Shopify Sub-Collections: Nest Collections and Include Subcategories

Illustration of a Clothing Tops category with Shirts, Cardigans and Bodysuits beneath it and an Include subcategories checkbox, with dashed lines flowing into an All tops collection page of six colorful tops and an In sync badge

Updated September 2026

Shopify collections can now contain other collections. Since Shopify's July 2026 collections update, you can add an existing collection as a source inside another one, so a Teaware collection can be built from your Teapots, Steepers and Infusers collections and stay in sync as they change. Separately, since March 2025, a product category condition can Include subcategories, so one condition picks up a whole branch of Shopify's product taxonomy.

An earlier version of this post described the March 2025 change as "sub-collection inclusion". It wasn't: that update was about product categories, not collections. This version corrects it and covers both features, plus how to show sub-collections to shoppers.

Two different features

Three ways to get collections within collections on Shopify: a category condition with Include subcategories, a parent collection that uses other collections as its sources, and a nested drop-down menu 01 · CATEGORY One condition, every child Product category is equal to Clothing Tops Include subcategories Shirts Cardigans + more Best when your products have categories set. 02 · NESTED Collections as sources TeapotsSteepersInfusers Teaware Source: Collection Stays in sync as they change. 03 · MENU What shoppers see Teaware All teaware Teapots Steepers
Categories and collection sources decide what's in a parent collection. Menus decide how shoppers get there.
  • Include subcategories works on Shopify's Standard Product Taxonomy. Pick Clothing Tops, tick the box, and shirts, cardigans and every other child category come with it (changelog, March 2025).
  • Collections as sources works on your own collections. The parent collection includes the products of each child collection you connect (changelog, July 2026).

How to nest collections in Shopify

  1. Go to Products → Collections and click Add collection (or open the parent collection you already have).
  2. Add a title, description and image as usual.
  3. In the sources area, change the source dropdown to Collection and click Connect a collection.
  4. Choose the child collection. Repeat for each child you want to include.
  5. If something shouldn't appear, add an exclusion. Exclusions always win over inclusions, and you can exclude by condition, by picking products, or by excluding a whole collection.
  6. Set the sort order, click Save, and check the product list before adding the collection to your menu.

The same collection can mix sources: a collection source, some hand-picked products and a set of conditions all at once. That removes the old "automated or manual, pick one" limit, and it's why many duplicate collections and tag workarounds can now be retired. Our post on Shopify's rebuilt collections covers the rest of the July update, including variant-level collections.

Worth knowingThe new model is replacing the old manual and smart collections, and existing collections are converted automatically when your store gets it. If your admin doesn't show collection sources yet, you're still on legacy collections. Use the tag method below until it arrives. Apps or custom code that edit collections need API version 2026-07 or later to use the new features.

How to use Include subcategories

  1. Check that your products have categories. Open a product and look at Category. Shopify suggests one from the title, description and images, and you can bulk edit categories across many products.
  2. In the collection, add a condition: Product category, is equal to, and choose the parent category.
  3. Tick Include subcategories.
  4. Add other conditions if you need them and choose Match all conditions or Match any condition. A collection can have up to 60 conditions.

It only works as well as your categories. A shirt categorized as plain "Clothing" won't appear under a Clothing Tops condition, so filter your product list by category first and fix the gaps.

On legacy collections: the tag method

If your store doesn't have the new collections model yet, you can still fake a parent collection. Give each child collection a tag condition (mens-jacket, womens-jacket), then give the parent one tag condition per child and choose Match any condition. All jackets now contains both. It works, but it relies on everyone tagging consistently. Our guide to smart collection conditions covers the traps.

Show sub-collections to shoppers

What's inside a collection and what shoppers see are separate jobs. A collection only appears in navigation when you add it to a menu:

  1. Go to Content → Menus and open your main menu.
  2. Add the parent collection, then add each child with Add menu item.
  3. Drag the children beneath the parent and click Save menu.

A top-level menu item can have up to two levels of drop-down beneath it; check how many your theme displays. Many themes also have a collection list section, which you can add to the parent collection's page to show the children as tiles.

Common questions

Can a Shopify collection include another collection?

Yes, on the new collections model. Set a source to Collection and use Connect a collection. On legacy collections there's no such condition, so use matching tags instead.

How do I create sub-collections in Shopify?

Create each child as its own collection, create a parent that uses them as sources, then nest the children under the parent in Content → Menus so shoppers can browse them.

Is Include subcategories the same as nesting collections?

No. It follows Shopify's product categories, not your own collections. Use it when the taxonomy matches how you sell, and collection sources when your groupings are your own.

If your catalog has outgrown its structure and you'd like help untangling it, talk to us.