’s manual, set by drag and drop in the back office. Automatic sorting by a criterion (best sellers, price, newest) is chosen in the category’s display settings, no development needed.

### A subcategory I recently created isn’t showing in the menu, why?

The theme’s menu may use a cache separate from the catalogue’s, or the subcategory simply isn’t ticked as visible in the menu, depending on the navigation module the theme uses.